Collaborative project delivery models, such as partnering and alliance contracts, can be beneficial in large-scale projects, for example in infrastructure construction. When the models become more common and established through industry customs, model contracts and standards, project delivery and model implementation is emphasised. In her doctoral thesis, Anna af Hällström studies the implementation of collaborative project delivery models in major projects within the construction industry, and the changes triggered by a growing emphasis on social relations and informal governance.
What challenges do you focus on in your research?
“Many projects manage great collaboration without any special collaborative project models or mechanisms. But especially major, complex and long-term projects, such as tunnel construction or railway improvement, are characterised by multiple stakeholders, complex processes, uncertainty and long time horizons. These factors can easily lead to conflict, delays and budget overruns.”
“Legal conflicts are not unheard of in the field either, and collaborative project delivery models are a way of trying to counteract conflict and improve project outcomes. The models themselves are not new – they were first introduced in the North Sea oil rigs decades ago – but they have recently become more common in the infrastructure sector. They are also getting institutionalised by standardisation and changing industry customs. Since much research has hitherto focused on procurement and contractual issues, we know little about project delivery and what happens in the project organisation.”
How do you address the problem with your research?
“I worked in construction and urban planning before starting at Chalmers, and collaborative models were newly introduced in the field. They sounded very interesting and like something that could provide real value for projects. I was inspired by the ‘relational’ in ‘relational governance’, the main field to which collaborative project delivery models belong. Since these models build on social relations rather than contractual obligations – although the contract is of course the basis on which to build a collaborative project – the importance of daily interaction, the individuals and a cohesive project organisation came into focus. In general, I have contributed to a deeper understanding of the collaboration of project actors. In particular, I have investigated how the interaction of formal and informal forces within the project impact its progress.”
What are the main findings?
“The project is partly shaped by how different actors view it: how they use different tools and method, what the ‘correct’ process is, who is responsible for what. In a collaborative project management model the whole project process becomes much more flexible and fluid, which introduces changes into traditional ways of managing the project, new roles and leadership requirements. The contract and the commercial model frame collaboration, but collaboration shapes how the contract is understood.”
What do you hope your research will lead to?
“Project organising and management is always a challenge, but especially large projects require new ways of managing risk and responsibility, uncertainty and inter-organisational ways of working. I hope that a greater insight into the forces shaping collaboration, both formal and informal, can help managers understand the drivers within their project organisations and how best to facilitate collaboration with respect to the differing logics.”
Read the thesis: Collaborative project delivery models in infrastructure construction
The author defends the thesis on 29 September 2023, see link above.
About partnering and alliance contracts
Collaborative project delivery models, such as partnering and alliance contracts, are based on openness, confidence, mutual trust and a shared understanding of the project and its goals. If the partnering model is used, you often have a traditional contract as a base and write a separate partnering or collaboration agreement. In an alliance contract, all key players are included in the same contract, where cooperation is also included.