An institutional approach to understanding post-project reviews in the construction industry

Post-project reviews (PPRs) are known to be one of the most effective tools for empowering organizational learning and to help companies gain a competitive edge in the knowledge economy. However, the use of PPRs in the construction industry has been limited, due to the temporary nature of projects and the associated barriers. A lack of research in this area has resulted in little focus on the underlying causes of the failure to implement such reviews. As a result, many companies are not benefiting from the capture and sharing of knowledge of past projects, leading to a loss in precious lessons learnt and an overall inability to learn from past mistakes. The institutional theory suggests that the factors that influence the use of PPRs may be classified into three pillars that drive organizational behaviour. This study seeks to understand the existing use of PPRs in the construction industry, and to employ the institutional theory to probe deeper into the root causes behind their lack of implementation. A three-phase research design was conducted to explore, in increasing depth, the use of PPRs. Surveys and interviews were carried out with project managers to understand the properties and extent of their use of PPRs, as well as the rationale for and effectiveness of such reviews. The factors identified were then mapped to three institutional pillars to draw conclusions about the institutional factors that affect the adoption of PPRs. In addition, a case study was conducted to examine the implementation features of a strong post-project review case. This found that strong management support and the use of formalized procedures were major drivers of post-project review implementation. Several other factors were identified that did not correspond to the institutional framework, and these are presented alongside the institutional factors as part of the strategies for organizational learning through effective postproject review reviews