Managing end-users and their requirements in the construction process

Abstract: The effective management of end-users and their requirements in construction projects can bring a number of benefits, for example more satisfied and less critical end-users in terms of both the product and project. Building occupants are however continually changing and with that their needs. It is thereby a challenge to understand what brings value for both known and unknown end-users. More over are projects inter-organisational and each project is performed by interdependent organisations working in a temporarily arrangement. The actors have different goals, professional identities and expertise, overlapping areas of responsibility and interests which makes for a fruitful interaction between parties critical to project success. Unfortunately in the case of construction projects, the needs and requirements are often mismanaged. The aim of the research presented here is to develop understanding of the process of managing end-users and their requirements throughout the life cycle of a project. Much research has been conducted into parts of the construction process, but a holistic view is often absent. This research takes a qualitative approach and analyses the phenomenon from both a management and system’s perspective. The system includes three organisations: the owner organisation, the project organisation and the end-users organisation. The research confirms that a holistic perspective is lacking, both in theory and in practice, in the construction process, with respect to the management of end-users and their requirements. The absence of a holistic view results in that it will be very difficult to create an integrated system, to truly improve the work or to create value efficiently for the end-users. The thesis concludes that shared knowledge can be used to decrease the system’s sensitivity and, at the same time, increase the prospects for creating value-adding processes.