A STUDY ON CONSTRUCTION SUBMITTAL PROCESS THROUGH PROCESS MODELLING

Abstract

Construction submittal processes are recursive and it is characterize to be unproductive. Though productivity has been a concern for the industry, little attention is given to office related processes. The motivating force behind this study is due to the absence of information and research on the shop drawing submittal-approval which is essentially common in all building and construction projects.

This study focuses on the mapping of a typical shop drawing submittal-approval process to help understand the activities on a micro-level. It will reveal information on the breakdown of time during the preparation of shop drawings as well as the patterns of the approval cycle by the consultants and superintending officer.

A case study approach is utilized to study the shop drawing submittal-approval on a closer look. Information and data describing the detailed flow of activities were done through a series of interviews, examining of past submittal log and simulation. In total 5 interviews were conducted with interviewees of different roles in the design process. The submittal log consists of 92 different shop drawing submissions of permanent structural works. Simulation is done to obtain reasonable understanding of the case study based on the information collected.

To tackle the findings of the research, a simple framework which rides on lean thinking was recommended for this case study. However, the research lacks in industry validation of the effectiveness of the proposed framework which served as the limitation of this study.