The development of purpose in the project definition phase of construction projects: Implications for project management

This dissertation explores the development of purpose in the project definition phase of construction projects. Project definition is the project phase that identifies the needs and values of project stakeholders, and develops appropriate design solutions to satisfy them. Project purposes are constructed through the interconnected relationships of stakeholder needs and values, and the project constraints. Projects comprise diverse stakeholders whose needs and values often conflict given that environments have limited project resources to fulfill all stakeholder interests. While researchers have developed methodologies to systematically process needs into project requirements through structured means, this research focuses on the role of project managers and how they facilitate the collaborative development of purpose. The research adopts the perspective that project definition is a learning process that requires the shared understanding of stakeholder needs and values, in order to resolve them into a collective statement of project purpose.; This study is carried out in two distinct phases of research exploration. The first phase examines three building construction projects at a public educational institution. The research focuses on the primary events in the project definition that shape the outcomes of project purpose. Together these studies show that purpose is conditioned by the process of framing needs and values of diverse project stakeholders. The guidance of project managers is instrumental in developing a collaborative process to support the shared understanding of conflicting interests among the stakeholder groups. The project manager's choice of problem-solving methodology to develop project purpose is an important consideration in process design.; The second phase of research examines a workplace planning system. This system is used to identify facility user needs and values and then accommodate those needs within the project constraints (primarily financial resource constraints). The study describes the management phases and the problem-solving strategies used by the workplace planner to engage the facility owner groups in participative project definition. A set of project case studies is documented to show how the project definition process evolves, and how satisfactory outcomes are achieved. This study demonstrates a set of management characteristics that engage multiple stakeholders in collaboration. This collaboration shows evidence of resolving the purpose of projects, often in environments where collaboration was not evident before. The outcomes from the workplace planning process reveal innovative changes to the operational functions of the facility groups, along with innovations in the workplaces they require.; This study contributes to knowledge by testing the proposition that project definition is a complex adaptive process, through which project purposes emerge from group collaboration and learning.