Welcome to Cynthia ChinTian Lee Profile

Cynthia ChinTian Lee MSc
Cynthia ChinTian Lee

Education

  • Master of Science, MSc IT Management in Construction course from the University of Salford

Research Interests

Information Technology for the construction industry, Process Management and Knowledge Management.

Research Title

Developing an Appropriate Methodology for Matching Project Knowledge with Project Requirements

Background of the research study

Clients are becoming more sophisticated, insisting on better value for money, and demanding more units of construction for fewer units of expenditure. With the increasing pressure for competitiveness on construction organisations, and given the fact that the construction industry is essentially an information processing industry; where most knowledge comes from the successful completion of projects, it is necessary to capture, transfer and reuse project knowledge and use lessons learned from previous projects to improve project performance. Thus, knowledge is essential. The reliance on project participants to share knowledge in order to succeed in project delivery has never been greater. Ideally, a multidisciplinary design team is staffed in such a way that both the levels and the distribution of knowledge within the team match those required for the project. As a result of a shortfall in knowledge, such as the mismatch between staff expertise and project domain knowledge or because of ad hoc staffing approaches followed in most organisations due to a sudden increase in workload, the knowledge or expertise of staff is seldom deployed according to the requirements of the project. It is widely acknowledged that refurbishment projects are complex, risky and uncertain. Further, refurbishment work is less well-planned and more difficult to control than new-built, thus there is need for requisite knowledge so that effective decisions on refurbishment works can be taken. This research therefore looks into the matching of knowledge of the project team with the requirements of refurbishment projects in order to meet project/client's objectives.

Research Objectives

  • To identify the different types of knowledge and the sources of project knowledge for managing refurbishment projects in construction.
  • To critically evaluate the tools and techniques to capture different types of knowledge.
  • To investigate and develop a robust and a generic project requirements list for refurbishment projects.
  • Develop a methodology for matching project requirements with the knowledge of the project team.
  • Test and assess the developed methodology.
  • Develop an appropriate education and training programme (mainly for CPD purpose) which would increase awareness of the need and importance of matching project requirements with the knowledge of the project team for refurbishment works.

Research Methods

The research will commence with a comprehensive literature review to understand different types of knowledge, sources of knowledge and different techniques and approaches to capture different forms of knowledge in project-based industries. Particular attention would be placed on refurbishment projects in a construction industry setting.
Semi-structured interviews with key construction professionals and operatives involved in refurbishment projects would be conducted to uncover the different sources of project knowledge for refurbishment as well as the challenges associated with the capture of requisite knowledge for refurbishment works.
Next, a generic list of project requirements for refurbishment projects will be generated by interviewing a focus group which consists of stakeholders in refurbishment projects and verified using the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). Soft System Methodology as developed in the 1980s by Checkland will be employed to facilitate the clarification of project requirements. Although, SSM is used to capture user's requirements in system development, this approach in analysing project requirements is well-suited for this research as it looks at the soft issues from stakeholders' perspectives. The project requirements will be analysed based on the SSM structure as in Appendix A.
Then, the Knowledge Dichotomy Matrix will be used to match the required project knowledge with the project requirements so as to develop a Project Knowledge and Requirements Dichotomy Matrix for refurbishment projects. The developed matrix will be tested and modified by subjecting it to the same focus group that helped to generate the project requirements.
Through interviews with targeted construction professionals and operatives involved in refurbishment projects as well as educators, develop an appropriate education training programme for improved awareness. Use a focus group/seminar/workshop to test the efficacy of the training material.

Benefits/Expected Outcomes of the Research

Being aware of the project requirements and achieving them are instrumental to the success of a project. This view is supported by many researchers involved in the world of Information Systems Development when they often highlight the failure to capture user requirements as a root cause of systems failure. Refurbishment projects which are more complex than new construction projects will require extensive knowledge from the project team to help bring the project to a success. The use of SSM as a means to clarify fuzzy requirements issues and the application of the developed Project Knowledge and Requirements Dichotomy Matrix to match knowledge types and sources with project requirements, can contribute in some small way to the success of refurbishment projects. A better understanding of knowledge sources, how each types of knowledge contribute to construction projects in general and the different techniques and approaches to capture different forms of knowledge will be attained. The novelty of this research lies in the development of a methodology for matching project requirements with the knowledge of the project team members so as to fully exploit their experiences in meeting the project/client's objectives.

Publications

Conferences
  • Lee C. C. T, Egbu C, (2004), Story Boarding: from tacit to explicit knowledge, 1st International Salford Centre for Research and Innovation (SCRI) Research Symposium, March 30th - 31st 2004, Aouad G, Amaratunga D, Kagioglou M, Ruddock L, Sexton M, Salford University, Manchester, pp. 120 - 130
  • Vines M, Hari S, Olomolaiye A, Liyanage C, Lee C, Kurul E, Egbu C, (2004), Lessons learned from knowledge management research: UK construction industry perspective, 4th International Postgraduate Research Conference, April 1st - 2nd 2004, Ruddock L, Amaratunga D, Aouad G, Kagioglou M, Sexton M, Salford University, Manchester, pp. 570 - 580
  • Branka Dimitrijevic, Colin H. Davidson, Mike Culhane, Guylaine Beaupré, Jaime Acevedo-Alvarez, Anthony Conder, Bengt Eresund, Charles Egbu , Esra Kurul, Cynthia ChinTian Lee, Anthony Olomolaiye , Subashini Hari , Champika Liyanage and Micah Vines,(2004), Technology Watch for SME in the Construction Industry, CIB 2004 Congress, Toronto Canada
  • David Boyd, Charles Egbu, Ezekiel Chinyio, Hong Xiao and Cynthia ChinTian Lee (2004), Audio Diary and Debriefing for Knowledge Management in SMEs, ARCOM 20th Annual Conference, 1-3 Sept 2004, Heriot Watt University, pp.741 - 747
  • David Boyd, Charles Egbu, Ezekiel Chinyio, Hong Xiao and Cynthia ChinTian Lee (2004), Learning from SME Site Managers through Debriefing, COBRA 2004 (Construction and Building Research Conference), 7-8 September 2004, Leeds Metropolitan University, (Proceedings in CD-ROM)
  • Cynthia ChinTian Lee, Charles Egbu, David Boyd, Hong Xiao, Ezekiel Chinyo, (2005), Knowledge Management for Small Medium Enterprises: Capturing and Communicating Learning and Experiences, 4th Triennial CIB W99 Safety Health Environment Quality Conference, 17-20th May 2005, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
  • Charles Egbu, Cynthia ChinTian Lee, David Boyd, Hong Xiao, Ezekiel Chinyo, (2005), Graphical Conveyance of Knowledge Amongst Construction SMEs, CIB W102, Information and Knowledge Management in Global Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Construction Organisations, 19-20 May 2005, Lisoa, Portugal
  • Cynthia ChinTian Lee, Charles Egbu, (2005), Information Technology Tool For Building Knowledge Assets For The Small Medium Enterprises, CIB W102, Information and Knowledge Management in Global Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Construction Organisations, 19-20 May 2005, Lisoa, Portugal
  • Cynthia ChinTian Lee, Carolyn Hayles and Charles Egbu, (2005), The Adoption of Requirements Management in the Delivery of Refurbishment Projects, COBRA 2005 (Construction and Building Research Conference), 4-6 July 2005, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Contact Details

Cynthia ChinTian Lee
M537, School of the Built and Natural Environment
Glasgow Caledonian University
City Campus
Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow, G4 OBA
Scotland, UK.

Tel: +44 (0) 141 331 8039
Fax: +44 (0) 141 331 3696
Email: LeeC@gcal.ac.uk
Professor Charles Egbu
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Recently Published Text Books:

Anumba, C; Egbu, C; and Carrillo, P (2005) Knowledge Management in Construction, Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051 2972-7

Recently Published Journal Papers:

Lee, C. Cynthia and Egbu, C. (2007) "Information technology tools for capturing and communicating learning and experiences in construction SMEs in developed and developing countries". ITcon Vol. 12, Special Issue on construction information technology in emerging economies, pg. 167-180
Egbu, C. O (2006), "Knowledge Production and Capabilities - Their Importance and Challenges for Construction Organisations in China" The Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol 1., No.3, ISSN 1746-8779

Liyanage, C. and Egbu, C. (2006), "The integration of key players in the control of Healthcare Associated Infections in different types of domestic services" Journal of Facilities Management, Vol. 4, No. 4, pg 245 - 261., ISSN: 1472-5967

Hari S, Egbu C and Kumar B (2005), "A knowledge capture awareness tool: an empirical study on small and medium enterprises in the construction industry " Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, ISSN 0969-9988, Volume 12, Issue 6, pp 533-567

Hunter K, Hari S, Egbu C and Kelly J (2005) “Grounded Theory: Its Diversification and Application Through two Examples From Research Studies on Knowledge and Value Management”, The Electronic Journal of Business Research Methodology, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp 57-68, available online at www.ejbrm.com

Liyanage C., Egbu C. (2005), Controlling Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) and the role of FM in achieving ‘Quality’ in Healthcare: A Three-Dimensional View, Facilities, 23 (5/6), pp. 263-277.

Charles O Egbu, Subashini Hari, and Suresh H Renukappa, (2005) "Knowledge management for sustainable competitiveness in small and medium surveying practices" Structural Survey, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 7-21

Egbu, C.O. (2004) "Managing Knowledge and Intellectual Capital for Improved Organisational Innovations in the Construction Industry: An Examination of Critical Success Factors" Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management (ECAM) Journal, Vol. 11 No 5., pp. 301 - 315.
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