External stakeholder management and engagement on urban construction projects in Ireland

The disruptive nature of urban construction projects results in hazardous and complex environments, particularly when considering the management of external stakeholders. Therefore, this paper aims to identify who these external stakeholders are, what issues occur and what strategies are used to counteract such issues on urban construction projects in Ireland. The research method is qualitatively based, encompassing five exploratory case study interviews with five construction professionals on urban construction projects in Ireland. The data are qualitatively assessed using mind-mapping software and cognitively summarised. The research identifies ‘residents’, ‘road users’, ‘environmental agencies’ and the ‘local authority’ as the main external stakeholders, from a potential list of 22. ‘Traffic management’, ‘noise’, ‘dust and vibrations from site works’, ‘excess documentation’ and ‘environmental controls’ were identified as the main issues, from a list of 26 issues. Finally, ‘consultations’, ‘regular meetings’, ‘traffic-management systems’, ‘inform stakeholders early’, ‘noise-monitoring reports’ and ‘sustainable construction methods’ were identified as the main response strategies, from a list of 15 potential strategies. The key contribution of this study illustrates to on-site management the importance of identifying and engaging with the external stakeholders, in addressing their issues and, subsequently, counteracting such concerns using one or more response strategies identified.