Exploring performance of the integrated project delivery process on complex building projects

• The performance of the supply chain was found to drive the project delivery performance.
• The owner’s strategy decisions impact the management of the supply chain relationships.
• IPD has emerged as a new system with the potential to provide better performance through more supply chain integration.

Many building projects do not meet owners' performance expectations. Integrated project delivery (IPD) has emerged as a new delivery system with the potential to provide better performance through more supply chain integration. However, there is a knowledge gap surrounding how project delivery systems, IPD in particular, affect supply chain relationships and potential project performance. To fill this gap, we applied a simulation method, General Performance Model (GPM), to assess the interactions between numerous project delivery variables and compare potential performance between delivery systems. This study presents a GPM analysis of a complex hospital project and based upon cross-impact assessments by owners, architects, constructors, and specialty contractors from the building industry. The results found the most influential drivers of project delivery performance to be communication, alignment of interest and objectives, team working, trust, and gain/pain sharing. The performance of the supply chain was found to drive the project delivery performance.