The development of a performance measurement framework for FE/HE co-location construction projects

Abstract

Project success is understood differently by project participants because it is multifaceted, requiring many performance measures to determine success. Previous studies have underrepresented the business context of projects and their role in contributing to the success of the instigating organisation. This issue becomes particularly significant when two or more further and higher education (FE/HE) organisations co-locate their educational operations on a shared site and seek diverse goals from a single project. The relationship between construction project success and long-term educational success created the need for a comprehensive performance measurement framework that defines the contribution of the construction project in supporting FE/HE collaborating institutions through providing a learning environment that enhances the shared educational activities. This study explores the success of constructing a co-located further and higher education (FE/HE) campus when a project definition that continues beyond construction project completion and commissioning, and which encompasses the client’s views of expected business benefits, is adopted. The research developed a measurement framework capable of measuring the performance of FE/HE co-location construction projects, in light of this broader definition. The methodology used to achieve the research aim, influenced by the pragmatic views of the researcher, combined several methods. A focus group identified success criteria for constructing FE/HE co-location campuses. A questionnaire survey elicited the relationships between success criteria from representatives of the directors, senior administrators, and estates managers of further and higher education providers throughout Scotland. Finally, a Delphi survey validated the performance measurement framework by capturing the views of experts in FE/HE co-location. The thesis contributes a comprehensive performance measurement framework structured around two distinctive performance perspectives (performance drivers and performance results) which incorporates multiple project success dimensions and measures. The framework provides a structured way of aggregating performance measures to characterise the representation of thematic performance dimensions.