The construction industry is dynamic in nature. The concept of project success has remained ambiguously defined in the construction industry. Project success is almost the ultimate goal for every project. However, it means different things to different people. While some writers consider time, cost and quality as predominant criteria, others suggest that success is something more complex. The aim of this paper is to develop a framework for measuring success of construction projects. In this paper, a set of key performance indicators (KPIs), measured both objectively and subjectively are developed through a comprehensive literature review. The validity of the proposed KPIs is also tested by three case studies. Then, the limitations of the suggested KPIs are discussed. With the development of KPIs, a benchmark for measuring the performance of a construction project can be set. It also provides significant insights into developing a general and comprehensive base for further research.

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Many construction companies have adopted partnering in their construction projects over the past 10-15 years due to favourable project outcomes achieved. Its use in construction projects has been increasing rapidly as its benefits become more apparent and pervasive. This paper reviews the partnering literature within the construction field and tries to portray the comprehensive picture of benefits for the partnering practice. Through partnering and the active involvement of all key project parties, the project is more likely to be completed within budget, on time, and with the least number of conflicts, claims and work defects. Also, this paper reports upon the findings of a questionnaire survey of partnering benefits in Hong Kong. Seventy-eight project participants completed a questionnaire to indicate the relative importance of partnering benefits. The perceived benefits were measured and ranked from the perspectives of the client, contractor and consultant for cross-comparison. The results revealed that 'Improved relationship amongst project participants', 'Improved communication amongst project participants' and 'More responsive to the short-term emergency, changing project or business needs' were the most significant benefits derived from the use of partnering. More partnering arrangements should be actively introduced into the construction procurement process so that every party can enjoy the full benefits of partnering.Partnering, benefits, construction projects, Hong Kong,

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically review the literature of performance measurement both in general and in the construction industry in particular. By doing so, it seeks to provide valuable insights into how to construct a comprehensive performance measurement model for the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on a comprehensive literature review on performance measurement, the paper presents a critical review of the development of performance measurement, with a special focus on the construction sector. The strengths and weaknesses of most previous measurement frameworks and techniques are investigated. Performance information that each can generate is analyzed in the context of the construction industry.FindingsThe research findings showed that performance measurement studies in construction can be divided into three levels: project, organizational, and stakeholder levels. In addition, the major frameworks of performance measurement in construction were found to be: European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model, balanced scorecard model, and key performance indicators model. The most frequently applied research techniques of performance measurement in construction included: gap analysis, integrated performance index, statistical methods, and data envelopment analysis method. The performance information generated from the measurement encompasses frameworks and hierarchical indicators, and functions and score.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on the performance measurement of construction. Further research work should be conducted to cover other industries.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an innovative and useful approach to defining the process of performance measurement in construction, which can be of great use to both the research community and industrial practitioners.Originality/valueThe paper summarizes the recent performance measurement research studies in construction, integrates the whole process of the performance measurement, and offers useful insights into future areas of research in this field.