Journal of Construction Engineering, Management & Innovation

kübra gürbüz Tahsin Çetinyokuş

Size diversity, competence and cooperation ability of members affect the performance of a project team and thus the success of the project. This article aims to critically review the quantitative and scientific characteristics of the literature on the project team selection problem and to identify the gaps on considered attributes and selection methods for further studies. This review differs from other review studies on project team selection in terms of scope, time horizon, selection criteria and inclusion of bibliometric analyses. 45 publications about the project team selection are selected to review within more than 15,000 ones in June 2024. A five-stage systematic method-including scanning related keywords in databases, setting time period, skimming titles, skimming abstracts with introduction and conclusion parts of the studies and sample selection ensuring uniform representation- is used to identify these studies. Then, the bibliometric data of these publications were analyzed before scientific analyses of the selected publications. It is detected that there is an increasing trend in the number of studies conducted in this field as well as the number of citations to them. It is also observed that mathematical optimization methods are used for small datasets and few constraints, whereas multicriteria decision making, data mining/machine learning and (meta)-heuristic methods are preferred as complexity increases and nonlinearity emerges. In conclusion, there is a need for a comprehensive team selection model considering technical and soft skill requirements with salary and communication costs together. Complexity, accuracy and precision analyses should also be performed to ensure the performance of the proposed model.

https://doi.org/10.31462/jcemi.2025.03209235

Güzin AYDOĞAN

Megaprojects have become one of the top topics of construction management literature for the last two decades. Conducting a structured and systematic literature review enables the investigation of research trends in megaprojects. This study aims to identify and categorize key research trends, analyze their evolution over 2013–2023, and review applied methodologies. The first step of the literature review showed that megaprojects had caught the attention of researchers by the early 1990s. However, this topic gained popularity after 2000 and received significant attention by 2016. Therefore, this study focused on the articles and reviews published between 2013 and 2023 in selected leading construction journals using the SCOPUS database. According to the comprehensive literature review; organizational management, project management, strategic management, the performance of megaprojects, risk management, and innovation were identified as the main research topics. Within the context of this study, research methods and techniques used in articles concerning megaprojects were also reviewed. Case studies, questionnaire surveys, interviews, and literature reviews/analyses were identified as the research methodologies that were applied in megaproject studies. Structural equation modeling (SEM), content analysis, regression analysis, and factor analysis were used as research techniques in studies related to megaprojects. The results of this study indicate that performance, strategic management, innovation, and risk management remain promising for future research. This review provides a structured synthesis of the existing literature and identifies emerging areas for future academic research on megaprojects in construction management. Also, findings of the study offer insights for practitioners and policymakers to better align governance and innovation in megaprojects.

https://doi.org/10.31462/jcemi.2025.03236256

MERVE AKBAS Firat Dogu AKIN

The 6 February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye caused unprecedented destruction across 11 provinces, generating massive volumes of construction and demolition waste (CDW). Despite the scale of devastation, long-term recovery strategies regarding sustainable waste management remain limited, particularly in provinces without permanent recycling infrastructure. This study addresses the facility location problem for permanent CDW recycling plants in six highly affected provinces—Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Kilis, and Osmaniye—that currently lack operational facilities. A multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework is developed by integrating the CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) method for objective weighting with two widely adopted ranking methods: COPRAS (Complex Proportional Assessment) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). Eight evaluation criteria encompassing economic, environmental, technical, demographic, and strategic dimensions are defined using governmental reports, spatial data, and field-based assessments. These criteria include: proximity to existing facilities, population density, distance to ecological protection zones, transportation costs, estimated CDW volume, land suitability, disaster intensity and reconstruction need, and the number of temporary waste dumping sites. Among these, land suitability emerged as the most influential criterion, reflecting the importance of terrain conditions, accessibility, and legal-planning factors in post-disaster infrastructure decisions. Results from both COPRAS and TOPSIS methods showed high consistency, with Adıyaman ranked as the most suitable province for facility investment, followed by Adana and Osmaniye. This study contributes to disaster recovery planning by proposing a reproducible, transparent, and data-driven decision support tool for sustainable waste infrastructure investment, particularly in seismically vulnerable regions.

https://doi.org/10.31462/jcemi.2025.03257277

Bedirhan Temizel Hande ALADAĞ

The safety, durability, and sustainability of buildings in Türkiye depend heavily on an effective building audit system. However, shortcomings in the enforcement of Law No. 4708 undermine structural safety and increase risks to life and property. This study takes a systematic, evidence-based approach to identify major problems in building inspection firms, analyze their root causes, and propose practical solutions. Using expert interviews, Root Cause Analysis (Ishikawa diagrams), and Pareto analysis, the research identifies key issues such as insufficient qualified personnel, cost-driven processes, and policy gaps. The novelty of this study lies in its focused examination of building inspection firms as a distinct stakeholder group and its application of structured problem-solving tools to building audit practices in Türkiye, enabling both a rigorous diagnosis of problems. The association of RCA and Pareto analysis enables targeted, evidence-based strategies to improve inspection quality and prevent the recurrence of deficiencies. Recommendations include strengthening transparency and independence in inspections, raising quality standards, improving training for inspectors, and revising fee structures. The findings offer actionable strategies for Türkiye and transferable insights for countries facing similar regulatory challenges, contributing to both theory and practice in construction quality assurance.

https://doi.org/10.31462/jcemi.2025.03278304

Önder ÖKMEN Marian Bosch-Rekveldt

Schedules play a pivotal role in engineering projects and are used primarily to manage time, but also costs, labor, and other resources. Managing schedules can be challenging due to the frequent impact of risks and uncertainties on planned activities, resulting in deviations from expected progress. In addition to risks, today’s large-scale engineering projects also face complexities. Therefore, it is important to identify complexities, incorporate them into schedule risk analysis and manage them flexibly, along with risks, in accordance with the dynamics of such projects. Traditional approaches of project management, however, are relatively rigid and plan-driven, and lack sufficient managerial flexibility to cope with the challenges and dynamics of complex projects. In this regard, the aim of this study is to propose a flexible and integrated procedure for co-managing risks and complexities that affect project schedules. The procedure was developed using complexity assessment and schedule risk analysis methods, along with a set of flexibility-enabling principles of project management identified through relevant literature. This way, it is aimed to bridge between theory and practice and to extend the territory of traditional project risk management. The proposed procedure was then implemented on a project, both retrospectively and hypothetically, using actual project information. The main reasons identified for the delays in the project included insufficient interaction with stakeholders, lack of involvement in processes, failure to adopt perception-based management, and the lack of a shared mental model regarding perceived complexities. It was concluded that, in response to schedule risks, embracing complexity to exploit opportunities rather than attempting to reduce complexity (which is not easy to achieve in general) would be an appropriate strategy to pursue to establish fit-for-purpose management and achieve enhanced risk responses. Consequently, the co-management of risks and complexities was suggested to improve schedule management in large-scale engineering projects.

https://doi.org/10.31462/jcemi.2025.03305345