Future challenges in construction By : Ir Hj Mohd

Transcript:Future challenges in construction By : Ir Hj Mohd:
Future challenges in construction By : Ir Hj Mohd Fazli bin Osman Content Introduction Challenges Malaysia’s Initiatives Introduction In the years ahead, the construction industry will have to overcome various challenges, be it direct or indirect. Technocrats associated with the construction industry need to employ innovative technologies and skilled project handling strategies to overcome these challenges. A glance around and the wonders of civil engineering glares at us; a house here and a flyover there; a highway here and a metro line there. The green splash of nature is slowly converting into a concrete boulevard, thanks to the construction industry. The influx of various new technologies and deployment of project management strategies has made it possible to undertake projects of mega scale. Investment in this sector has been found to contribute significantly to the GDP of the country. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the best way to measure a country’s economy. It is one of the primary indicator use to gauge the health of the country’s economy However, in its path of advancement, the industry has to overcome a number of challenges, some new and some old. Many of these challenges are a direct result of construction operations, while others a result of indirect, peripheral activities. A surprising number of challenges are not construction issues but must be addressed and managed to ensure project success. Some of the construction issues include workforce considerations, safety, time constraints, and the changing nature of the work. Non-construction challenges that are part of the business landscape include legal issues, government regulations, environmental concerns, and sociopolitical pressures. Business that fail to take the challenges seriously, however will face uphill battle for viability. What are the challenges? 1. Project Performance The opportunities in construction are growing, but so is project complexity. With companies already operating under razor-thin profit margins, a single production surprise can wipe out profits for the whole company. Design complexity compounds this problem. As designs become larger and require greater efficiency, construction companies struggle to keep up. The lack of on-time and on-budget projects is telling. The 2015 KPMG Global Construction Survey found that more than half of all construction companies experienced one or more underperforming projects in the previous year. 2. Project Management Construction as such, is a complex array of interdependent activities that some would say is at best, an organized chaos. The very nature of construction introduces challenges typically not