Learnings for construction project management personnel about offshore projects : a case study.

Abstract

Involvement in the global construction project market is becoming more of a norm for designers and construction companies, no matter where the head office is located. As a result, practitioners need to be work - ready in order to be project leaders, consultants and managers on offshore projects, often at a relatively early stage of their careers. The experiences of industry and tertiary professionals also suggests that the challenges and opportunities presented by offshore projects, provide learnings that may also be applied to other construction projects, and should be included in construction sector training and development programmes. The paper and therefore the research question focussed on a qualitative case -study of an offshore tourist resort construction project involving a locally based New Zealand construction company that had recently completed the project. The methodology involved face -to -face interviews with the project management team personnel, as well as an integrated analysis of the project planning, procurement and communications’ documents. Several unique issues and consequent opportunities for innovative solutions were identified for improved practice and training, including managing limited site accessibility, challenging logistics, staffing the teams, plant and materials availability, and maintaining effective communications