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Sustainability
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The Role of Digitalized Visual Management in Construction Projects
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The Role of Digitalized Visual Management in Construction Projects

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 4497

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Olli Seppänen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Aalto University School of Engineering, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Interests: lean construction; digital construction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of visual management has been recognized by the lean construction research community. It can increase information distribution, bring more transparency to construction sites and enable pull production approaches. Improved visual management could contribute to reduction in time wasted on construction sites and to empowering the construction worker, thereby contributing to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, i.e., 1 (No Poverty: providing sustainable jobs for craftsmen); 8 (Decent work and Economic Growth: creating conditions that allow construction workers to have quality jobs); 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: enabling productivity improvement); 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production: by attacking waste). However, case studies on visual management have highlighted problems with outdated information and information outside of the workers’ reach. To achieve better situational awareness, on-site digitalization of visual management tools has been proposed.

This Special Issue invites papers that report research on digital visual management and its role in construction projects. The research should involve digital approaches targeted at the construction worker level. The definition of visual management includes being exposed to relevant information without actively looking for it. Therefore, research on mobile applications, etc., is discouraged for this Special Issue because these applications involve the worker manually looking for information. Papers can cover implementation issues, technology-related topics, case studies, analysis of benefits and barriers, analysis of relevant data, decision-making analysis from worker point of view and other topics that are related to the overall theme of digitally distributing real-time and relevant information that can serve to increase the situational awareness and autonomy of construction workers and crews.

Dr. Olli Seppänen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lean construction
  • digitalization
  • visual management

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 3345 KiB  
Article
Digital Last Planner System Whiteboard for Enabling Remote Collaborative Design Process Planning and Control
by Ergo Pikas, Bárbara Pedó, Algan Tezel, Lauri Koskela and Markus Veersoo
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12030; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912030 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2488
Abstract
The coronavirus outbreak forced design companies to consider how the flow of information and work processes could be managed in the context of remote design work. This research aims to put a digital Last Planner System (LPS) whiteboard to the test in support [...] Read more.
The coronavirus outbreak forced design companies to consider how the flow of information and work processes could be managed in the context of remote design work. This research aims to put a digital Last Planner System (LPS) whiteboard to the test in support of remote collaborative design process planning and control and identify its benefits and challenges. The synergies between lean and digital practices were explored by developing solutions in two different case studies, one in the UK and the other in Estonia. Research results were interpreted, and the main lessons learned were articulated. The digital LPS whiteboard enabled and supported the remote planning and control of design projects and processes. The digital LPS whiteboard had the following process-related benefits, including, for example, increased transparency, understanding, engagement, flexibility, and continuous improvement. Challenges in the use of the digital whiteboard were generally due to an excess of information and meetings, the social limitations of virtual meetings, and a lack of relevant IT competencies. Recommendations for individuals interested in planning, developing, and testing a digital whiteboard for remote implementation of the LPS are made. Further research on the entangled nature of digital whiteboard functionality and LPS behaviors is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digitalized Visual Management in Construction Projects)
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27 pages, 6508 KiB  
Article
Visual Management Requirements to Support Design Planning and Control within Digital Contexts
by Bárbara Pedó, Carlos T. Formoso, Daniela D. Viana, Patricia Tzortzopoulos, Fernanda M. P. Brandalise and Andrew Whitelock-Wainwright
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10989; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710989 - 02 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1448
Abstract
Difficulties in managing the construction design process are strongly related to its nature, as a large number of interdependent decisions are involved, which need to be made by many different stakeholders, in an environment that has a high degree of uncertainty. Moreover, there [...] Read more.
Difficulties in managing the construction design process are strongly related to its nature, as a large number of interdependent decisions are involved, which need to be made by many different stakeholders, in an environment that has a high degree of uncertainty. Moreover, there is a growing use of digital tools to support design. Traditional communication approaches used in design management only partially comply with the requirements of digital contexts, and new methods and tools are necessary to address these challenges. Visual Management (VM) has the potential to increase process transparency in the design stage, in order to support collaboration and communication and facilitate the transfer of information. However, the literature on the implementation of VM to support design management is still scarce. Moreover, there is limited understanding of the connection between VM and information and communication technologies (ICT). This investigation aims to propose a set of requirements to support VM applications for design planning and control within digital contexts, which can potentially contribute to improving the effectiveness of VM. This set of requirements were initially identified within the literature, considering different fields of knowledge, and then refined in an empirical study that was developed in collaboration with an infrastructure design and consultancy company in the UK. The Design Science Research approach was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation, which involved incremental learning cycles for devising the artefact, carried out in three different projects. The main findings include (i) the definition of a set of VM requirements that are applicable to the context investigated in this research study; (ii) an assessment of the relevance of the requirements for different types of visual practices, hierarchical planning levels, and stakeholders that are involved; (iii) the identification of some current limitations and challenges of implementing digital VM in construction design. From a practical perspective, this set of requirements may guide practitioners and academics in devising and assessing digital VM practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digitalized Visual Management in Construction Projects)
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