Description
Organizing construction projects is complex due to the temporary nature of projects, the high level of parties involved and the fact that every project is unique according to De Saram, et al. (2004). Nevertheless, the importance of organizing and coordinating in construction is ever more important because of the increasing demand for lower costs and higher resource efficiency as confirmed in the report by The Swedish Agency for Public Management (2009).
Organizing Robust Logistics Systems in Major
Construction Projects
Master of Science Thesis in Master’s programme Design and Construction
Project Management
Jimmy Dahlström
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Division of Construction Management
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Göteborg, Sweden 2011
Master’s Thesis No. 2011:89
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AKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to the interviewees who kindly contributed with their valuable time and effort. I
wish to thank my tutors Per-Erik J osephson and Tobias Karlsson. Thanks to Chalmers
University of Technology, Svensk Bygglogistik. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Sara
who supported me throughout the whole process of compiling this report. Last but not least I
would like to thank my family for all of their support throughout all of my years as a student.
This Master’s Thesis contains one article and a summary of that article written in Swedish.
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ORGANIZING ROBUST LOGISTICS SYSTEMS IN
MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Jimmy Dahlström
Division of Construction Project Management, Chalmers University of Technology and
Svensk Bygglogistik AB.
Abstract: The construction industry is continuously being accused of being inefficient
and not willing to innovate. The process of innovation in terms of new material and
new solutions in combining materials is moving forward but the actual construction
process has more or less been the same since we started to build. In increasing
efficiency in the construction process lies a big potential to cut costs in the
construction industry which would result in projects being on time and on budget and
hence lowering the cost for the end user. Historically in the construction industry there
has been lack of feedback learning and the evaluation of project success or failure is
often neglected which further complicates the possibility of increasing the efficiency.
The construction industry is process driven and hence there are difficulties to
implement traditional quality improvement models of total quality. This article
concerns a study at a complex arena project with a high number of parties involved
that has implemented an on-site logistics organization in order to increase the
efficiency and to coordinate the different processes. Due to the complexity of the
project the coordination of activities is crucial for project success. The article presents
a study that investigates a limited number of critical incidents that has had an impact
on the logistics system at the project Stockholm arena. The article aims to analyze
these critical incidents and their contribution to the complexity in order to use the
analysis as feedback material in order to be able to build robust logistics systems in
the future. This article concludes that in order to build robust logistics systems
construction projects should implement a thorough stakeholder/impact analysis in
order to map the different stakeholders and their possible contribution to the
complexity of the project, moreover the report concludes that every project in the
construction industry should have an on-site logistics organization of some sort that
should be implemented at an early stage in order to take in to account the complexity
of the project from a logistics point of view.
Keywords: coordination, construction industry, critical incidents, logistics,
stakeholder/impact analysis.
INTRODUCTION
Organizing construction projects is complex due to the temporary nature of projects,
the high level of parties involved and the fact that every project is unique according to
De Saram, et al. (2004). Nevertheless, the importance of organizing and coordinating
in construction is ever more important because of the increasing demand for lower
costs and higher resource efficiency as confirmed in the report by The Swedish
Agency for Public Management (2009).
In the report ordered by the Swedish government written by The Swedish Agency for
Public Management (2009), the construction industry is being accused of being
inefficient and unwilling to innovate. According to Klakegg (2009) the process of
feedback learning in project based organizations is limited, due to the fact that the
focus of the parties involved is limited to the completion of the project. After
completion the organization is resolved and moves on to another project which limits
the temporary organizations goals and visions.
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The apprehension that the construction industry suffers from change inertia can be an
effect of the lack of feedback learning according to The Swedish Agency for Public
Management (2009). Gahn & Salter (2000) claims that the construction industry is
large and the number of construction projects completed every year is high, hence the
conditions for learning from other projects are good still the feedback learning is not
satisfactory due to broken learning and feedback loops emerged from the
discontinuous nature of project based production.
Klakegg (2009) desribes that in a project oriented industry like construction a
temporary organization is assembled to perform a one of a kind product, and when the
product is complete the organization dissolves and the involved parties moves on to
the next project without thourougly analyzing the past project hence not giving future
projects the possibility to learn from earlier misstakes made. Further problems with
this is that temporary organizations incentives are limited to the duration of the project
and the project goals.
One commonly used explanation of why the feedback learning process often is
neglected is that the lessons learned from one project cannot be applied on the next.
That is in some sense true but only when the focus is on the actual solution, may it be
a technical solution or a way of producing. As elaborated by De Saram, et al. (2004)
the process of solving the problem arisen is often not included in the evaluation. Or the
other way around, what is the source of the need for problem solving.
That kind of question formulation is a powerful tool to identify sources of either a
good way of handling a problem or to identify what the source are for the problem
arisen. Identifying solutions or sources for an incident in accordance with above is
called the critical incident technique which De Saram, et al. (2004) confirms as a
useful tool in measuring the quality of coordination.
The focus on coordinating the logistics in construction projects is of increasing
importance for every project. This is especially true for major and complex projects
where there can be up to 100 000 and even more material deliveries planned. It is easy
to understand that in projects like this the risk of a situation to arise that will
complicate or even delay the project is high. Both the studies made by Agapiou, et al.
(1998) and Bertelsen and Nielsen (1997) claims that if a project implements a system
designed to plan, organize and manage all matters regarding the logistics the outcome
will be control over the flow of materials and processes, eased information exchange
and increased customer and stakeholder satisfaction. This is why the coordination and
planning process is very important and why every project should implement a logistics
organization which is elaborated by Karlsson (2009). The European Construction
Institute Total Productivity Management Report (ECI 1994 cited in Agapiou, et al.,
1998) further claims that it is crucial for project success to implement sound and stable
logistics systems designed to handle the logistics in construction projects.
This article presents a study that identifies a number of different critical incidents that
arose during a limited period of time at the studied case, Stockholm arena. The article
aims to analyze these incidents and to map their contribution to the complexity and the
effects for the logistics system. The purpose of the article is to produce a sound
feedback material using the lessons learned from these incidents from the studied case
as prejudice, in order to build future robust logistics systems.
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LOGISTICS SYSTEMS
Logistics were initially developed by the army in order to move and quarter the troops
as efficient as possible. Today logistics is according to studies by Bertelsen & Nielsen
(1997) and Agapiou et al. (1998) well known and adapted in the manufacturing
industry and is an important tool to increase productivity. Originally logistics main
focus was to improve the internal conditions but with the increasing globalization and
implementation of jointly supply chains between organizations the focus has shifted
on synchronizing external logistics.
J ohnsson and Matsson (2008) states that logistics is planning and controlling of the
forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and the flow of information
through the whole supply chain which is done in order to meet the requirements from
the customers. As Agapiou et al. (1998) establishes, the term logistics in business
context has mainly involved movement and storage of materials, transportation and
distribution in order to have the desired object of flow at the right time at the right
place.
In the book written by J ohnsson and Matsson, (2008) the positive effects of applying
logistics systems is said to be not only the increased control of the supply chain and
flow of materials but also economical winnings in terms of lower costs for insufficient
material handling. But also in addition to economical winnings one of the upsides with
logistics if performed properly is increased customer satisfaction. By creating sound
and distinct information exchange the effect will be lower planning uncertainty for all
involved parties thus creating good will and increased cooperativeness.
Moreover the upsides with applying logistics systems is elaborated by Björnland et al.
(2008), who claims that the main purpose with implementing logistics systems is to
improve the efficiency by reducing the costs but also increased income by improved
delivery service. Furthermore applying a robust logistics system will have the effect
that the organizations invested capital is used more efficient.
Applying logistics systems is a mean to work towards total quality, but it is not enough
to implement just a logistics system, as stated in J ohnsson and Matsson (2008) there is
no reason to excel in something that is not requested by the customers.
In order for the logistics system to work against total quality the focus has to be
holistic and as stated by Goetsch and Davis (1994) the focus must be on continuous
improvements of products, services, people, processes and the environment.
Tenner and DeToro (1992) elaborate that every process generates by-products for
other customers than the end users, such as the stakeholders, that is why quality
improvement work has to focus on four parties concerned: the end users/customers,
owners/shareholders, employees, community/stakeholders.
For a logistics system to be focused on total quality and continuously improvement
there has to be an evaluation of stakeholders and their needs and concerned which is
further elaborated by Olander (2007). He suggests that during the different stages of a
construction project a vast number of stakeholders will affect the project may it be
positive or negatively, moreover he elaborates that without a proper
stakeholder/impact analysis it is highly unlikely that their interest and expectations
will be met.
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Logistics systems in construction
Applying logistics systems and seeking control over the deliveries to the construction
site is critical for the construction industry, as elaborated by The European
Construction Institute Total Productivity Management Report (ECI 1994 cited in
Agapiou, et al. (1998).
According to J osephson and Saukkoriipi (2005) a large part of the total cost of
construction is hidden in form of waste. Waste is an activity that doesn’t add any value
to the end user. Waste occurs when there is lack of coordination of the logistics and
when the material is insufficiently handled or when resources are used insufficient.
Studies made by Larsson (1983 cited in Agapiou et al. 1998) suggest that low
productivity is an effect of poor planning and logistics and that common factors
between projects with low productivity are delays on-site, wastage and breakage of
materials. When applying a robust logistics system, Bertelsen and Nielsen (1997)
claims that an increased productivity is to be expected.
Agapiou et al. (1998) claims that when designing a robust logistics system there
should be a focus on developing partnering relationship between the participants in the
logistics organization this in order to improve the communication and coordination
between project participants.
According to Agapiou, et al. (1998) the main focus of logistics should be the interface
between parties involved focusing on information exchange. As there are many
different participants in a construction project the communication can be complex but
is eased by applying a logistics system.
Karlsson (2009) elaborates that effective material handling, planning and coordination
of the logistics in construction industry in form of an on-site logistics organization,
expert in logistics or Logistics Manager should be used on every project just as the
projects uses experts in fields such as engineering. Moreover this expert should be
hired at an early stage in order to maximize the possibility to influence the project
outcome.
METHOD
Critical incidents technique
Flanagan (1954) claims that the critical incidents technique consists of a number of
procedures for collecting observations of human behavior in a way that will make
them useful in problem solving. The description of the critical incidents technique is
further elaborated in the study made by Stauss et al. (1993) in which it is described as
a way of gathering, classifying and analyzing stories or incidents. Moreover Flanagan
(1954) offers a definition of a critical incident:
“A critical incident is any observable human activity that is sufficiently
complete in itself to permit inferences and predictions to be made about
the person performing the act and is critical if it makes a significant
contribution, either positively or negatively, to the general aim of the
activity”.
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Both Flanagan (1954) and De Saram et al. (2004) describes the advantages with the
critical incidents technique and it is described as a simple tool for the observer to use
because it requires little preparation. Moreover Stauss et al. (1993) establishes that the
critical incidents technique is suitable for quality improvement because the involved
parties will always keep the incidents that have occurred in mind that has had a
significant influence on their work. The critical incidents technique also offers an
evaluation tool that enables the involved parties to present their opinion in their own
words and familiar way of expressions which gives this application an advantage.
The study made by Flanagan (1954) offers an outline for interviews when adapting the
critical incident technique. This consists of three questions or directives
1. Introductory statement: We are making a study of (specific activity). We
believe you are especially well qualified to tell us about (specific activity)
2. Request for general aim: What would you say is the primary purpose of
(specific activity)?
3. Request for summary: In a few words, how would you summarize the general
aim of (specific activity)
The critical incidents discussed in the study presented in this article were chosen in
consultation with the on-site Logistics Manager. Due to the fact that this report is a
case study from the Stockholm arena and reflects a limited range of time of the
production, the possible critical incidents to analyze were limited. Originally, ten
critical incidents were listed. But due to lack of relevant information and the
confidentiality in some of the chosen incidents a number of four critical incidents were
finally chosen. The four incidents have all disturbed the logistics system and the
production organization significantly.
The critical incidents chosen are as follows:
1. Arenavägen – A public road crossing the production area which has been open
for traffic during most of the time of production.
2. Nynäsvägen – A public road which is located just alongside the east side of
the production area, which cannot be closed due to the very high level of
traffic passing into Stockholm on this road.
3. SL railway tracks – A railway crossing the production area which has been
open for traffic during most of the time of production.
4. Stakeholders – Adjacently organizations which has ongoing operations during
the production.
Interviews with the logistics organization
Interviews were held with three representatives from Svensk Bygglogistik: the
Logistics Manager, the Delivery Planning Manager and the Material Delivery
Managers. All of these interviews were semi-structured with open ended questions and
the location of the interviews were chosen by the interviewees. This approach was
chosen in order to get the most out of the interviews. These interviews were
complemented by the interviewer observing the interviewees performing their work.
The duration of these observations varied and lasted from 1 hour to 3 hours. The
length of the interviews varied from 15 minutes to 1 hour. When needed for further
questions, telephone or e-mail were used. The purpose of these interviews were to get
a clear view of the organization and coordination system that is used in the studied
project.
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Interviews with stakeholders and managers
A total of 10 open ended and semi-structured interviews were held with
representatives from different organizations involved in the project or from
organizations that are affected by the production of the Stockholm arena.
The interviewees where chosen in accordance with their participation and their
importance for the different critical incidents described in the article. All interviews
were structured alike, but were differentiated due to the fact that they cycled around
different critical incidents. These interviews were held at two different dates. All
interviews were semi-structured in order to get the interviewees honest opinions and
floating answers. Moreover the duration of these interviews varied from 20 to 45
minutes. The interviewee choose to have a lower number of questions in the
interviews in order to get a more dialogue or conversation feeling to the interviews.
One interview was forced due to the limitation of the interviewees’ time to be held via
telephone. A dictaphone were used at all interviews except at one, were the
interviewee didn’t want to be recorded. When needed complementation to the
interviews, questions were asked by email or by telephone.
The author structured the interviews in accordance with the interviewees’ involvement
to a specific critical incident. Representatives for the critical incidents of stakeholders
and Arenavägen where one person responsible for data communication and real estate
from the organization Kakelspecialisten, one plant manager from the organization
Grönsakshallen and one facility manager from the organization Nordic Pm,
responsible for the organizations renting spaces in the Globen business area.
Furthermore five persons were interviewed representing the critical incident
Arenavägen. These five persons where, a foreman from Peab, Bygglogistiks Logistics
Manager and a foreman from the organization Berg och Väg responsible for the
ground work. The two remaining interviewees representing the critical incident of
Arenavägen were, the assembly manager representing the organization responsible for
the cranes, and one project manager representing the organization responsible for the
prefab materials, this person were also interviewed for his participation in the critical
incident Nynäsvägen. Additionally one person where interviewed for her participation
in the critical incident Nynäsvägen, this person were a team leader from Peab
representing the production of facade materials.
Finally a production coordinator from the organization responsible for the railways of
Stockholm was interviewed, due to his participation in the critical incident of the
railway crossing the production area.
The purpose of these interviews were to penetrate the critical incidents and to find
good solutions and maybe bad decisions made, in order to be able to generate a sound
feedback material when implementing logistics systems in future projects.
The interviewees were then chosen in accordance with the research made by Flanagan
(1954), which says that only qualified persons for the specific activity should be
interviewed. The persons to interview were also chosen in collaboration with the
Logistics Manager. The questions asked during the interviews took inspiration from
the directions of the research made by Flanagan (1954) and hence the interview and
the questions were structured as follows.
• Introduction to why this person is chosen
• What is your responsibility regarding this critical incident?
• What is the main purpose with this critical incident?
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• Has complexity regarding this critical incident changed from the original
plans?
? How?
? Why?
• What effects has this had on your work?
• Can you think of any action regarding this critical incident that has been either
positive or negative and describe it with your own words?
• Why do you think this happened?
• What effects did this have on your work?
• What should be done in order to avoid this in the future?
CASE DESCRIPTION
In this part of the article the arena project and the on-site logistics organization that is
responsible for the coordination of logistics in the project will be described more
thorough.
The Stockholm arena
The Stockholm arena will be a sport and event arena with a capacity of 30,000
spectators and is owned by the city of Stockholm. The first event that will be hosted
on the arena will take place in the spring of 2013 which also is the aspired finish year
for the project. The arena should contribute in making Stockholm a world-class event
city and also contribute to attracting big events to Sweden and more specifically
Stockholm.
The production cost of the project is estimated to 2.7 billion Swedish kronor and the
contractor is Peab with a form of a design-build contract. The goal of the arena is to
create an accessible arena for everyone. This is a vision set up by the city of
Stockholm. This vision is supposed to be reached due to the favorable conditions of
the arena in form of geographic location, infrastructure and the public transportation
which could contribute in making this a modern arena with a vision that every visitor
of the arena should choose an environment friendly traveling via the public
transportation, by foot or by bicycle.
Early in the planning phase the formerly production manager, today he has due to
various reasons reassigned and has been replaced, decided that he wanted to take the
logistics in this project to a new level. He had past good experiences from cooperation
with Svensk Bygglogistik. Hence he took contact with Svensk Bygglogistik in order to
develop a jointly structured plan for the logistics and to develop a sound coordination
system for the Stockholm arena. One of the first actions that took place was that an
analysis of the logistics was made. This analysis investigates what the different
problem areas in terms of logistics might be in this project and offers solutions in
questions like lift and crane placements, disposition of areas and it also offers a plan
for how transportation of materials should be dealt with.
The logistics
During the planning of the coordination and logistics system, the conclusion was
drawn that this is a very complex project which requires an on-site organization which
main duties is logistics. This resulted in implementation of an on-site logistics
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organization consisting of personnel both from Svensk Bygglogistik and Peab which
consists of a total of 9 persons, more specifically:
• 1 Logistics Manager, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 1 Delivery Planning Manager, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 1 Team Leader, Peab
• 3 Material Delivery Supervisors, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 2 Traffic supervisors, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 1 Wicket-keeper, Svensk Bygglogistik
During the production of the Stockholm arena there will be around 100 000 deliveries
of various materials. Therefore the coordination and planning of deliveries is of vital
importance and hence both Peab and Svensk Bygglogistik have established this on-site
organization which will work as the logistics system. When structuring all of the
matters concerning logistics trough this on-site organization the management and
coordination of processes will be eased. This is achieved by implementing clear
structure in both the logistics organizations work roles but also by informing all
involved parties which areas to confront the on-site logistics organization with. The
aim is to create a safe, clean and efficient workplace and to give sound conditions for
all the parties involved in the production.
Figure 1: Organization chart of the on-site logistics organization at the Stockholm arena
The delicate parts in this project are the high number of involved parties, which
complicates the coordination and information exchange. Furthermore, the actual
location of the construction site which increases the complexity of the processes of
construction. In this on-site organization there is one person responsible for the overall
coordination of the logistics. This person is Svensk Bygglogistiks representative and
works as the leader for the on-site organization.
Furthermore they have one person which is responsible for coordination of all
deliveries to the construction-site. In order to help the Delivery Planning Manager,
Svensk Bygglogistik has implemented a digital delivery coordination system called
LogNet. LogNet is a product developed to both ease the administration of coordinating
the deliveries planned to the construction site, and it is also a powerful visualization
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tool which gives all of the involved parties a graphic visualization of the booked
deliveries. LogNet is an interactive tool which gives the parties involved in the project
an opportunity to book their deliveries via LogNet and as soon as the administrator has
accepted the booking it will be posted on the LogNet visual schedule available for all
parties involved. This tools aim is to visualize the planning for both the Delivery
Planning Manager but also for all involved parties so that the coordination of
processes and deliveries will be eased. It is also at tool in order to ease the
communication with all the involved parties and the logistics organization. LogNet has
a built in direct communication system using both email and text messages to
cellphones. This enables direct distribution of information between the logistics
organization and the involved parties.
Additionally the logistics organization has a Team Leader which is employed by Peab.
His main duties are traffic-plans, coverage of ID06 and billing. He was not included in
the original plans for the logistics organization but was implemented when the work
load were shown to be too much. The Team Leader spends much time out on the site
which enables him to give directions and taking in information directly from the
contractors which increases the partnership relation between the logistics organization
and the parties involved.
Moreover the logistics organization consists of three Material Delivery Supervisors.
Their main duties are to control the inflow of deliveries and to be a contact person for
the organization that delivers the goods. They are also responsible for giving
information about the deliveries to the Logistics Manager, Delivery Planning Manager
and the Team Leader. Their duties also consist of ensuring that all the delivered goods
match up with the delivery order.
The organization also has two Traffic Supervisors that have the responsibility of
making sure that the actual unloading of the goods is done in a way that is in
correlation with the traffic laws of Stockholm city.
A Wicket-Keeper is also included in the organization. He is responsible for making
sure that noone enters the construction site without being booked in accordance with
the current logistics system.
This organization works closely together alongside the management organization from
Peab. And on the weekly construction meetings logistics has a standing point. On
these meetings it is only the Logistics Manager that is present from the on-site
logistics organization. These weekly meetings are being held with surrounding
organizations or with other words stakeholders or neighbors in order to inform them
about the production and take in their point of view on how they are being affected of
the production. Furthermore, weekly information meetings are being held with both
the client and the management organization of Peab where logistics has a standing
point. The on-site logistics organization also has weekly internal meetings. These
meetings are being held to ensure that everyone in the organization feels that they have
the information they want and to make sure that their way of working is improving.
Usually on these meetings all representatives from the on-site logistics organization
are present and everyone is asked to present three positive and three negative aspects
of their organization.
The logistics organization has the hierarchy and the organizational structuring due to
both the complexity of the project, thus forcing the logistics organization to have a
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several positions but also this organizational structure is a result of experience from
Svensk Bygglogistik. They are active in projects all around Sweden and their main and
only focus is logistics. The logistics organization also has clear distinctive roles in
order for the information exchange process to be eased. This together with Svensk
Bygglogistiks long experience of coordinating and managing logistics resulted in the
formation of this logistics organization.
The Logistics Manager was the first person to be implemented in this logistics
organization and was implemented between the phases procurement and production.
The logistics organization was at first only consisting of personnel from Svensk
Bygglogistik but the complexity of this project forced the organization to implement a
Team Leader from Peab due to the fact that the workload on the already existing
organization was too heavy.
CRITICAL INCIDENTS AT THE STOCKHOLM ARENA
In this part of the article a number of chosen critical incidents for the Stockholm arena
will be analyzed and discussed. The amount of data collected for the different critical
incident is not equivalent hence the length differentiation between the different critical
incidents. Furthermore, the analysis of the critical incidents will merge due to the fact
that the different critical incidents affect one another and they are linked together.
Critical incident 1: Arenavägen
Arenavägen is a public road that has approximately 14000 passing cars per day. This
road has been open for traffic during most of the time of production which has
complicated the production due to the fact that the road, as Figure 2 illustrates, crosses
the production area.
The foreman for the organization responsible for the ground work has been involved
since the beginning of the project Stockholm arena. His responsibility is to coordinate
and manage the process of ground work, rock blasting and pile work. He has clearly
seen difficulties in having the road open for traffic. Having the road crossing the
construction site has led to complications in structuring their work. This is due to the
fact that his team had to establish different small work places instead of establishing
two big workplaces as the plans were from the beginning. This has led to restructuring
of their work which is not optimized. From the start of their work on 22nd of April
2010 they were given the directives from Peab that they had to redirect the Arenavägen
through the construction site, this because they had to be able to close the original
Arenavägen in order to bulldoze, conduct pile work and cast the pole foundations that
were supposed to be located on the same location as the original road.
The rock blasting, which also is a responsibility of his team has also encountered
difficulties in form of conflicts with a nearby organization. This nearby organization
or stakeholder has its parking lot and warehouse in direct connection to the
construction site. When blasting rocks, the measurement for chocking and shakes
values has been in the accepted limits according to the interviewee. On the other hand,
the representative from the nearby organization claims that even though the
measurements has been in the accepted limits it is a risk for his stock of tile in his
warehouse to fall down. This representative is responsible for data communication and
real estate for the nearby organization. He is also affected by the fact that the
Arenavägen is open, but not for the same reasons as the production. The Arenavägen
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is used as a passage for all the deliveries made to the construction site. This fact has
led to an increasing amount of heavy traffic getting stuck on the road which in return
has led to that deliveries to his organization has been stalled or even cancelled.
The fact that the construction is ongoing close to his organization leads to redirecting
of pedestrian’s trough the nearby industrial area, which he claims causes his
organization to lose customers. According to the current agreement this stakeholder’s
organization is not to be disturbed by the production of the arena. This is not the case
according to the interviewee. Instead he claims that his organization is suffering from
big losses in sales which threaten the existence of the organization.
From the start the city of Stockholm was supposed to offer the organization a
replacement location to conduct the business, but this has not been the case. According
to the interviewee the city of Stockholm has not performed what were initially agreed
upon, which has had the effect that the organization had to stay close to the production
much longer than wanted.
Furthermore, there are two more stakeholders or neighbors that have been affected of
the Arenavägen being open during the construction process. The first one is a large
greengrocer which has its stock and warehouse in direct connection with the
construction site, if not to say almost in the middle of the construction site. The
closeness to the construction site has had an impact on the greengrocer. This is due to
the fact that the arenas stand on the west side is overlapping the loading dock of the
green grocer. This has had the effect that trailers with deliveries to or from the
greengrocer has to share space with the carpenters of the arena project. The drivers
working for the greengrocer has also changed how they dock when loading or
unloading their trailer due to the fact that one of the pillars from the arena unable them
to drive like they always has. The representative from the greengrocer, a plant
manager says that this has been an ongoing problem but the greengrocer and the
organization from Peab with a lot of contribution from Bygglogistiks Logistics
Manager had worked it out. But it has been a problem which could have easily been
solved if an analysis of the space needed for the trailers would have been made at an
early stage.
The second stakeholder mentioned above is a facility manager from the organization
Nordic Pm which is responsible for the organizations renting spaces in the Globen
area. The Globen area is located in direct connection to the construction site in the
North direction. The main concern for the organizations that has their business in the
Globen area is that when the construction process is ongoing the access to the Globen
area is very limited which leads to losses in sales which in turn results in cut downs in
personnel according to the interviewee. This problem is a direct effect of lack of
obedience and understanding for the nearby organizations businesses. Peab has not put
up signs and redirected the traffic as they were supposed to according to the
interviewee.
Analysis of the incident enables observations of at least some of the reasons that led to
the impression of increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the
production.
• The fact that the Arenavägen was open at all during the
production
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• The fact that there seems to be lack of planning of how this road
were supposed to be handled with in practice
After analyzing the interviews the fact that this road has added a lot of complexity to
the production of the Stockholm arena is clear. As clearly is illustrated by a quote by a
foreman from Peab.
“The road should not have been open at all, it should have been closed
from the start of production”
The increased complexity from having the Arenavägen open for traffic is further
illustrated from another quote by one of the production managers.
“It is always a danger in having third person inside a construction site”
The fact that the Arenavägen has been open for traffic and even at one stage of the
project redirected trough the construction site has led to increasing amount of work for
the logistics organization. As it looks today the logistics organization has to work on a
daily basis with questions that concerns signs, redirecting of traffic or even upset
stakeholders. This is all an effect of the Arenavägen being open for traffic. A much
more detailed plan for how the infrastructure around the project is supposed to be dealt
with had easily erased all the problems with this road. This analysis should not only
include how the traffic is supposed to be redirected but should also contain a deeper
analysis of the effects of redirecting the traffic and then including the stakeholder
aspect.
Critical incident 2: Nynäsvägen
The Nynäsvägen is a public road which is one of the arteries of traffic into the central
parts of Stockholm thus it has a significant amount of daily traffic. The location of the
road is in direct connection to the construction site on the east side. The complexity
that this brings is that, just as the case is on the west side of the arena, the stand of the
arena will overlap the road. This adds a lot of complexity to the actual assembling of
the facade materials as the interviewee, the team leader for the production of facade
materials stated. When lifting material with a crane, there are clear restrictions
regarding lifting materials over third persons. When assembling the facade materials it
is impossible not lifting over third person due the location of the road and the
overlapping of the stands of the arena. Adding to that complexity is the fact that the
city of Stockholm has forbidden the onsite organization to stop the traffic on this road.
As understood from the interview, there is no clear plan for how this complexity is
supposed to be handled but discussions is being held although there are a lot of
different wills and opinions in this question. But one can draw the conclusion that due
to the fact that the interviewee and the logistics organization is aware of the problem
and that the topic is discussed which is a sign that the logistics system used on the
Stockholm arena is having a valid function.
The interviewee also stated that the architect had been informed about the situation
thus taking that into consideration when the design the facade and the prefab materials
thus making them possible to assemble from the inside.
14
Another problem that has arose due to the fact that the Nynäsvägen is so close to the
arena is that the assembly of prefab materials had to be adjusted in a way that is not
optimal. For instance the project manager for the organization responsible for the
prefab materials stated.
“The road is located where we would like the crane to be, but we solved
that problem by assembling the materials from the inside instead. It is
not optimal but it will do”
Analysis of the incident enables observations of possible reasons that have led to the
increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the production.
• The fact that there is not a valid and clear plan for how the
incident is supposed to be dealt with from the start of the
production.
• The fact that the road has made the crane placement more
difficult thus even changing the way the assembling of materials
is done.
The fact that the road is located so close to the arena raises difficulties in the crane
placements. The optimal location of the crane is not possible due to the road which is
clearly illustrated by the quote above. The logistics organization has struggled with
different solutions on crane placements, and has even considered placing the crane on
the opposite side of the road, in the middle of a housing area.
The interviewees is fairly convinced that the solution to the complexity regarding the
Nynäsvägen will be one where the road is being built in just to secure that third party
will be under a temporary roof when traveling under the crane. This solution offers
new complexity which the logistics organization will have to deal with due to the fact
that the Nynäsvägen is used to transport material in to the construction site. Analysis
of this incident also offers an indicator that the work of the logistics organization
hence the logistics system is working but also indicates that the complexity of the
incident offers additional work for the logistics organization which could have been
dealt with at an earlier phase.
Critical incident 3: SL railway track
Stockholm has a large and complex railway system, which is highly occupied every
day. In direct connection to the construction site of the Stockholm arena lies a railway
track belonging to the city of Stockholm. This track is occupied with a lot of goods
trains supporting both the nearby organizations and the organizations south of
Stockholm. This together with the fact that a nearby railway junction point for the
whole railway system is being refurbished during the time of construction and
therefore closed, forced the city of Stockholm to have this railway track open for
traffic during the construction process. This of course has led to increasing complexity
for the whole project.
As illustrated in Figure 2, the railway track is running through and under the
construction of the stands for the arena. J ust by studying the picture one can clearly
understand the different complications that arise as a direct effect of having the
railway tracks open for traffic.
15
Figure 2: Illustrates both the Arenavägen and the railway tracks on the West side of the
construction site, that both have been open for traffic during the construction process.
The complications arisen from the fact that the railway track had to be open has mainly
concerned the time of production for the organization responsible for prefab materials
and the organization responsible for groundwork. The effect of having the Arenavägen
open is that no lifting with cranes is allowed when the road is used thus forcing the
organization to work nightshift. Hence resulting in contractors having to work at the
hours when the traffic on the railway tracks is at its highest. During the night the
contractors gets a warning signal meaning that in 15 minutes a train will have to pass
the railway, which interrupts the workflow and planning processes. Furthermore, it is
not an optimal solution to work with construction at night due to the possible risks that
can occur, according to the project leader for the organization responsible for the prefab
materials.
Analysis of the incident enables observations of some of the reasons that led to
increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the production.
• The fact that redirection and coordination of the railway tracks
traffic seems to be lacking.
• The fact that it seems that the consequences of having the railway
track open during the construction process haven’t been
thoroughly analyzed.
The fact that the city of Stockholm has to keep the railway track open for traffic is a
fact that no construction organization can change. But with that in mind it is clear from
the analysis of the incident that the preparation and logistics regarding how the
commute traffic and goods trains were supposed to be redirected during the
construction process is something that should have been highlighted at an earlier
phase. Instead the logistics organization alongside with the production team has to
“put out fire” instead of preventing them from occurring, which is illustrated in forced
actions such as nightshifts. This is clearly an effect of the logistics organization not
being implemented at the appropriate phase.
Critical incident 4: Stakeholders
As mentioned earlier there are several nearby organizations conducting business
located in direct connection to the construction site. These stakeholders having
16
business ongoing during the construction process increases the complexity for both the
production and the logistics organization. The stakeholders have daily deliveries both
to and from their premises, customers visiting their premises. Both these are factors
that complicate the logistics concerning both the deliveries to the construction site as
well as the redirection of third person. The complication of redirecting third person
and the limitations of the Arenavägen is concerned in the earlier critical incident
analysis. There is another level of complications concerning the stakeholders, the
stakeholders are occupying the logistics organizations with their complaints and their
standpoints. This is clearly illustrated due to the fact that there are ongoing meetings,
telephone and email contact with these stakeholders on a weekly basis.
From the interviews it is clear that the stakeholders feel that their issues and concerns
has been looked upon and not dealt with thoroughly. This has the effect that the
logistics organizations has to, on a weekly basis, deal with these issues. It takes up
time, which could have been spent on other important planning and coordination.
Analysis of the incident enables observations of one of the reasons that led to
increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the production.
• The fact that it seems that a thorough stakeholder/impact
analysis has not been performed
As illustrated by the research made by Olander (2007) a thorough stakeholder/impact
analysis can ease the construction process. In the case of the Stockholm arena it seems
to be that the surrounding stakeholders and their concerns has been overlooked or not
looked into as thorough as it should have been. Furthermore, there are several levels of
stakeholders which has different amount of eager to raise their voice and their
concerns, this is where a stakeholder/impact analysis is a powerful tool. Moreover,
these issues and concerns could have been detected at an earlier stage, which would
have led to a greater possibility to meet and even exceed the expectations of the
stakeholders. The on-site logistics organization continuously deals with the
stakeholders concerns which is time consuming thus hinders them from focusing in
their initial aim which is structuring, coordination and organizing of the logistics.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The case project is very complex and has a lot of different variables of coordination. It
is clear that implementing a logistics organization has helped this project in terms of
coordinating and managing the process of construction. This is illustrated by a quote
from one of the interviewees.
“After the Logistics Manager came in to the picture at least I have
gotten the impression that the situation has improved and that my
concerns have been taking into account”.
Moreover, it is clear that without personnel dedicated only to coordinating the logistics
this project would have suffered from even more complexity and resistance from
stakeholders than it already has. As the quote above describes, the implementation of a
logistics organization and more specifically a Logistics Manager has increased the
customer satisfaction which is in correlation with the studies made by (Tenner &
DeToro, 1992; Olander, 2006; J ohnsson & Matsson, 2008).
17
As described the studied project is large and has a lot of different organizations active,
this fact complicates the information exchange. But implementing the logistics
organization structures and limits the information exchange regarding all matters of
logistics trough the logistics organization. This leads to an overall eased information
exchange process which coincides with the study made by Agapiou, et al. (1998).
Even though this project has implemented a logistics organization on-site, which main
focus is logistics, there have been some complications regarding some incidents during
the project. This is a result of the logistics organization not having the possibility to
plan these incidents ahead which is a direct effect of the implementation time of the
organization. This is in accordance with the studies made by Agapiou et al. (1998) and
Karlsson (2009), who says that a logistics system should be implemented as early as
possible in the process.
This article reflects a limited period of time during the production of the Stockholm
arena, which infer that the suggestions for improvements for future robust logistics
systems is not complete due to the additional incidents that may or may not occur
during the remaining life cycle of the project. The results from this article are
produced in a qualitative manner via interviews, which infer that interpretations occur.
Incident Logistics system Logistics organization
Arenavägen The location of the road,
directly through the
construction site has render
in increased amount of
work, complexity and risk.
The consequences of
redirecting traffic must be
thoroughly analyzed, and
no traffic should be
directed through the
construction site.
The incident has increased
the workload for the on-
site logistics organization.
This can be avoided by
implementing the
organization at an earlier
phase of the construction
project.
Nynäsvägen The location of the road
has affected the
coordination of work
processes and the
assembling of materials.
Analysis of the conditions
surrounding the
construction site needs to
be analyzed thoroughly.
The location of the road
has increased the
complexity regarding
assembling and
transportation of materials.
The logistics organization
should possess the right
experience of logistics.
SL railway track The location of the railway
track directly through the
construction site has render
in increased amount of
work, risk and complexity.
Coordination of the city’s
plans for local traffic
should be analyzed at an
early stage. Furthermore if
necessary, the
The complexity regarding
this incident has increased
the complexity for the
logistics organization thus
rendering in that they have
to focus on “putting out
fire” instead of focusing on
their main task. This
should be avoided by
implementing the logistics
18
consequences of having
traffic through the
construction site, needs to
be analyzed thoroughly.
organization earlier thus
enabling the opportunity to
analyze these matters in
collaboration with city.
Stakeholders The nearby organizations
complaints and concerns
render in increased amount
of work and complexity. A
stakeholder/impact
analysis should be
implemented to avoid this.
The logistics organization
needs to be good at handle
the contact with
stakeholders, and the
stakeholder/impact
analysis should be done
early in the project.
Figure 3: Illustrates conclusions and summary of the consequences and arrangements for future
logistics systems and recommendations for logistics organizations.
Analysis of the critical incidents summarized above indicates some potential
improvements that can be implemented in future projects in order to build even more
robust logistics systems.
• A thorough stakeholder/impact analysis should be performed at an early stage
in order to proactively ease the interaction with the surrounding stakeholders.
• The implementation time of the Logistics organization should be moved to an
earlier stage in the project in order to get a more holistic view and to be able to
take in to account the logistic viewpoints.
• Implementation of the logistics organization already in the design phase of the
construction process will lower the amount of work and time the logistics
organization has to put on matters that are outside their core aim.
Recommendations for future studies are to further analyze the advantages and effects
that implementation of the logistics organization at an earlier stage brings to future
projects in terms of eased coordination of activities and logistics. Possible data to
analyze in such research could be economical winnings, health and safety aspects and
eased production flow in both terms of stakeholder’s influence and project activities
being on time.
REFERENCES
Agapiou, A., Clausen, L. E., Flanagan, R., & Norman, G. (1998). The role of logistics
in the materials flow control process. Construction Management and
Economics, 16, 131-137.
Bertelsen, S., & Nielsen, J . (1997). J ust-In-Time Logistics in the Supply Chain of
Building Materials. International Conference on Construction Industry
Development: Building the future Together. Singapore: National University of
Singapore.
Björnland, D., Persson, G., & Virum, H. (2008). Logistik - för konkurrenskraft - ett
ledaransvar. Lund: Wallin & Dahlblom Boktryckeri AB.
De Saram, D. D., & Ahmed, S. M. (2001). Construction Coordination Activites: What
Is Important and What Consumes Time. Journal of Management in
Engineering, Vol. 17, No. 4, October, 202-213.
19
De Saram, D. D., Ahmed , M. S., & Anson, M. (2004). Suitability of the Critical
Incident Technique to Measure Quality of Construction Coordination. Journal
of Management in Engineering, Vol. 20, No. 3, July, 97-109.
Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the crisis. Cambridge: Massachusetts Inst. of
Technology.
Flanagan, J . C. (1954). Psychological Bulletin - The Critical Incident Technique.
American Institute for Research and University of Pittsburgh.
Gahn, D. M., & Salter, A. J . (2000). Innovation in project-based, service-enhanced
firms: the construction of complex products and systems. Research Policy 29,
955–972.
Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (1994). Introduction to Total Quality - Quality
management for Production, Processing, and Services. Columbus: Prentice
Hall.
J osephson, P.-E., & Saukkoriipi, L. (2005). Slöseri i byggprojekt. Göteborg: Swedish
Construction Federation, FoU-Väst Rapport, Nr 0507.
Karlsson, T. (2009). Effective material logistics in construction: Lessons from a
Swedish apartment-block project. Göteborg: Chalmers University of
Technology, Master's Thesis 2009:50.
Klakegg, O. J . (2009). Challenging the Interface Between Governance and
Management in Construction Projects. Reykjavik: Proc. 5th Nordic
Conference on Construction Economics and Organisation, 2, Reykjavík,
Iceland, 10-12 J une 2009.
Olander, S. (2006). Stakeholder impact analysis in construction project management.
Construction Management and Economics, 25, 277-287.
Stauss, B., Scheuing, E. E., & Christopher, W. F. (1993). The Service Quality
Handbook - Using the critical incident technique in measuring and managing
service quality. New York: American Management Association.
Tenner, A. R., & DeToro, I. J . (1992). Total Quality Management - Three steps to
continous improvement. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
The Swedish Agency for Public Management. (2009:6). Sega gubbar? En uppföljning
av byggkommisionens betänkande "Skärpning gubbar!". Stockholm: The
Swedish Agency for Public Management.
Tuuli, M. M., & Rowlinson, S. (2009). What empowers individuals and teams in
project settings? A critical incident analysis. Emerald Group Publishing -
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.
J immy Dahlström
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Design and Construction Project Management
Svensk Bygglogistik AB
20
Utvecklande av robusta logistiksystem i komplexa projekt
Byggbranschen har länge förknippats med att vara ovillig att implementera
förändringsarbete samt att vara ineffektiv. Ett grepp för att hantera ineffektivitet är att
fokusera på logistik. Byggbranschen har mycket att lära av tillverkningsindustrin där
logistik sedan länge är ett huvudfokus. Logistik innebär att effektivisera och
kontrollera materialflöden och till detta kopplade resurs, informations- och monetära
flöden. Att fokusera på logistik och förbättringsarbete har visat sig öka effektiviteten
och det värdeskapande arbetet, vilket har lett till att allt fler projekt och organisationer
inom byggbranschen numera fokuserar på att arbetar med att implementera logistiska
system för att hantera koordination och strukturering av processerna. Detta är ett steg i
att söka effektivisering i byggbranschen.
I ett byggprojekt är det många inblandade parter vilket försvårar arbetet med att
organisera och koordinera arbetet. För att underlätta detta arbete bör varje större
byggprojekt upprätta ett logistiskt system i form av en logistikorganisation vars
huvudfokus är att organisera och koordinera både flödet av material samt de olika
processerna.
Byggbranschen är av en projektnatur vilket innebär att en temporär organisation
tillsätts för att utföra en unik produkt under en begränsad tidsperiod. När projektet är
utfört så upplöses projektorganisationen och de medverkande parterna går vidare till
nästa projekt. Detta har traditionellt sett utförts utan att en genomarbetad återföring av
erfarenheter och kunskaper återförs till nästa projekt. Byggbranschen är stor och
antalet projekt som utförs årligen är många vilket innebär att möjligheterna för att
återföra kunskap och erfarenheter till nästa projekt är goda. Ändå så återupprepas
många av de misstagen om och om igen som redan har stötts på i tidigare projekt.
Varje byggnadsprojekt är unikt men det finns en rad olika händelser som är
återkommande som försvårar arbetet med logistik. Denna artikel bygger på en
fallstudie på det komplexa projektet Stockholms Arenan där ett logistiksystem har
implementerats i form av en logistikorganisation bestående av personal från Svensk
Bygglogistik AB. Utgångspunkten tillika syftet för studien är att analysera ett antal
incidenter vars effekter har skakat om eller påverkat det logistiska systemet, även
kallade ”kritiska incidenter”. Analysen strävar efter att hitta ursprunget till den
inträffade incidenten. Detta för att kunna synliggöra potentiella utvecklingspunkter för
upprättande av framtida robusta logistiksystem.
Arbetet med datainsamlingen genomfördes via intervjuer med representanter från den
implementerade logistiska organisationen, entreprenörer och intressenter utanför
projektorganisationen. Dessa valdes ut med hänsyn till deras inblandande i de valda
kritiska incidenterna som var:
1. Arenavägen
2. Nynäsvägen
3. SL:s-järnvägsspår
4. Intressenter utanför projektorganisationen
21
J immy Dahlström
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Design and Construction Project Management
Svensk Bygglogistik AB
Arenavägen
Arenavägen är en allmän väg som har varit öppen för trafik under stora delar av
projektet. Detta har haft till följd att tredjepart har färdats i direkt anslutning och under
vissa tidsperioder även igenom arbetsplatsen. Detta har lett till att de olika
entreprenörerna har fått anpassa sin produktion och även arbetat nattskift under vissa
delar av projektet. Då detta inte har fokuserats på i ett tidigare skede beroende på
implementeringstiden av den logistiska organisationen så har resultatet blivit att fokus
har lagts på säkerhetsfrågor rörande lyft över vägen, koordination av processer under
nattetid samt omdirigering av trafik vilket borde ha fokuserats på i ett tidigare skede
för att möjliggöra fokusering på den logistiska organisationens huvudsyfte.
Nynäsvägen
Nynäsvägen är en av de artärer som försörjer Stockholmstrafiken. Trafiken som
belamrar denna väg är betydande och får inte i enlighet med direktiv från Stockholms
stad inte stoppas under produktionen. Detta har försvårat arbetet med produktionen
dels i form av kranplacering men även i form av planering av montage av
fasadmaterial. Resultatet av att denna väg har varit och skall vara öppen under
produktion är att försvåringar för den logistiska organisationen har uppstått i form av
att anpassningar och kompromisser har fåtts göras gällande kranplacering och montage
av fasadmaterial. Gällande denna kritiska incident så har även de positiva resultaten av
arbeta med en logistisk organisation visats då produktionsteamet och den logistiska
organisationen samarbetar nära med varandra och har kontinuerliga diskussioner om
lösningar kring dessa komplikationer.
SL:s järnvägsspår
Stockholm har ett stort och omfattande järnvägsspår-system som är belamrat med
mycket trafik. Under tiden då denna fallstudie genomfördes så rekonstruerades en av
knytpunkterna som försörjer den södra delen av Stockholm med trafik på
järnvägsspåren, vilket hade till följd att ett spår som passerar i direkt anslutning till
byggarbetsplatsen var tvunget att vara öppet för trafik. Detta har givetvis försvårat
struktureringen av själva produktionen vilket även har försvårat arbetet för den
logistiska organisationen i form av planering av nattskift men även omdirigering av
trafik och säkerhetsfrågor.
Intressenter utanför projektorganisationen
I direkt anslutning till byggarbetsplatsen finns en rad olika organisationer som
bedriven sin verksamhet under tiden då produktionen av arenan fortlöper. Dessa
organisationer har påverkats av produktionen då omdirigering av vägar har lett till
minskad framkomlighet till deras verksamhet vilket i deras mening har lett till
minskad försäljning. Intressenterna har även påverkats av att den ökade trafiken som
uppstår då det är nästan 100000 leveranser planerade till produktionen av Stockholms
Arenan, detta försvårar framkomligheten för intressenternas egna leveranser.
Komplikationerna med närliggande intressenter har ökat arbetsbördan för
J immy Dahlström
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Design and Construction Project Management
Svensk Bygglogistik AB
22
logistikorganisationen och de arbetar på en kontinuerlig basis med att tillgodose
intressenternas synpunkter.
Det är tydligt vid analysering av resultatet från genomförda intervjuer i denna
fallstudie att implementeringen av en logistisk organisation har underlättat arbetet
väldigt mycket för produktionen av Stockholms Arenan. Samtliga intervjuade
poängterade att arbetet med logistik har fungerat väldigt bra och att utan ett logistiskt
system upprättat för koordination och samordning hade konsekvenserna från de
kritiska incidenterna varit ytterligare försvårade. Dock finns några potentiella
utvecklingsområden att belysa.
Dessa kritiska incidenter har haft en påverkan på det logistiska systemet och dess
arbete och haft till följd att organisationen har fått arbeta med att kontinuerligt lösa
problem som uppstått kring dessa. Bakgrunden till att dessa händelser har påverkat
den logistiska organisationen tycks vara att det inte har funnits någon tydlig plan i
ursprungsskedet eller projekteringen för hur dessa händelser skall hanteras. Detta kan
grunda sig i att den logistiska organisationen inte har implementerats i det skede som
är önskvärt. Samt att en ”stakeholder/impact” analys inte tycks ha genomförts, denna
analys syftar till att i ett tidigt skede kartlägga de olika intressenternas synpunkter och
önskemål för att kunna tillgodose och även överträffa dem för att undvika
konfrontationer.
Slutsatsen från denna fallstudie är att ett av svaren på att effektivisera byggbranschen
ligger i att utveckla robusta logistiksystem som tar i beaktande både koordination och
organisation av processerna inom produktionen men även tar i beaktande de
intressenter som påverkas av projektet som inte är i en del av projektorganisationen.
För att säkerställa kontinuerlig utveckling av byggbranschen bör även fokus läggas på
att återföra kunskap och erfarenheter från tidigare projekt. Artikeln fastställer även att
för att möjliggöra att ett logistiskt system skall kunna belysa de logistiska
synpunkterna skall systemet eller organisationen implementeras i ett tidigt skede av
projektet, gärna redan i projekteringsfasen. Detta för att om implementeringstiden
skjuts till ett senare skede så är möjligheten att påverka och effektivisera redan
minskad och försvårad samt att arbetet med att hantera situationer som kunde ha
motverkats tar upp mycket av den logistiska organisationens tid.
Jimmy Dahlström
doc_449000025.pdf
Organizing construction projects is complex due to the temporary nature of projects, the high level of parties involved and the fact that every project is unique according to De Saram, et al. (2004). Nevertheless, the importance of organizing and coordinating in construction is ever more important because of the increasing demand for lower costs and higher resource efficiency as confirmed in the report by The Swedish Agency for Public Management (2009).
Organizing Robust Logistics Systems in Major
Construction Projects
Master of Science Thesis in Master’s programme Design and Construction
Project Management
Jimmy Dahlström
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Division of Construction Management
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Göteborg, Sweden 2011
Master’s Thesis No. 2011:89
1
AKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to the interviewees who kindly contributed with their valuable time and effort. I
wish to thank my tutors Per-Erik J osephson and Tobias Karlsson. Thanks to Chalmers
University of Technology, Svensk Bygglogistik. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Sara
who supported me throughout the whole process of compiling this report. Last but not least I
would like to thank my family for all of their support throughout all of my years as a student.
This Master’s Thesis contains one article and a summary of that article written in Swedish.
2
ORGANIZING ROBUST LOGISTICS SYSTEMS IN
MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Jimmy Dahlström
Division of Construction Project Management, Chalmers University of Technology and
Svensk Bygglogistik AB.
Abstract: The construction industry is continuously being accused of being inefficient
and not willing to innovate. The process of innovation in terms of new material and
new solutions in combining materials is moving forward but the actual construction
process has more or less been the same since we started to build. In increasing
efficiency in the construction process lies a big potential to cut costs in the
construction industry which would result in projects being on time and on budget and
hence lowering the cost for the end user. Historically in the construction industry there
has been lack of feedback learning and the evaluation of project success or failure is
often neglected which further complicates the possibility of increasing the efficiency.
The construction industry is process driven and hence there are difficulties to
implement traditional quality improvement models of total quality. This article
concerns a study at a complex arena project with a high number of parties involved
that has implemented an on-site logistics organization in order to increase the
efficiency and to coordinate the different processes. Due to the complexity of the
project the coordination of activities is crucial for project success. The article presents
a study that investigates a limited number of critical incidents that has had an impact
on the logistics system at the project Stockholm arena. The article aims to analyze
these critical incidents and their contribution to the complexity in order to use the
analysis as feedback material in order to be able to build robust logistics systems in
the future. This article concludes that in order to build robust logistics systems
construction projects should implement a thorough stakeholder/impact analysis in
order to map the different stakeholders and their possible contribution to the
complexity of the project, moreover the report concludes that every project in the
construction industry should have an on-site logistics organization of some sort that
should be implemented at an early stage in order to take in to account the complexity
of the project from a logistics point of view.
Keywords: coordination, construction industry, critical incidents, logistics,
stakeholder/impact analysis.
INTRODUCTION
Organizing construction projects is complex due to the temporary nature of projects,
the high level of parties involved and the fact that every project is unique according to
De Saram, et al. (2004). Nevertheless, the importance of organizing and coordinating
in construction is ever more important because of the increasing demand for lower
costs and higher resource efficiency as confirmed in the report by The Swedish
Agency for Public Management (2009).
In the report ordered by the Swedish government written by The Swedish Agency for
Public Management (2009), the construction industry is being accused of being
inefficient and unwilling to innovate. According to Klakegg (2009) the process of
feedback learning in project based organizations is limited, due to the fact that the
focus of the parties involved is limited to the completion of the project. After
completion the organization is resolved and moves on to another project which limits
the temporary organizations goals and visions.
3
The apprehension that the construction industry suffers from change inertia can be an
effect of the lack of feedback learning according to The Swedish Agency for Public
Management (2009). Gahn & Salter (2000) claims that the construction industry is
large and the number of construction projects completed every year is high, hence the
conditions for learning from other projects are good still the feedback learning is not
satisfactory due to broken learning and feedback loops emerged from the
discontinuous nature of project based production.
Klakegg (2009) desribes that in a project oriented industry like construction a
temporary organization is assembled to perform a one of a kind product, and when the
product is complete the organization dissolves and the involved parties moves on to
the next project without thourougly analyzing the past project hence not giving future
projects the possibility to learn from earlier misstakes made. Further problems with
this is that temporary organizations incentives are limited to the duration of the project
and the project goals.
One commonly used explanation of why the feedback learning process often is
neglected is that the lessons learned from one project cannot be applied on the next.
That is in some sense true but only when the focus is on the actual solution, may it be
a technical solution or a way of producing. As elaborated by De Saram, et al. (2004)
the process of solving the problem arisen is often not included in the evaluation. Or the
other way around, what is the source of the need for problem solving.
That kind of question formulation is a powerful tool to identify sources of either a
good way of handling a problem or to identify what the source are for the problem
arisen. Identifying solutions or sources for an incident in accordance with above is
called the critical incident technique which De Saram, et al. (2004) confirms as a
useful tool in measuring the quality of coordination.
The focus on coordinating the logistics in construction projects is of increasing
importance for every project. This is especially true for major and complex projects
where there can be up to 100 000 and even more material deliveries planned. It is easy
to understand that in projects like this the risk of a situation to arise that will
complicate or even delay the project is high. Both the studies made by Agapiou, et al.
(1998) and Bertelsen and Nielsen (1997) claims that if a project implements a system
designed to plan, organize and manage all matters regarding the logistics the outcome
will be control over the flow of materials and processes, eased information exchange
and increased customer and stakeholder satisfaction. This is why the coordination and
planning process is very important and why every project should implement a logistics
organization which is elaborated by Karlsson (2009). The European Construction
Institute Total Productivity Management Report (ECI 1994 cited in Agapiou, et al.,
1998) further claims that it is crucial for project success to implement sound and stable
logistics systems designed to handle the logistics in construction projects.
This article presents a study that identifies a number of different critical incidents that
arose during a limited period of time at the studied case, Stockholm arena. The article
aims to analyze these incidents and to map their contribution to the complexity and the
effects for the logistics system. The purpose of the article is to produce a sound
feedback material using the lessons learned from these incidents from the studied case
as prejudice, in order to build future robust logistics systems.
4
LOGISTICS SYSTEMS
Logistics were initially developed by the army in order to move and quarter the troops
as efficient as possible. Today logistics is according to studies by Bertelsen & Nielsen
(1997) and Agapiou et al. (1998) well known and adapted in the manufacturing
industry and is an important tool to increase productivity. Originally logistics main
focus was to improve the internal conditions but with the increasing globalization and
implementation of jointly supply chains between organizations the focus has shifted
on synchronizing external logistics.
J ohnsson and Matsson (2008) states that logistics is planning and controlling of the
forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and the flow of information
through the whole supply chain which is done in order to meet the requirements from
the customers. As Agapiou et al. (1998) establishes, the term logistics in business
context has mainly involved movement and storage of materials, transportation and
distribution in order to have the desired object of flow at the right time at the right
place.
In the book written by J ohnsson and Matsson, (2008) the positive effects of applying
logistics systems is said to be not only the increased control of the supply chain and
flow of materials but also economical winnings in terms of lower costs for insufficient
material handling. But also in addition to economical winnings one of the upsides with
logistics if performed properly is increased customer satisfaction. By creating sound
and distinct information exchange the effect will be lower planning uncertainty for all
involved parties thus creating good will and increased cooperativeness.
Moreover the upsides with applying logistics systems is elaborated by Björnland et al.
(2008), who claims that the main purpose with implementing logistics systems is to
improve the efficiency by reducing the costs but also increased income by improved
delivery service. Furthermore applying a robust logistics system will have the effect
that the organizations invested capital is used more efficient.
Applying logistics systems is a mean to work towards total quality, but it is not enough
to implement just a logistics system, as stated in J ohnsson and Matsson (2008) there is
no reason to excel in something that is not requested by the customers.
In order for the logistics system to work against total quality the focus has to be
holistic and as stated by Goetsch and Davis (1994) the focus must be on continuous
improvements of products, services, people, processes and the environment.
Tenner and DeToro (1992) elaborate that every process generates by-products for
other customers than the end users, such as the stakeholders, that is why quality
improvement work has to focus on four parties concerned: the end users/customers,
owners/shareholders, employees, community/stakeholders.
For a logistics system to be focused on total quality and continuously improvement
there has to be an evaluation of stakeholders and their needs and concerned which is
further elaborated by Olander (2007). He suggests that during the different stages of a
construction project a vast number of stakeholders will affect the project may it be
positive or negatively, moreover he elaborates that without a proper
stakeholder/impact analysis it is highly unlikely that their interest and expectations
will be met.
5
Logistics systems in construction
Applying logistics systems and seeking control over the deliveries to the construction
site is critical for the construction industry, as elaborated by The European
Construction Institute Total Productivity Management Report (ECI 1994 cited in
Agapiou, et al. (1998).
According to J osephson and Saukkoriipi (2005) a large part of the total cost of
construction is hidden in form of waste. Waste is an activity that doesn’t add any value
to the end user. Waste occurs when there is lack of coordination of the logistics and
when the material is insufficiently handled or when resources are used insufficient.
Studies made by Larsson (1983 cited in Agapiou et al. 1998) suggest that low
productivity is an effect of poor planning and logistics and that common factors
between projects with low productivity are delays on-site, wastage and breakage of
materials. When applying a robust logistics system, Bertelsen and Nielsen (1997)
claims that an increased productivity is to be expected.
Agapiou et al. (1998) claims that when designing a robust logistics system there
should be a focus on developing partnering relationship between the participants in the
logistics organization this in order to improve the communication and coordination
between project participants.
According to Agapiou, et al. (1998) the main focus of logistics should be the interface
between parties involved focusing on information exchange. As there are many
different participants in a construction project the communication can be complex but
is eased by applying a logistics system.
Karlsson (2009) elaborates that effective material handling, planning and coordination
of the logistics in construction industry in form of an on-site logistics organization,
expert in logistics or Logistics Manager should be used on every project just as the
projects uses experts in fields such as engineering. Moreover this expert should be
hired at an early stage in order to maximize the possibility to influence the project
outcome.
METHOD
Critical incidents technique
Flanagan (1954) claims that the critical incidents technique consists of a number of
procedures for collecting observations of human behavior in a way that will make
them useful in problem solving. The description of the critical incidents technique is
further elaborated in the study made by Stauss et al. (1993) in which it is described as
a way of gathering, classifying and analyzing stories or incidents. Moreover Flanagan
(1954) offers a definition of a critical incident:
“A critical incident is any observable human activity that is sufficiently
complete in itself to permit inferences and predictions to be made about
the person performing the act and is critical if it makes a significant
contribution, either positively or negatively, to the general aim of the
activity”.
6
Both Flanagan (1954) and De Saram et al. (2004) describes the advantages with the
critical incidents technique and it is described as a simple tool for the observer to use
because it requires little preparation. Moreover Stauss et al. (1993) establishes that the
critical incidents technique is suitable for quality improvement because the involved
parties will always keep the incidents that have occurred in mind that has had a
significant influence on their work. The critical incidents technique also offers an
evaluation tool that enables the involved parties to present their opinion in their own
words and familiar way of expressions which gives this application an advantage.
The study made by Flanagan (1954) offers an outline for interviews when adapting the
critical incident technique. This consists of three questions or directives
1. Introductory statement: We are making a study of (specific activity). We
believe you are especially well qualified to tell us about (specific activity)
2. Request for general aim: What would you say is the primary purpose of
(specific activity)?
3. Request for summary: In a few words, how would you summarize the general
aim of (specific activity)
The critical incidents discussed in the study presented in this article were chosen in
consultation with the on-site Logistics Manager. Due to the fact that this report is a
case study from the Stockholm arena and reflects a limited range of time of the
production, the possible critical incidents to analyze were limited. Originally, ten
critical incidents were listed. But due to lack of relevant information and the
confidentiality in some of the chosen incidents a number of four critical incidents were
finally chosen. The four incidents have all disturbed the logistics system and the
production organization significantly.
The critical incidents chosen are as follows:
1. Arenavägen – A public road crossing the production area which has been open
for traffic during most of the time of production.
2. Nynäsvägen – A public road which is located just alongside the east side of
the production area, which cannot be closed due to the very high level of
traffic passing into Stockholm on this road.
3. SL railway tracks – A railway crossing the production area which has been
open for traffic during most of the time of production.
4. Stakeholders – Adjacently organizations which has ongoing operations during
the production.
Interviews with the logistics organization
Interviews were held with three representatives from Svensk Bygglogistik: the
Logistics Manager, the Delivery Planning Manager and the Material Delivery
Managers. All of these interviews were semi-structured with open ended questions and
the location of the interviews were chosen by the interviewees. This approach was
chosen in order to get the most out of the interviews. These interviews were
complemented by the interviewer observing the interviewees performing their work.
The duration of these observations varied and lasted from 1 hour to 3 hours. The
length of the interviews varied from 15 minutes to 1 hour. When needed for further
questions, telephone or e-mail were used. The purpose of these interviews were to get
a clear view of the organization and coordination system that is used in the studied
project.
7
Interviews with stakeholders and managers
A total of 10 open ended and semi-structured interviews were held with
representatives from different organizations involved in the project or from
organizations that are affected by the production of the Stockholm arena.
The interviewees where chosen in accordance with their participation and their
importance for the different critical incidents described in the article. All interviews
were structured alike, but were differentiated due to the fact that they cycled around
different critical incidents. These interviews were held at two different dates. All
interviews were semi-structured in order to get the interviewees honest opinions and
floating answers. Moreover the duration of these interviews varied from 20 to 45
minutes. The interviewee choose to have a lower number of questions in the
interviews in order to get a more dialogue or conversation feeling to the interviews.
One interview was forced due to the limitation of the interviewees’ time to be held via
telephone. A dictaphone were used at all interviews except at one, were the
interviewee didn’t want to be recorded. When needed complementation to the
interviews, questions were asked by email or by telephone.
The author structured the interviews in accordance with the interviewees’ involvement
to a specific critical incident. Representatives for the critical incidents of stakeholders
and Arenavägen where one person responsible for data communication and real estate
from the organization Kakelspecialisten, one plant manager from the organization
Grönsakshallen and one facility manager from the organization Nordic Pm,
responsible for the organizations renting spaces in the Globen business area.
Furthermore five persons were interviewed representing the critical incident
Arenavägen. These five persons where, a foreman from Peab, Bygglogistiks Logistics
Manager and a foreman from the organization Berg och Väg responsible for the
ground work. The two remaining interviewees representing the critical incident of
Arenavägen were, the assembly manager representing the organization responsible for
the cranes, and one project manager representing the organization responsible for the
prefab materials, this person were also interviewed for his participation in the critical
incident Nynäsvägen. Additionally one person where interviewed for her participation
in the critical incident Nynäsvägen, this person were a team leader from Peab
representing the production of facade materials.
Finally a production coordinator from the organization responsible for the railways of
Stockholm was interviewed, due to his participation in the critical incident of the
railway crossing the production area.
The purpose of these interviews were to penetrate the critical incidents and to find
good solutions and maybe bad decisions made, in order to be able to generate a sound
feedback material when implementing logistics systems in future projects.
The interviewees were then chosen in accordance with the research made by Flanagan
(1954), which says that only qualified persons for the specific activity should be
interviewed. The persons to interview were also chosen in collaboration with the
Logistics Manager. The questions asked during the interviews took inspiration from
the directions of the research made by Flanagan (1954) and hence the interview and
the questions were structured as follows.
• Introduction to why this person is chosen
• What is your responsibility regarding this critical incident?
• What is the main purpose with this critical incident?
8
• Has complexity regarding this critical incident changed from the original
plans?
? How?
? Why?
• What effects has this had on your work?
• Can you think of any action regarding this critical incident that has been either
positive or negative and describe it with your own words?
• Why do you think this happened?
• What effects did this have on your work?
• What should be done in order to avoid this in the future?
CASE DESCRIPTION
In this part of the article the arena project and the on-site logistics organization that is
responsible for the coordination of logistics in the project will be described more
thorough.
The Stockholm arena
The Stockholm arena will be a sport and event arena with a capacity of 30,000
spectators and is owned by the city of Stockholm. The first event that will be hosted
on the arena will take place in the spring of 2013 which also is the aspired finish year
for the project. The arena should contribute in making Stockholm a world-class event
city and also contribute to attracting big events to Sweden and more specifically
Stockholm.
The production cost of the project is estimated to 2.7 billion Swedish kronor and the
contractor is Peab with a form of a design-build contract. The goal of the arena is to
create an accessible arena for everyone. This is a vision set up by the city of
Stockholm. This vision is supposed to be reached due to the favorable conditions of
the arena in form of geographic location, infrastructure and the public transportation
which could contribute in making this a modern arena with a vision that every visitor
of the arena should choose an environment friendly traveling via the public
transportation, by foot or by bicycle.
Early in the planning phase the formerly production manager, today he has due to
various reasons reassigned and has been replaced, decided that he wanted to take the
logistics in this project to a new level. He had past good experiences from cooperation
with Svensk Bygglogistik. Hence he took contact with Svensk Bygglogistik in order to
develop a jointly structured plan for the logistics and to develop a sound coordination
system for the Stockholm arena. One of the first actions that took place was that an
analysis of the logistics was made. This analysis investigates what the different
problem areas in terms of logistics might be in this project and offers solutions in
questions like lift and crane placements, disposition of areas and it also offers a plan
for how transportation of materials should be dealt with.
The logistics
During the planning of the coordination and logistics system, the conclusion was
drawn that this is a very complex project which requires an on-site organization which
main duties is logistics. This resulted in implementation of an on-site logistics
9
organization consisting of personnel both from Svensk Bygglogistik and Peab which
consists of a total of 9 persons, more specifically:
• 1 Logistics Manager, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 1 Delivery Planning Manager, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 1 Team Leader, Peab
• 3 Material Delivery Supervisors, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 2 Traffic supervisors, Svensk Bygglogistik
• 1 Wicket-keeper, Svensk Bygglogistik
During the production of the Stockholm arena there will be around 100 000 deliveries
of various materials. Therefore the coordination and planning of deliveries is of vital
importance and hence both Peab and Svensk Bygglogistik have established this on-site
organization which will work as the logistics system. When structuring all of the
matters concerning logistics trough this on-site organization the management and
coordination of processes will be eased. This is achieved by implementing clear
structure in both the logistics organizations work roles but also by informing all
involved parties which areas to confront the on-site logistics organization with. The
aim is to create a safe, clean and efficient workplace and to give sound conditions for
all the parties involved in the production.
Figure 1: Organization chart of the on-site logistics organization at the Stockholm arena
The delicate parts in this project are the high number of involved parties, which
complicates the coordination and information exchange. Furthermore, the actual
location of the construction site which increases the complexity of the processes of
construction. In this on-site organization there is one person responsible for the overall
coordination of the logistics. This person is Svensk Bygglogistiks representative and
works as the leader for the on-site organization.
Furthermore they have one person which is responsible for coordination of all
deliveries to the construction-site. In order to help the Delivery Planning Manager,
Svensk Bygglogistik has implemented a digital delivery coordination system called
LogNet. LogNet is a product developed to both ease the administration of coordinating
the deliveries planned to the construction site, and it is also a powerful visualization
10
tool which gives all of the involved parties a graphic visualization of the booked
deliveries. LogNet is an interactive tool which gives the parties involved in the project
an opportunity to book their deliveries via LogNet and as soon as the administrator has
accepted the booking it will be posted on the LogNet visual schedule available for all
parties involved. This tools aim is to visualize the planning for both the Delivery
Planning Manager but also for all involved parties so that the coordination of
processes and deliveries will be eased. It is also at tool in order to ease the
communication with all the involved parties and the logistics organization. LogNet has
a built in direct communication system using both email and text messages to
cellphones. This enables direct distribution of information between the logistics
organization and the involved parties.
Additionally the logistics organization has a Team Leader which is employed by Peab.
His main duties are traffic-plans, coverage of ID06 and billing. He was not included in
the original plans for the logistics organization but was implemented when the work
load were shown to be too much. The Team Leader spends much time out on the site
which enables him to give directions and taking in information directly from the
contractors which increases the partnership relation between the logistics organization
and the parties involved.
Moreover the logistics organization consists of three Material Delivery Supervisors.
Their main duties are to control the inflow of deliveries and to be a contact person for
the organization that delivers the goods. They are also responsible for giving
information about the deliveries to the Logistics Manager, Delivery Planning Manager
and the Team Leader. Their duties also consist of ensuring that all the delivered goods
match up with the delivery order.
The organization also has two Traffic Supervisors that have the responsibility of
making sure that the actual unloading of the goods is done in a way that is in
correlation with the traffic laws of Stockholm city.
A Wicket-Keeper is also included in the organization. He is responsible for making
sure that noone enters the construction site without being booked in accordance with
the current logistics system.
This organization works closely together alongside the management organization from
Peab. And on the weekly construction meetings logistics has a standing point. On
these meetings it is only the Logistics Manager that is present from the on-site
logistics organization. These weekly meetings are being held with surrounding
organizations or with other words stakeholders or neighbors in order to inform them
about the production and take in their point of view on how they are being affected of
the production. Furthermore, weekly information meetings are being held with both
the client and the management organization of Peab where logistics has a standing
point. The on-site logistics organization also has weekly internal meetings. These
meetings are being held to ensure that everyone in the organization feels that they have
the information they want and to make sure that their way of working is improving.
Usually on these meetings all representatives from the on-site logistics organization
are present and everyone is asked to present three positive and three negative aspects
of their organization.
The logistics organization has the hierarchy and the organizational structuring due to
both the complexity of the project, thus forcing the logistics organization to have a
11
several positions but also this organizational structure is a result of experience from
Svensk Bygglogistik. They are active in projects all around Sweden and their main and
only focus is logistics. The logistics organization also has clear distinctive roles in
order for the information exchange process to be eased. This together with Svensk
Bygglogistiks long experience of coordinating and managing logistics resulted in the
formation of this logistics organization.
The Logistics Manager was the first person to be implemented in this logistics
organization and was implemented between the phases procurement and production.
The logistics organization was at first only consisting of personnel from Svensk
Bygglogistik but the complexity of this project forced the organization to implement a
Team Leader from Peab due to the fact that the workload on the already existing
organization was too heavy.
CRITICAL INCIDENTS AT THE STOCKHOLM ARENA
In this part of the article a number of chosen critical incidents for the Stockholm arena
will be analyzed and discussed. The amount of data collected for the different critical
incident is not equivalent hence the length differentiation between the different critical
incidents. Furthermore, the analysis of the critical incidents will merge due to the fact
that the different critical incidents affect one another and they are linked together.
Critical incident 1: Arenavägen
Arenavägen is a public road that has approximately 14000 passing cars per day. This
road has been open for traffic during most of the time of production which has
complicated the production due to the fact that the road, as Figure 2 illustrates, crosses
the production area.
The foreman for the organization responsible for the ground work has been involved
since the beginning of the project Stockholm arena. His responsibility is to coordinate
and manage the process of ground work, rock blasting and pile work. He has clearly
seen difficulties in having the road open for traffic. Having the road crossing the
construction site has led to complications in structuring their work. This is due to the
fact that his team had to establish different small work places instead of establishing
two big workplaces as the plans were from the beginning. This has led to restructuring
of their work which is not optimized. From the start of their work on 22nd of April
2010 they were given the directives from Peab that they had to redirect the Arenavägen
through the construction site, this because they had to be able to close the original
Arenavägen in order to bulldoze, conduct pile work and cast the pole foundations that
were supposed to be located on the same location as the original road.
The rock blasting, which also is a responsibility of his team has also encountered
difficulties in form of conflicts with a nearby organization. This nearby organization
or stakeholder has its parking lot and warehouse in direct connection to the
construction site. When blasting rocks, the measurement for chocking and shakes
values has been in the accepted limits according to the interviewee. On the other hand,
the representative from the nearby organization claims that even though the
measurements has been in the accepted limits it is a risk for his stock of tile in his
warehouse to fall down. This representative is responsible for data communication and
real estate for the nearby organization. He is also affected by the fact that the
Arenavägen is open, but not for the same reasons as the production. The Arenavägen
12
is used as a passage for all the deliveries made to the construction site. This fact has
led to an increasing amount of heavy traffic getting stuck on the road which in return
has led to that deliveries to his organization has been stalled or even cancelled.
The fact that the construction is ongoing close to his organization leads to redirecting
of pedestrian’s trough the nearby industrial area, which he claims causes his
organization to lose customers. According to the current agreement this stakeholder’s
organization is not to be disturbed by the production of the arena. This is not the case
according to the interviewee. Instead he claims that his organization is suffering from
big losses in sales which threaten the existence of the organization.
From the start the city of Stockholm was supposed to offer the organization a
replacement location to conduct the business, but this has not been the case. According
to the interviewee the city of Stockholm has not performed what were initially agreed
upon, which has had the effect that the organization had to stay close to the production
much longer than wanted.
Furthermore, there are two more stakeholders or neighbors that have been affected of
the Arenavägen being open during the construction process. The first one is a large
greengrocer which has its stock and warehouse in direct connection with the
construction site, if not to say almost in the middle of the construction site. The
closeness to the construction site has had an impact on the greengrocer. This is due to
the fact that the arenas stand on the west side is overlapping the loading dock of the
green grocer. This has had the effect that trailers with deliveries to or from the
greengrocer has to share space with the carpenters of the arena project. The drivers
working for the greengrocer has also changed how they dock when loading or
unloading their trailer due to the fact that one of the pillars from the arena unable them
to drive like they always has. The representative from the greengrocer, a plant
manager says that this has been an ongoing problem but the greengrocer and the
organization from Peab with a lot of contribution from Bygglogistiks Logistics
Manager had worked it out. But it has been a problem which could have easily been
solved if an analysis of the space needed for the trailers would have been made at an
early stage.
The second stakeholder mentioned above is a facility manager from the organization
Nordic Pm which is responsible for the organizations renting spaces in the Globen
area. The Globen area is located in direct connection to the construction site in the
North direction. The main concern for the organizations that has their business in the
Globen area is that when the construction process is ongoing the access to the Globen
area is very limited which leads to losses in sales which in turn results in cut downs in
personnel according to the interviewee. This problem is a direct effect of lack of
obedience and understanding for the nearby organizations businesses. Peab has not put
up signs and redirected the traffic as they were supposed to according to the
interviewee.
Analysis of the incident enables observations of at least some of the reasons that led to
the impression of increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the
production.
• The fact that the Arenavägen was open at all during the
production
13
• The fact that there seems to be lack of planning of how this road
were supposed to be handled with in practice
After analyzing the interviews the fact that this road has added a lot of complexity to
the production of the Stockholm arena is clear. As clearly is illustrated by a quote by a
foreman from Peab.
“The road should not have been open at all, it should have been closed
from the start of production”
The increased complexity from having the Arenavägen open for traffic is further
illustrated from another quote by one of the production managers.
“It is always a danger in having third person inside a construction site”
The fact that the Arenavägen has been open for traffic and even at one stage of the
project redirected trough the construction site has led to increasing amount of work for
the logistics organization. As it looks today the logistics organization has to work on a
daily basis with questions that concerns signs, redirecting of traffic or even upset
stakeholders. This is all an effect of the Arenavägen being open for traffic. A much
more detailed plan for how the infrastructure around the project is supposed to be dealt
with had easily erased all the problems with this road. This analysis should not only
include how the traffic is supposed to be redirected but should also contain a deeper
analysis of the effects of redirecting the traffic and then including the stakeholder
aspect.
Critical incident 2: Nynäsvägen
The Nynäsvägen is a public road which is one of the arteries of traffic into the central
parts of Stockholm thus it has a significant amount of daily traffic. The location of the
road is in direct connection to the construction site on the east side. The complexity
that this brings is that, just as the case is on the west side of the arena, the stand of the
arena will overlap the road. This adds a lot of complexity to the actual assembling of
the facade materials as the interviewee, the team leader for the production of facade
materials stated. When lifting material with a crane, there are clear restrictions
regarding lifting materials over third persons. When assembling the facade materials it
is impossible not lifting over third person due the location of the road and the
overlapping of the stands of the arena. Adding to that complexity is the fact that the
city of Stockholm has forbidden the onsite organization to stop the traffic on this road.
As understood from the interview, there is no clear plan for how this complexity is
supposed to be handled but discussions is being held although there are a lot of
different wills and opinions in this question. But one can draw the conclusion that due
to the fact that the interviewee and the logistics organization is aware of the problem
and that the topic is discussed which is a sign that the logistics system used on the
Stockholm arena is having a valid function.
The interviewee also stated that the architect had been informed about the situation
thus taking that into consideration when the design the facade and the prefab materials
thus making them possible to assemble from the inside.
14
Another problem that has arose due to the fact that the Nynäsvägen is so close to the
arena is that the assembly of prefab materials had to be adjusted in a way that is not
optimal. For instance the project manager for the organization responsible for the
prefab materials stated.
“The road is located where we would like the crane to be, but we solved
that problem by assembling the materials from the inside instead. It is
not optimal but it will do”
Analysis of the incident enables observations of possible reasons that have led to the
increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the production.
• The fact that there is not a valid and clear plan for how the
incident is supposed to be dealt with from the start of the
production.
• The fact that the road has made the crane placement more
difficult thus even changing the way the assembling of materials
is done.
The fact that the road is located so close to the arena raises difficulties in the crane
placements. The optimal location of the crane is not possible due to the road which is
clearly illustrated by the quote above. The logistics organization has struggled with
different solutions on crane placements, and has even considered placing the crane on
the opposite side of the road, in the middle of a housing area.
The interviewees is fairly convinced that the solution to the complexity regarding the
Nynäsvägen will be one where the road is being built in just to secure that third party
will be under a temporary roof when traveling under the crane. This solution offers
new complexity which the logistics organization will have to deal with due to the fact
that the Nynäsvägen is used to transport material in to the construction site. Analysis
of this incident also offers an indicator that the work of the logistics organization
hence the logistics system is working but also indicates that the complexity of the
incident offers additional work for the logistics organization which could have been
dealt with at an earlier phase.
Critical incident 3: SL railway track
Stockholm has a large and complex railway system, which is highly occupied every
day. In direct connection to the construction site of the Stockholm arena lies a railway
track belonging to the city of Stockholm. This track is occupied with a lot of goods
trains supporting both the nearby organizations and the organizations south of
Stockholm. This together with the fact that a nearby railway junction point for the
whole railway system is being refurbished during the time of construction and
therefore closed, forced the city of Stockholm to have this railway track open for
traffic during the construction process. This of course has led to increasing complexity
for the whole project.
As illustrated in Figure 2, the railway track is running through and under the
construction of the stands for the arena. J ust by studying the picture one can clearly
understand the different complications that arise as a direct effect of having the
railway tracks open for traffic.
15
Figure 2: Illustrates both the Arenavägen and the railway tracks on the West side of the
construction site, that both have been open for traffic during the construction process.
The complications arisen from the fact that the railway track had to be open has mainly
concerned the time of production for the organization responsible for prefab materials
and the organization responsible for groundwork. The effect of having the Arenavägen
open is that no lifting with cranes is allowed when the road is used thus forcing the
organization to work nightshift. Hence resulting in contractors having to work at the
hours when the traffic on the railway tracks is at its highest. During the night the
contractors gets a warning signal meaning that in 15 minutes a train will have to pass
the railway, which interrupts the workflow and planning processes. Furthermore, it is
not an optimal solution to work with construction at night due to the possible risks that
can occur, according to the project leader for the organization responsible for the prefab
materials.
Analysis of the incident enables observations of some of the reasons that led to
increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the production.
• The fact that redirection and coordination of the railway tracks
traffic seems to be lacking.
• The fact that it seems that the consequences of having the railway
track open during the construction process haven’t been
thoroughly analyzed.
The fact that the city of Stockholm has to keep the railway track open for traffic is a
fact that no construction organization can change. But with that in mind it is clear from
the analysis of the incident that the preparation and logistics regarding how the
commute traffic and goods trains were supposed to be redirected during the
construction process is something that should have been highlighted at an earlier
phase. Instead the logistics organization alongside with the production team has to
“put out fire” instead of preventing them from occurring, which is illustrated in forced
actions such as nightshifts. This is clearly an effect of the logistics organization not
being implemented at the appropriate phase.
Critical incident 4: Stakeholders
As mentioned earlier there are several nearby organizations conducting business
located in direct connection to the construction site. These stakeholders having
16
business ongoing during the construction process increases the complexity for both the
production and the logistics organization. The stakeholders have daily deliveries both
to and from their premises, customers visiting their premises. Both these are factors
that complicate the logistics concerning both the deliveries to the construction site as
well as the redirection of third person. The complication of redirecting third person
and the limitations of the Arenavägen is concerned in the earlier critical incident
analysis. There is another level of complications concerning the stakeholders, the
stakeholders are occupying the logistics organizations with their complaints and their
standpoints. This is clearly illustrated due to the fact that there are ongoing meetings,
telephone and email contact with these stakeholders on a weekly basis.
From the interviews it is clear that the stakeholders feel that their issues and concerns
has been looked upon and not dealt with thoroughly. This has the effect that the
logistics organizations has to, on a weekly basis, deal with these issues. It takes up
time, which could have been spent on other important planning and coordination.
Analysis of the incident enables observations of one of the reasons that led to
increasing complexity for the logistics organization and the production.
• The fact that it seems that a thorough stakeholder/impact
analysis has not been performed
As illustrated by the research made by Olander (2007) a thorough stakeholder/impact
analysis can ease the construction process. In the case of the Stockholm arena it seems
to be that the surrounding stakeholders and their concerns has been overlooked or not
looked into as thorough as it should have been. Furthermore, there are several levels of
stakeholders which has different amount of eager to raise their voice and their
concerns, this is where a stakeholder/impact analysis is a powerful tool. Moreover,
these issues and concerns could have been detected at an earlier stage, which would
have led to a greater possibility to meet and even exceed the expectations of the
stakeholders. The on-site logistics organization continuously deals with the
stakeholders concerns which is time consuming thus hinders them from focusing in
their initial aim which is structuring, coordination and organizing of the logistics.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The case project is very complex and has a lot of different variables of coordination. It
is clear that implementing a logistics organization has helped this project in terms of
coordinating and managing the process of construction. This is illustrated by a quote
from one of the interviewees.
“After the Logistics Manager came in to the picture at least I have
gotten the impression that the situation has improved and that my
concerns have been taking into account”.
Moreover, it is clear that without personnel dedicated only to coordinating the logistics
this project would have suffered from even more complexity and resistance from
stakeholders than it already has. As the quote above describes, the implementation of a
logistics organization and more specifically a Logistics Manager has increased the
customer satisfaction which is in correlation with the studies made by (Tenner &
DeToro, 1992; Olander, 2006; J ohnsson & Matsson, 2008).
17
As described the studied project is large and has a lot of different organizations active,
this fact complicates the information exchange. But implementing the logistics
organization structures and limits the information exchange regarding all matters of
logistics trough the logistics organization. This leads to an overall eased information
exchange process which coincides with the study made by Agapiou, et al. (1998).
Even though this project has implemented a logistics organization on-site, which main
focus is logistics, there have been some complications regarding some incidents during
the project. This is a result of the logistics organization not having the possibility to
plan these incidents ahead which is a direct effect of the implementation time of the
organization. This is in accordance with the studies made by Agapiou et al. (1998) and
Karlsson (2009), who says that a logistics system should be implemented as early as
possible in the process.
This article reflects a limited period of time during the production of the Stockholm
arena, which infer that the suggestions for improvements for future robust logistics
systems is not complete due to the additional incidents that may or may not occur
during the remaining life cycle of the project. The results from this article are
produced in a qualitative manner via interviews, which infer that interpretations occur.
Incident Logistics system Logistics organization
Arenavägen The location of the road,
directly through the
construction site has render
in increased amount of
work, complexity and risk.
The consequences of
redirecting traffic must be
thoroughly analyzed, and
no traffic should be
directed through the
construction site.
The incident has increased
the workload for the on-
site logistics organization.
This can be avoided by
implementing the
organization at an earlier
phase of the construction
project.
Nynäsvägen The location of the road
has affected the
coordination of work
processes and the
assembling of materials.
Analysis of the conditions
surrounding the
construction site needs to
be analyzed thoroughly.
The location of the road
has increased the
complexity regarding
assembling and
transportation of materials.
The logistics organization
should possess the right
experience of logistics.
SL railway track The location of the railway
track directly through the
construction site has render
in increased amount of
work, risk and complexity.
Coordination of the city’s
plans for local traffic
should be analyzed at an
early stage. Furthermore if
necessary, the
The complexity regarding
this incident has increased
the complexity for the
logistics organization thus
rendering in that they have
to focus on “putting out
fire” instead of focusing on
their main task. This
should be avoided by
implementing the logistics
18
consequences of having
traffic through the
construction site, needs to
be analyzed thoroughly.
organization earlier thus
enabling the opportunity to
analyze these matters in
collaboration with city.
Stakeholders The nearby organizations
complaints and concerns
render in increased amount
of work and complexity. A
stakeholder/impact
analysis should be
implemented to avoid this.
The logistics organization
needs to be good at handle
the contact with
stakeholders, and the
stakeholder/impact
analysis should be done
early in the project.
Figure 3: Illustrates conclusions and summary of the consequences and arrangements for future
logistics systems and recommendations for logistics organizations.
Analysis of the critical incidents summarized above indicates some potential
improvements that can be implemented in future projects in order to build even more
robust logistics systems.
• A thorough stakeholder/impact analysis should be performed at an early stage
in order to proactively ease the interaction with the surrounding stakeholders.
• The implementation time of the Logistics organization should be moved to an
earlier stage in the project in order to get a more holistic view and to be able to
take in to account the logistic viewpoints.
• Implementation of the logistics organization already in the design phase of the
construction process will lower the amount of work and time the logistics
organization has to put on matters that are outside their core aim.
Recommendations for future studies are to further analyze the advantages and effects
that implementation of the logistics organization at an earlier stage brings to future
projects in terms of eased coordination of activities and logistics. Possible data to
analyze in such research could be economical winnings, health and safety aspects and
eased production flow in both terms of stakeholder’s influence and project activities
being on time.
REFERENCES
Agapiou, A., Clausen, L. E., Flanagan, R., & Norman, G. (1998). The role of logistics
in the materials flow control process. Construction Management and
Economics, 16, 131-137.
Bertelsen, S., & Nielsen, J . (1997). J ust-In-Time Logistics in the Supply Chain of
Building Materials. International Conference on Construction Industry
Development: Building the future Together. Singapore: National University of
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Björnland, D., Persson, G., & Virum, H. (2008). Logistik - för konkurrenskraft - ett
ledaransvar. Lund: Wallin & Dahlblom Boktryckeri AB.
De Saram, D. D., & Ahmed, S. M. (2001). Construction Coordination Activites: What
Is Important and What Consumes Time. Journal of Management in
Engineering, Vol. 17, No. 4, October, 202-213.
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De Saram, D. D., Ahmed , M. S., & Anson, M. (2004). Suitability of the Critical
Incident Technique to Measure Quality of Construction Coordination. Journal
of Management in Engineering, Vol. 20, No. 3, July, 97-109.
Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the crisis. Cambridge: Massachusetts Inst. of
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Flanagan, J . C. (1954). Psychological Bulletin - The Critical Incident Technique.
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Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (1994). Introduction to Total Quality - Quality
management for Production, Processing, and Services. Columbus: Prentice
Hall.
J osephson, P.-E., & Saukkoriipi, L. (2005). Slöseri i byggprojekt. Göteborg: Swedish
Construction Federation, FoU-Väst Rapport, Nr 0507.
Karlsson, T. (2009). Effective material logistics in construction: Lessons from a
Swedish apartment-block project. Göteborg: Chalmers University of
Technology, Master's Thesis 2009:50.
Klakegg, O. J . (2009). Challenging the Interface Between Governance and
Management in Construction Projects. Reykjavik: Proc. 5th Nordic
Conference on Construction Economics and Organisation, 2, Reykjavík,
Iceland, 10-12 J une 2009.
Olander, S. (2006). Stakeholder impact analysis in construction project management.
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Handbook - Using the critical incident technique in measuring and managing
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Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.
J immy Dahlström
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Design and Construction Project Management
Svensk Bygglogistik AB
20
Utvecklande av robusta logistiksystem i komplexa projekt
Byggbranschen har länge förknippats med att vara ovillig att implementera
förändringsarbete samt att vara ineffektiv. Ett grepp för att hantera ineffektivitet är att
fokusera på logistik. Byggbranschen har mycket att lära av tillverkningsindustrin där
logistik sedan länge är ett huvudfokus. Logistik innebär att effektivisera och
kontrollera materialflöden och till detta kopplade resurs, informations- och monetära
flöden. Att fokusera på logistik och förbättringsarbete har visat sig öka effektiviteten
och det värdeskapande arbetet, vilket har lett till att allt fler projekt och organisationer
inom byggbranschen numera fokuserar på att arbetar med att implementera logistiska
system för att hantera koordination och strukturering av processerna. Detta är ett steg i
att söka effektivisering i byggbranschen.
I ett byggprojekt är det många inblandade parter vilket försvårar arbetet med att
organisera och koordinera arbetet. För att underlätta detta arbete bör varje större
byggprojekt upprätta ett logistiskt system i form av en logistikorganisation vars
huvudfokus är att organisera och koordinera både flödet av material samt de olika
processerna.
Byggbranschen är av en projektnatur vilket innebär att en temporär organisation
tillsätts för att utföra en unik produkt under en begränsad tidsperiod. När projektet är
utfört så upplöses projektorganisationen och de medverkande parterna går vidare till
nästa projekt. Detta har traditionellt sett utförts utan att en genomarbetad återföring av
erfarenheter och kunskaper återförs till nästa projekt. Byggbranschen är stor och
antalet projekt som utförs årligen är många vilket innebär att möjligheterna för att
återföra kunskap och erfarenheter till nästa projekt är goda. Ändå så återupprepas
många av de misstagen om och om igen som redan har stötts på i tidigare projekt.
Varje byggnadsprojekt är unikt men det finns en rad olika händelser som är
återkommande som försvårar arbetet med logistik. Denna artikel bygger på en
fallstudie på det komplexa projektet Stockholms Arenan där ett logistiksystem har
implementerats i form av en logistikorganisation bestående av personal från Svensk
Bygglogistik AB. Utgångspunkten tillika syftet för studien är att analysera ett antal
incidenter vars effekter har skakat om eller påverkat det logistiska systemet, även
kallade ”kritiska incidenter”. Analysen strävar efter att hitta ursprunget till den
inträffade incidenten. Detta för att kunna synliggöra potentiella utvecklingspunkter för
upprättande av framtida robusta logistiksystem.
Arbetet med datainsamlingen genomfördes via intervjuer med representanter från den
implementerade logistiska organisationen, entreprenörer och intressenter utanför
projektorganisationen. Dessa valdes ut med hänsyn till deras inblandande i de valda
kritiska incidenterna som var:
1. Arenavägen
2. Nynäsvägen
3. SL:s-järnvägsspår
4. Intressenter utanför projektorganisationen
21
J immy Dahlström
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Design and Construction Project Management
Svensk Bygglogistik AB
Arenavägen
Arenavägen är en allmän väg som har varit öppen för trafik under stora delar av
projektet. Detta har haft till följd att tredjepart har färdats i direkt anslutning och under
vissa tidsperioder även igenom arbetsplatsen. Detta har lett till att de olika
entreprenörerna har fått anpassa sin produktion och även arbetat nattskift under vissa
delar av projektet. Då detta inte har fokuserats på i ett tidigare skede beroende på
implementeringstiden av den logistiska organisationen så har resultatet blivit att fokus
har lagts på säkerhetsfrågor rörande lyft över vägen, koordination av processer under
nattetid samt omdirigering av trafik vilket borde ha fokuserats på i ett tidigare skede
för att möjliggöra fokusering på den logistiska organisationens huvudsyfte.
Nynäsvägen
Nynäsvägen är en av de artärer som försörjer Stockholmstrafiken. Trafiken som
belamrar denna väg är betydande och får inte i enlighet med direktiv från Stockholms
stad inte stoppas under produktionen. Detta har försvårat arbetet med produktionen
dels i form av kranplacering men även i form av planering av montage av
fasadmaterial. Resultatet av att denna väg har varit och skall vara öppen under
produktion är att försvåringar för den logistiska organisationen har uppstått i form av
att anpassningar och kompromisser har fåtts göras gällande kranplacering och montage
av fasadmaterial. Gällande denna kritiska incident så har även de positiva resultaten av
arbeta med en logistisk organisation visats då produktionsteamet och den logistiska
organisationen samarbetar nära med varandra och har kontinuerliga diskussioner om
lösningar kring dessa komplikationer.
SL:s järnvägsspår
Stockholm har ett stort och omfattande järnvägsspår-system som är belamrat med
mycket trafik. Under tiden då denna fallstudie genomfördes så rekonstruerades en av
knytpunkterna som försörjer den södra delen av Stockholm med trafik på
järnvägsspåren, vilket hade till följd att ett spår som passerar i direkt anslutning till
byggarbetsplatsen var tvunget att vara öppet för trafik. Detta har givetvis försvårat
struktureringen av själva produktionen vilket även har försvårat arbetet för den
logistiska organisationen i form av planering av nattskift men även omdirigering av
trafik och säkerhetsfrågor.
Intressenter utanför projektorganisationen
I direkt anslutning till byggarbetsplatsen finns en rad olika organisationer som
bedriven sin verksamhet under tiden då produktionen av arenan fortlöper. Dessa
organisationer har påverkats av produktionen då omdirigering av vägar har lett till
minskad framkomlighet till deras verksamhet vilket i deras mening har lett till
minskad försäljning. Intressenterna har även påverkats av att den ökade trafiken som
uppstår då det är nästan 100000 leveranser planerade till produktionen av Stockholms
Arenan, detta försvårar framkomligheten för intressenternas egna leveranser.
Komplikationerna med närliggande intressenter har ökat arbetsbördan för
J immy Dahlström
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Design and Construction Project Management
Svensk Bygglogistik AB
22
logistikorganisationen och de arbetar på en kontinuerlig basis med att tillgodose
intressenternas synpunkter.
Det är tydligt vid analysering av resultatet från genomförda intervjuer i denna
fallstudie att implementeringen av en logistisk organisation har underlättat arbetet
väldigt mycket för produktionen av Stockholms Arenan. Samtliga intervjuade
poängterade att arbetet med logistik har fungerat väldigt bra och att utan ett logistiskt
system upprättat för koordination och samordning hade konsekvenserna från de
kritiska incidenterna varit ytterligare försvårade. Dock finns några potentiella
utvecklingsområden att belysa.
Dessa kritiska incidenter har haft en påverkan på det logistiska systemet och dess
arbete och haft till följd att organisationen har fått arbeta med att kontinuerligt lösa
problem som uppstått kring dessa. Bakgrunden till att dessa händelser har påverkat
den logistiska organisationen tycks vara att det inte har funnits någon tydlig plan i
ursprungsskedet eller projekteringen för hur dessa händelser skall hanteras. Detta kan
grunda sig i att den logistiska organisationen inte har implementerats i det skede som
är önskvärt. Samt att en ”stakeholder/impact” analys inte tycks ha genomförts, denna
analys syftar till att i ett tidigt skede kartlägga de olika intressenternas synpunkter och
önskemål för att kunna tillgodose och även överträffa dem för att undvika
konfrontationer.
Slutsatsen från denna fallstudie är att ett av svaren på att effektivisera byggbranschen
ligger i att utveckla robusta logistiksystem som tar i beaktande både koordination och
organisation av processerna inom produktionen men även tar i beaktande de
intressenter som påverkas av projektet som inte är i en del av projektorganisationen.
För att säkerställa kontinuerlig utveckling av byggbranschen bör även fokus läggas på
att återföra kunskap och erfarenheter från tidigare projekt. Artikeln fastställer även att
för att möjliggöra att ett logistiskt system skall kunna belysa de logistiska
synpunkterna skall systemet eller organisationen implementeras i ett tidigt skede av
projektet, gärna redan i projekteringsfasen. Detta för att om implementeringstiden
skjuts till ett senare skede så är möjligheten att påverka och effektivisera redan
minskad och försvårad samt att arbetet med att hantera situationer som kunde ha
motverkats tar upp mycket av den logistiska organisationens tid.
Jimmy Dahlström
doc_449000025.pdf