Concurrent engineering: a multi‐disciplinary approach for construction Available to Purchase

This paper addresses the concept of concurrent engineering (CE) and its application to construction. The construction process is faced with an ephemeral shifting coalition of participants who have divergent goals and objectives. Consequently, adversarial relationships between project participants have developed. This has made it difficult for organizations to cooperate, communicate and integrate with each other effectively. The CE concept advocates the implementation of a multi‐disciplinary team approach to construction by encouraging collaborative decision making based upon team coordination and information sharing. This paper suggests that a multi‐disciplinary approach can be achieved by introducing the contractor, major subcontractors and suppliers during the design phase.