Collaborative model: Managing design changes with reusable project experiences through project learning and effective communication

This paper empirically studies the importance of managing design changes in dealing with time delay and cost overruns in construction projects. The main objective of this paper is to identify the causes of design changes and the implications on the Malaysian construction projects measured in terms of cost and time. It also aims to determine how rework induced from the design changes is detrimental to project performance and to suggest recommendations on how to overcome the related problem with project learning and effective communication in building construction. To investigate the factors giving rise to design changes, a total of 43 causes were first identified through a comprehensive literature review. The factors are categorised into client, consultant, contractor, site and external-related themes. This is followed by a qualitative research study involving semi-structured interviews with 12 experienced industry practitioners comprising of clients, consultants, and contractors. Critical incident technique employing content analysis is used to analyse the interviews transcripts in detail to provide a rich picture of the causes of design changes, the implications for project delivery performance, enablers of effective communication, enablers of project learning and types of reusable project knowledge. The research findings were further integrated to develop a collaborative model to manage design changes using effective communication and project learning approach. This model highlights the importance of effective communication and project learning towards improving the level of competency and cohesiveness of project team in managing future projects. Capturing and sharing of reusable project experiences is essential towards maximising the benefits of past experiences (lessons learned), shortening the learning curve and adding value to future projects in design change management.