2011 Membina semula persekitaran pembela

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PROCEEDINGS OF 1

ST

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON

CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR SMART SCHOOL

(CLES) 2011

Main Organizer

Conducive Learning Environment for Smart School Research Group, UKM

Building Performance & Diagnostic Research Group, UM

Co-Organizer

Kampus Lestari Research Group, UKM

Low-Energy Architecture Research Group, UKM

Eco-Urbanscape Research Group, UKM

Building Surveying Division, ISM

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Publishing Officers: Hafsah Othman

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Norliyana Mohd Fadilah

Nurul Syuhada Spalie

Published By

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA Email: kjsb@vlsi.eng.ukm.my

National Library of Malaysia Catalguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Malaysia

1st international symposium on conducive learning environment for smart school (CLES) 2011

ISBN 978-967-5878-26-8

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia dan Universiti Malaya.

Printed in Malaysia by

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EDITOR

N.Utaberta

N.M.Tawil

A.S.Ali

S.N.Kamaruzzaman

Department of Architecture,

Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE

A.I. Che-Ani (UKM) M.M. Tahir (UKM) N.A. Goh (UKM) N. Hamzah (UKM) N.M. Salleh (UM) L. Chi-Hin (UM) L.C.Hsia (UM) L.P. Wah (UM)

M.Y. Yuzainee (UNITEN) R. Sulaiman (UM)

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PREFACE

Conducive learning environment is pertinent in generating critical thinking, be it from the early stages of learning up to tertiary level of education. Developing an institution with a holistic Conducive Learning Environment in mind is not easy. The development of the learning environment should be examined in terms of the environment, master planning, space planning and design elements as well as operating assets and buildings. This will create a school which takes into account the overall environment and ensure the health interests and excellent well being of its students. This symposium is organized by the Conducive Learning Environment for Smart School (CLES) research group of the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment of UKM. It intends to uphold and generate the development of knowledge in conducive learning environment for Malaysia and the world.

The conference itself tries to gather and share different view and understanding of studies and research among academician, architect, consultants, developers, engineers, government officer, local authorities, manufacturers, politicians, project manager, students, surveyors and all those interested in one day seminar and conference in order to:

1. To provide formal communication platform and publication to the members of the international researchers who have aspiration about Smart School.

2. To disseminate knowledge that related with the development of learning environment for smart school to the local and overseas research community.

3. To empower the research collaboration between members of the group with another researchers within and outside UKM.

4. Empowering the research network for smart school with the local and overseas

universities.

It is expected that from this ‗conducive‘ platform, the idea, exploration and discussion will

initiate a better paradigm, explore different point of view and open a healthy dialogue towards a better learning environment of teaching and learning in the future.

Sr. Dr. Adi Irfan Che Ani

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PROCEEDINGS

1

ST

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CONDUCIVE LEARNING

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1

Management of Change in Singapore’s Programme for Rebuilding and

Improving Existing (PRIME) Schools

L.S.Pheng PhD, FCIOB

Professor, Department of Building School of Design and Environment

National University of Singapore

Abstract

The rationale behind PRIME to upgrade and improve existing schools in Singapore to keep up with rapid changes in info-com technology (ICT) and to provide a more conducive learning and work environment for the stakeholders, namely the students and the teachers, is presented in this paper. The study highlights the key components of PRIME and underscores the causes of variations that may occur in both the design and construction stages in the school building projects. The effects of the variations made in the PRIME school building projects will be presented, together with a checklist of the corresponding controls to manage these variations that may occur during the: (1) Design stage; (2) Construction stage; and (3) Design-construction interface. Finally, the paper will present the most important causes, their frequent effects and effective controls for managing change orders in the PRIME school building projects in Singapore.

Keywords: School buildings, Singapore, PRIME, Change management

1.0 Introduction

Construction projects are complex because they involve many human and non-human factors and variables. They usually have long duration, various uncertainties, and complex relationships among the participants. The need to make changes in a construction project is a matter of practical reality. Even the most thoughtfully planned project may necessitate changes due to

various factors (O‘Brien, 1998).

The high living standards have generated many manufacturing and building employment opportunities in global construction industry. The growth of towns has accelerated as a result of high population growth. Large and complex projects have been built, attracting contractors from all over the world. Most of these contractors appear to lack a sufficient understanding of the social, cultural and physical environment (Dulaimi and Hwa, 2001). This situation, coupled with inexperienced owners, has led to inadequate designs resulting in many changes to plans, specifications and contract terms.

Changes are inevitable in any construction project (Mokhtar, et al., 2000). Needs of the owner may change in the course of design or construction, market conditions may impose changes to the parameters of the project, and technological developments may alter the design

and the choice of the engineer. The engineer‘s review of the design may bring about changes to

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2 Consideration must be given from the initial stages (inception) of the project until commissioning. Contractual provision is required to define the conduct of owner, consultant and contractor to participate in and manage changes. Systematic and proper procedures must be set in place to process a change from conceptual development until it materializes in the field. The reality is that an adverse environment exists among parties in the construction industry. Changes could be perceived as positive or negative to the preconceived goals of the professionals involved in a project. Therefore, a major change must be managed and handled professionally in order to minimize its cost, schedule and consequential impacts that may divert the project away from its targeted goals.

To identify and analyze potential changes that could happen in a project as early as possible can enhance the management of projects. Learning from these changes is imperative because the professionals can improve and apply their experience in the future.

2.0 Thinking School, Learning Nation Through Prime

The only resource which Singapore has its people. Hence, education is an important component

in Singapore‘s economic development plans. The government‘s vision for ―Thinking School, Learning Nation‖ is to prepare the young citizens of Singapore to face future challenges in an

increasingly globalized world. For this purpose, certain basic fundamentals must first be put in place. In addition to committed and well trained teachers, the education system must be supported by excellent school facilities to create a physically conducive environment for the learning journey.

Many of the primary and secondary schools (both government and aided) in Singapore were some 20 to 30 years old about the time when this vision was articulated. The government of Singapore, through the Ministry of Education (MOE), initiated the Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools (PRIME) in 1999 to ensure that the new generation of Singaporeans would get the best opportunities to equip themselves with the information technology (IT) available. The new and upgraded facilities will include computer laboratories, media resource libraries, IT learning resource rooms, IT networking for the entire school, pastoral care rooms and health and fitness rooms. Teachers and students can also look forward to bigger classrooms and staff-rooms, and more interaction areas. The emphasis on IT is also in line with the Master Plan 1 for IT in Education that was formulated by the MOE in the mid-1990s (Mokhtar, Foo and Majid, 2007).

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3 studying in a double-session system and some 1300 pupils in a new secondary school in a single-session system. The costs of rebuilding the schools are S$15 million and S$20 million for each primary and secondary school respectively. The costs of upgrading works would depend on the existing conditions of the schools and can range between S$10 million to S$12 million for each primary school and approximately S$15 million for a secondary school (Ministry of Education, 1999). As of July 2009, some 251 schools have been included in the earlier ten phases of PRIME, of which 227 schools have completed their upgrading programmes. Beginning in early 2007, all schools will be provided with an indoor sports hall in phases to facilitate flexibility in co-curricular activities, sports and games without being affected by inclement weather (Ministry of Education, 2009).

Given the massive capital investments in PRIME projects, important consideration must be given to budgetary and costs controls. Part of this important consideration relates to how costs may be better controlled through an effective system for managing change in the design and construction phases of the PRIME projects.

3.0 Management Of Change

Change orders are an unwanted, but inevitable reality of every construction project (Clough and

Sears, 1994; O‘Brien, 1998; Mokhtar, et al., 2000). Construction projects are bound to encounter change orders; the goal of the owner, design or construction manager is to limit the number of such changes (CII, 1994a; Ibbs, 1997). Proper management of change orders is very significant for all types of construction projects. Changes in drawings and contract documents usually lead to a change in contract price or contract schedule. Change also increases the possibility of contractual disputes. Conventionally, changes present problems to all the parties involved in the construction process.

Mendelsohn (1997) observed that probably 75% of the problems encountered on site were generated at the design phase. This is not to say that contractors do not create a slew of problems of their own but that these problems were often compounded by inherent design flaws. If one were to seriously consider ways to reduce problems on site, an obvious place to begin with is to focus on what the project team can do to eliminate these problems at the design phase.

There are many reasons for issuing construction change order in the construction process. It can be a result of the non-availability or slow delivery of required materials or the correction of contract document errors and omissions (Thomas, 1990). Identifying the causes of change orders is very important in order to avoid potential changes in future projects or to minimize their effects.

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4 Kumaraswamy, et al. (1998) studied claims for extension of time due to excusable delays in

Hong Kong‘s civil engineering projects. Their findings suggested that 15-20% time over run was mainly caused by inclement weather. 50% of the projects surveyed were delayed because of changes.

Kaming, et al. (1997) studied the factors influencing construction time and cost over runs for high rise projects in Indonesia where 31 project managers working in high rise buildings were surveyed. Kaming, et al. (1997) pointed out that the major factors influencing cost overrun were material cost increase due to inflation, inaccurate material estimating and the degree of project complexity. In the case of time over run, the most important factors that caused delays were design changes, poor labor productivity, inadequate planning and resource shortage.

The magnitude of schedule average slippage due to changes was reported as 18% (CII, 1990a; Burati, et al., 1992; Zeitoun and Oberlender, 1993, Kumaraswamy, et al., 1998). The deviation (change) cost amounted to an average of 14% of the total cost of the project (CII, 1990a; Burati, et al., 1992; Zeitoun and Oberlender, 1993). Although there have been cases where change cost accounted for as high as 100% of the budgeted funds, the industry norm of this percentage was about 10%. The impact of changes varies from one project to another. However, it is generally accepted that the changes affect the construction projects with unpalatable consequences in time and cost (CII, 1986; CII, 1988; Hester, et al., 1991; Moselhi, et al., 1991; Barrie and Paulson, 1992; CII, 1994a; Ehrenreich-Hansen, 1994; Ibbs, et al., 1998; Mokhtar, et al., 1997; Mokhtar, et al., 2000; Ibbs, et al., 2001).

Changes are common in all types of construction projects (CII, 1994a; Fisk, 1997; O‘Brien, 1998; Ibbs, et al., 2001). The nature and frequency of changes occurrence vary from one project to another depending on various factors (CII, 1986a; Kaming, et al., 1997). Changes in construction projects can cause substantial adjustment to the contract duration, total direct and indirect costs, or both (Tiong, 1990; Odell, 1995; Ibbs, 1997a; Ibbs, et al., 1998). Therefore, project management teams must have the ability to respond to changes effectively in order to minimize their adverse impact to the project.

Great concerns have been expressed in recent years regarding the impact of changes in construction projects. As mentioned briefly in the previous section, changes are frequent in construction projects and can cause considerable adjustments to the project time, cost and quality. The causes of change orders are greatly varied, thus making the task of change management difficult for most clients. However, the undesirable situation can be minimized as long as a mechanism for handling change orders and making more informed decisions based on the past projects can be understood and built into project management.

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5 change orders. No such studies have been undertaken on the management and control of change orders on a large scale so far using an IT based decision support system platform. The Project Change Management System (PCMS) will assist professionals in analyzing changes and selecting the appropriate controls for minimizing their adverse impacts by providing timely information. Furthermore, by having a systematic way to manage changes, the efficiency of project work and the likelihood of project success should increase.

Learning from the changes is very important because the professionals could improve and apply their experience in the future (Ibbs, et al., 2001; Arain, 2005a). In cases where professionals leave the organization, the project experience continues to reside within the individual professionals. In the absence of an established and organized knowledge-base of past similar projects, the professional teams would face problems in planning effectively before starting a project, during the design phase as well as during the construction phase to minimize and control changes and their effects. Hence, a comprehensive system for consolidating decisions made on past similar projects is highly recommended.

4.0 Knowledge Gap in Change Management

There have been many research studies in the area of change orders. Most researchers have looked at the classification of changes (Thomas and Napolitan, 1994; Yu, 1996; Fisk, 1997; Hsieh, et al., 2004), classification of change originators (CII, 1990a; Burati, et al., 1992; Thomas and Napolitan, 1994), constitutional aspects, for instance, contract change, clause interpretation, contractual administration of changes and substantiation of change claims (Ashly and Mathews, 1986; Ibbs, et al., 1986; Hester, et al., 1991; Krone, 1991; Diekmann and Kim, 1992; Cox, 1997; Hsieh, et al., 2004), cost related aspects, for instance, quantitative studies on the productivity factor in change and its impact and magnitude of the impact (Ibbs, et al., 1986; CII, 1990a; Hester, et al., 1991; Burati, et al., 1992; Zeitoun and Oberlender, 1993; Thomas and Napolitan, 1994, 1995; Ibbs, et al., 1998) and costing and valuation of changes (Hester, et al., 1991; Thomas and Napolitan, 1994; CII, 1990a). In the context of Singapore‘s construction industry, a notable study on the causes and improvement for quality problems in design and build projects was carried out by Geok (2002).

The issue concerning changes has received much attention in the literature. Despite many articles and much discussion in practice and academic literature, an in-depth and holistic view of causes, their effects and controls for changes for making timely and more informed decisions for effective management of change orders was not well represented in the literature. A clearer view of the causes and their impacts on the projects will enable the project team to take advantage of beneficial changes. Eventually, a clearer and comprehensive view of the causes, their effects and potential controls will result in informed decisions for effective management of change orders.

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6 also enables the professionals to consider more factors that can affect designs during the decision making process, conduct more thorough decision processing, and influence their preferred information (Ling, 1998). A knowledge-base would assist in making more informed decisions because it provides an excellent opportunity to learn from past projects (Turban, 1990; Arain and Low, 2005b). A comprehensive knowledge-base of past projects is recommended. However, there were no significant research studies undertaken on the management and controls of change orders on a large scale so far using an IT based management system platform.

5.0 Fundamentals of Changes

A change order is a written order to the contractor signed by the owner and issued after execution of the contract, authorizing a change in the work or an adjustment in the contract sum or the contract time (Clough and Sears, 1994; Fisk, 1997).

The term ―change‖ shall mean any change in the original contract intention as deduced from

the contract as a whole describing or defining the works to be carried out and shall include but is not restricted to:

a) An increase or decrease in the quantity of any part of the work. b) An addition to or omission from the works.

c) A change in the character, quality or nature of any part of the works.

d) A change in the levels, lines, positions and dimensions of any part of the works.

e) The demolition of or removal of any part of the works no longer described by the employer of the superintending officer.

f) A requirement to complete the works or any phase or part by a date earlier than the relevant time for completion.

Functionally, a change order accomplishes after execution of the agreement what the specifications addenda do prior to bid opening (see Figure 1), except that an accompanying price change may be involved in a change order. A price change would not necessarily always be in

the contractor‘s favor; it could also be in the form of a cash credit to the owner, or it may involve

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7 6.0 Causes, Effects and Controls for Change Orders

The need to make changes in a construction project is a matter of practical reality. Even the most

thoughtfully planned project may necessitate changes due to various reasons (O‘Brien, 1998). To

overcome the problems associated with changes to a project, the project team must be able to effectively analyze the change and its immediate and downstream effects (CII, 1994a).

Potential Causes of Change Orders

An effective analysis of changes and change orders requires a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of changes (Hester, et al., 1991). Hence, 53 causes of change orders were identified. As shown in Figure 2, the causes of changes were grouped under four categories: Owner related changes, Consultant related changes, Contractor related changes and Other changes. These groups assisted in developing a comprehensive enumeration of the potential causes of changes.

Potential Effects of Change Orders

Effects of changes were observed by many researchers (CII, 1986; CII, 1990; CII, 1994; Thomas and Napolitan, 1995; Ibbs, et al., 1998, Arain and Low, 2005c). The 16 potential effects identified from the literature review are shown in Figure 3. These will also form the basis for the survey of the professionals described later.

Controls for Change Orders

Controls for changes and change orders have been suggested by many researchers (Mokhtar, et al., 2000; Ibbs, et al., 2001; Arain and Low, 2003). 30 controls have been identified from the literature review. These will also form the basis for the survey of the professionals later. The controls were grouped under three categories: Design stage, Construction stage and Design-Construction interface stage as shown in Figure 4. These groups assisted in developing a comprehensive enumeration of potential controls for change orders.

Advertising Date

Sign

Agreement

2

1 3 4

Changes by Addenda No Changes Changes by VO

Figure 1 Changes through project phases (Fisk, 1997)

Bid Opening

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9

Effects of variation orders

Progress is affected but without any delay

Increase in project cost

Hiring new professionals

Increase in overhead expenses

Delay in payment

Quality degradation

Productivity degradation

Poor safety conditions

Completion schedule delay Procurement delay

Rework and demolition

Logistic delay

Tarnish firm’s reputation

Poor professional relations

Additional payment for contractor

Dispute among professionals

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C.6 Continuous coordination and direct communication

C.7 Control the potential for variation orders to arise through contractual clauses

B.1 Clarity of variation order procedures B.2 Written approvals

B.3 Variation order scope

B.4 Variation logic and justification

B.5 Project manager from an independent firm to manage the project

Owner’s involvement during construction phase

A.3 Value engineering at conceptual phase

A.4 Involvement of professionals at initial stages of project A.5 Owner involvement at planning and design phases

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11 7.0 Data Collection

A major survey of the professionals, preceded by a pilot study, was undertaken to ascertain which of the 53 causes, 16 effects and 30 controls were important, and their level of importance. The survey results identify the most important causes, their frequent effects and effective controls. The survey results also assists in developing a checklist for implementing the most effective controls for change orders for school building projects. Like any other construction project, school building projects are also subjected to similar risks.

The analysis of data collected from the source documents assisted in identifying the nature and frequency of occurrence of changes in school building projects. The data collected from the source documents was analyzed.

The objective of this study was to develop an exhaustive list of important causes, their effects and controls for change orders for school building projects in Singapore. To achieve the study objectives, a questionnaire survey was carried out to collect the relevant information. The questionnaires were divided into two main types based on the targeted population i.e., the developer, consultants and contractors. One type of questionnaires was developed for collecting data from the developers and the other type was for collecting data from the consultants and the contractors who were involved in the school building projects under the Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools (PRIME).

The questionnaire survey was restricted to the professionals who were involved in the school building projects under PRIME. The selection process for the respondents was carried out using the following parameters:

a. Restricted to the school building projects carried out under PRIME in Singapore.

b. Restricted to professionals from the developers‘ side who were involved in school building projects under PRIME in Singapore.

c. Restricted to professionals i.e., project architects, senior architects, principal architects and directors, from the consultants‘ side who were involved in school building projects under PRIME in Singapore.

d. Restricted to professionals i.e., project managers, construction managers, senior project

managers and directors, from the contractors‘ side who were involved in school building projects under PRIME in Singapore.

The survey packages i.e., the final questionnaire along with a covering letter stating the main objectives of the questionnaire, and a self addressed and stamped envelope, were prepared. The survey packages were sent to the 178 professionals. They included 35 developers, 82 consultants and 61 contractors who carried out the school projects under PRIME. Of the 178 professionals, 98 professionals responded to the survey. 29 (82.86%), 36 (43.90%), and 33 (54.10%) responses were received from developers, consultants and contractors respectively.

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Table 2 Most important causes of changes in school building projects S

Additional causes of changes in school building projects

The respondents were also asked to add other causes considered to be important to their type of work that were not included in the questionnaire. Other causes which the respondents reported include readily available contingency sum, lack of coordination between end-user and the

designer, and user‘s lack of judgment and experience (non-technical user), low profit margin for contractors, unclear hierarchy of authorities for initiating changes, time constraint for design process, and shop drawing preparation and approval.

Most Frequent Effects

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13 and rework and demolition were considered to be the most frequent effects of change orders for school buildings in Singapore.

Table 3 Most frequent effects of change orders for school building projects

S No. Effects Mean Std.

Dev. Rank

2 Increase in project cost 3.89 1.00 1

1 Progress is affected but without any

delay 3.39 1.03 2

14 Additional payment for contractor 3.35 1.10 3

4 Increase in overhead expenses 3.29 1.36 4

9 Rework and demolition 3.26 1.18 5

Most Effective Controls

The controls for change orders were also categorized according to their effectiveness as shown in

Table 4. The top five most effective controls were owner‘s involvement at the planning and

design phases, clear and thorough project brief, thorough detailings of design, continuous coordination and direct communication, and team effort by owner, consultant and contractor to control change orders. The results indicated that the design stage and design and construction interface stages were considered as the most potential phases for implementing controls for minimizing the adverse impact of changes in school building projects.

As shown in Table 4, the top five most effective controls were revealed based on the responses from all the professional respondents. Interestingly, all these controls were related to the design stage and the design-and-construction interface stage, which clearly identified the potential project phases for implementing controls for reducing changes.

Table 4 Most effective controls for changes in school building projects

S No. Controls Mean Std.

Dev. Rank

5 Owner‘s involvement at planning and design

phases 4.29 0.86 1

8 Clear and thorough project brief 4.20 0.76 2

7 Thorough detailings of design 4.17 0.75 3

25 Continuous coordination and direct

communication 4.13 0.70 4

23 Team effort by owner, consultant and contractor

to control change orders 4.09 0.82 5

8.0 Analysis Of Data From Source Documents

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14 profile information (e.g. name of the project, project type, work scope, programme, contract duration, date of commencement, date of completion, and contingency sum) and project changes information (change description, reason for originating change, type of change, and approving authority).

The profile of the projects investigated in this study is given in Table 5. The 79 school projects were constructed between July 1999 and December 2003 (Note: the 79 schools included only primary and secondary schools. One junior college project was not included for analysis). There were two types of school projects, namely, primary school and secondary school. Primary schools were built for children between 6 and 12 years of age. Secondary schools were for students between 13 and 16 years of age. Both these school project types possessed similar facilities, but the covered area for primary schools was 17,500m2 and for secondary schools was 21,500m2. As shown in Table 5, of the 79 school projects investigated, 43% were new building projects and 56.96% were upgrading projects. 73.52% of the new building projects were primary schools and 26.47% were secondary schools. 93.33% of the upgrading projects were primary schools and 6.66% were secondary schools.

Table 5 Statistics of the school projects investigated from source documents

S/No. Project completed in phase 2 (P2) and only 2.53% were built during phase 3 (P3) of the PRIME. As a majority of the projects were completed during the initial phases of the programme, large numbers of changes were expected. This was because during the initial phases of the programme, the user requirements and specifications were not well defined.

The average number of change orders for the new school projects was 61.11, and 73.82 for the upgrading school projects. Average number of changes in the new school projects was 70.58, and 91.46 for the upgrading school projects. Thus, changes were more evident in upgrading projects than in new projects (Arain and Low, 2005d).

The analysis also highlighted that new projects tended to have less frequent changes because the architects started with a clean slate unlike those in upgrading projects (Arain and Low, 2005d).

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15 The results indicated that the highest number of changes for both types of projects related to the architectural works, the second highest number to the mechanical and electrical works, and a significant numbers of changes were related to civil and structural works.

As mentioned above, the total number of changes in the upgrading school projects was almost double the number of changes that occurred in new school projects. The average number of changes in upgrading school projects was almost 21% more than in new school projects. This occurred because of the constraint posed by an existing structure leading to discrepancies between the as-built drawings and the real situation on the ground.

The total number of change orders, changes and omissions in both upgrading and new school projects were computed and shown in Table 7.

Table 6 Statistics of changes in school building projects from source documents

Table 7 Statistics of change orders, changes and omissions in all school building projects from source documents

change orders Total changes Total omissions 1 Owner related changes (ORV) 2129 2553 172

39.42% 39.18% 49.71% 2 Consultant related changes (CRV) 2945 3590 141

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16 The results indicated that of the 5,400 change orders for school projects, 39.42% were related to the ORV group, while a majority (54.53%) of change orders was from the CRV group. Only 3.29% were related to the CTRV group. Very few change orders were from the OV and CC groups. Of the 6,516 changes that occurred in both new and upgrading school projects, 39.18% were related to the ORV group, and 55.09% of the changes were from the CRV group. The changes related to the CTRV group were only 3.19%. Very few changes were related to the OV and CC groups as shown in Table 7. Of the 346 omissions that occurred in both types of school projects, 49.71% were from the ORV group and 40.75% were from the CRV group. Omissions related to the CTRV and OV groups were 8.09% and 1.44% respectively. It was also revealed through in-depth interviews with the professionals that the omissions were mainly carried out for reducing the project costs and not exceeding the contingency sum allocated for the project (Arain, 2005b). The results suggested that the more number of changes encountered during the projects were also due to the timing of the project implementation, as a majority of the projects were carried out during the early phases of the PRIME in Singapore. As discussed earlier, the objectives and specifications provided by the developers were not fully developed during the early phases of the programme. The time allocated for design development was not sufficient and the specifications and requirements were frequently revised by the developers, thus leading to numerous changes during the construction phase of the projects (Arain and Low, 2005a). As a majority of the school projects were completed during the initial phases of the PRIME, large numbers of changes were expected. The overall analysis suggests that the highest number of change orders, changes and omissions that occurred in the upgrading and new projects were contributed from the ORV and CRV groups as shown in Table 7. Hence, both these groups were further analyzed to determine the most important root causes of changes in both new and upgrading school projects.

Of the 28 causes of changes, 8 causes were related to the ORV group and 20 were related to the CRV group as shown earlier in Figure 2. The results indicated that a majority of the frequent root causes were related to the CRV group. Nonetheless, the numbers of causes were not exactly the same for each group. Furthermore, the causes of change orders were extracted and categorized into the most important ones as shown in Table 8.

Table 8 Most important root causes of changes in school building projects from source documents

S No. Causes Group TVO TV TO

1 Change of plans or scope by owner ORV 984 1184 97 2 Change in specifications by owner ORV 950 1145 65 3 Noncompliance design with govt. regulations CRV 754 940 14 4 Design discrepancies (Inadequate Design) CRV 580 697 1 5 Change in design by consultant CRV 476 563 38 6 Errors and omissions in design CRV 384 451 8 7 Change in specifications by consultant CRV 296 363 34 8 Inadequate scope of work for contractor CRV 137 187 0 9 Inadequate project objectives ORV 140 167 8 10 Consultant‘s lack of judgment and experience CRV 94 115 22

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17 As shown in Table 8, the results of these two groups revealed that change of plans or scope by owner, change in specifications by owner, and inadequate project objectives from the ORV group and noncompliance design with government regulations, design discrepancies, change in design by consultant, errors and omissions in design, change in specifications by consultant,

inadequate scope of work for contractor, and consultant‘s lack of judgment and experience from the CRV group were considered as the most important and common root causes of changes in school building projects (Arain, 2005b). Furthermore, the results concurred with the results of the questionnaire survey, as the most important causes of changes that were revealed earlier were also considered as the most important causes of changes in this analysis as shown in Table 8.

The analysis results suggested that the professionals should concentrate more on defining the scope of project, allocating sufficient time for design development and improving design detailings and compliance with government regulations that would assist in reducing changes related to the ORV and CRV groups. Furthermore, as discussed earlier, a majority of the most important root causes of changes were related to the CRV group as shown in Table 8. Hence, it is highly recommended that changes can be reduced with due diligence during the design stages.

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3) Unforeseen problems 4) Change of plans or scope by owner

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19 9.0 Conclusion

In construction project management, the issue of changes has long been acknowledged as a major contributor to conflict and disputes (CII, 1994a; Sutrisna, et al., 2003; Arain, et al., 2004; Arain and Low, 2005a). One of the most common reasons for conflicts and disputes were bad management decisions due to lack of decision support (Arain and Low, 2005b). Changes are inevitable in construction projects. However, timely management decisions may assist in reducing the adverse impact of changes to building projects.

This study presented an extensive investigation of issues related to change management. Initially the study concentrated on the causes, their effects and controls for changes in building projects. In-depth and rigorous analyses were carried out for identifying the root causes of changes, their effects and controls. Overall analyses indicated that the majority of changes were related to the design stages of building projects. This eventually pointed toward the consultants for major contributions to changes in projects. Nevertheless, the in-depth analyses also presented some very interesting and realistic issues pertinent to the building projects and their timing of implementations. It was revealed that the nature and frequency of occurrence of changes varied from one project to another.

The major findings of the study include:

1. The study identified, through survey analyses and in-depth interviews with the professionals who were involved with school building projects under the PRIME, the most important causes, effects and controls for changes in school building projects. Errors and omissions in design, change in specifications by owner, unforeseen problems, change of plans or scope by owner, and design discrepancies were considered to be the most important causes of change orders for school building projects in Singapore. Furthermore, it was also revealed that of the top five most important causes of changes, four causes were from both owner related changes and the consultant related changes groups. This showed that the owner and the consultant had almost equal contributions to initiate changes in building projects.

2. The study also revealed that project cost increase, progress is affected but without any delay, additional payment for contractor, increase in overhead expenses and rework and demolition were considered to be the most frequent effects of change orders for school buildings in Singapore. Interestingly, most of these effects were experienced by the contractors and developers. However, the root causes of the most frequent effects were mostly consultant related causes.

3. Furthermore, the in-depth analysis revealed that the top five most effective controls were

owner‘s involvement at the planning and design phase, clear and thorough project brief,

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20 4. The study confirmed that the nature and frequency of occurrence of changes varied from one type of project to another; for instance, the nature and frequency of occurrence of changes varied in upgrading and new school building projects. This hypothesis was proven through in-depth analysis of the information collected from the source documents of school building projects completed under the PRIME.

5. To complement the survey findings, the study presented the in-depth analysis of the information collected from source documents of the school building projects. Interestingly, it was confirmed that the majority of changes were related to the owner related changes and consultant related changes groups. As mentioned above about the most important causes, change of plans or scope by owner, and change in specifications by owner from the owner related changes group and noncompliance design with government regulations, design discrepancies, change in design by consultant, and errors and omissions in design from the consultant related changes group were again ranked as the most important and common root causes of changes in school building projects.

The most important recommendations based on the findings of the interview sessions with the professionals were the allocation of sufficient time for design activities, team efforts by owner, consultant and contractor for effective management of building projects, utilization of other graphical means for making the user understand the design details of the building projects, and thorough detailings of design, for effective management of changes in building projects. Furthermore, the study also revealed additional causes, effects and controls that were suggested by the professionals.

Learning from the changes is imperative because the professionals can improve and apply their experience in the future. In cases where professionals left the organization, the project experience would remain within the individual professionals. Therefore, a comprehensive system for consolidating decisions made on past similar projects was highly recommended. In the absence of an established and organized knowledge-base of past similar projects, the professional teams would face problems in planning effectively before starting a project, during the design phase as well as during the construction phase to minimize and control changes and their effects.

Acknowledgements

This study would not have been possible without the kind assistance of Dr Faisal Manzoor Arain as well as collaborators from the Project Development and Management Branch, Ministry of Education, Singapore. Their inputs and contributions are gratefully acknowledged. Financial support for this research project came from the Academic Research Fund (R-296-000-078-112).

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24

Smart Programme for Smart Students

Malaysian Smart School (MSC)

N. Ishak1, N.S. Spalie Phd (W. Michigan)1

Director Permata Pintar-Smart School Education and Important of Learning Environment

1.0 Introduction

The Smart School educational program was one of the seven flagships of the MSC Malaysia launched by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in 1997. Earlier in 1996, the

Ministry of Education began to develop the blueprint for ―Smart Schools‖ concept with the aim

to transform the Malaysian education system via ICT mediation.

―Smart School‖ can be defined as a learning institution that has been systematically

reinvented in terms of teaching and learning; and improvement of the school management processes to help students cope and build leverage on the Information Age (The Smart School Road Map 2005-2020). The Smart School applications convey the benefit of technology to the educators and administrators. These also allow the young to get familiar with the ICT world – using tools such as personal computers, scanners, printers, multimedia products, TV/videos, etc.

– at a much earlier stage in life. They get to appreciate the power of the Internet and multimedia applications, which can make learning more attractive, self-directed, collaborative, individually- paced, continuous, reflective and enriching. These collectively enable them becoming more technology savvy in educational pursuits. Educational materials not only limited to printed books, but also include electronic books, multimedia software, courseware catalogues and databases (Umat, 2000).

In line with the launch of the seven MSC flagship applications, the smart school initiative began with 88 schools selected for the programme. The 88 Smart Schools were initially identified to be the incubator and nucleus for Smart School concepts, materials, skills, and technologies developed by the MoE. These schools were integrated with Information Communication Technology (ICT), which exposed students, teachers, administrators and parents to IT in every aspect of education at the administrative and classroom levels. Information technology is to be used in every aspect of teaching-learning in smart school (Curriculum Development Center, 2002). This was to help students to develop self-learning skills in order to prepare themselves for success beyond primary school. They were aimed to be direct, self-access, and self-pace in learning. An assessment of the program such as the Impact Study (2005) indicated that the infrastructure set up by the MoE, including the provision of computers, applications and ICT coordinator to the various schools, were in need to be optimally managed and used.

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25 Foong-Mae also noted that the idea planned by Ministry of Education was a move toward more critical and creative teaching and learning culture. There has been an increase in various technology-enablers in the school classrooms such as individual desktop personal computers, multimedia computer laboratories, video conferencing systems and high-speed Internet connections. The finding of several studies indicated that the technology could motivate students in learning. Furthermore, computers have become the most sought- after electronic devices in both homes and schools (Ng & Gunstone, 2002, Nugent, Soh, & Samal, 2006; Shyu, 2000). Other researches acknowledged that self-regulated learning became one of the most essential skills that students should possess, particularly in this information age (Chen, 2002; Veenman, Beems, Gerrits & Weegh, 1999; Schraw, 1998; Henderson, 1986; Wang & Peverly, 1986). Efficient learners were found to have the skills to design and control their own learning processes and were able to evaluate and reflect on the entire process. They were self regulated learners, learners who Meta cognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally manage and promote their own academic learning (Zimmerman & Schunk, 1989). Owing to the tremendous explosion of information, it was no longer adequate to continually utilize knowledge acquired in a limited time compared to with the help of others for a long time (Hoe, 2003). Students must become self-regulated learners for in the future they have to proactively and assertively thrive in an information-rich and technology-driven society (Lapan, 2002).

One of recent major developments of Smart Schools was in 2007, whereby a broad target was set to transform 47 out of 88 smart schools into five star smart schools. As of the year 2008, however only 32 schools achieved above 75% target 5 star rating in ICT. (www.msc.com.my/smartschool/whatis/rating/full_rating.pdf)

Thus it can be seen that the conceptual aim of the smart schools is to shift the paradigm of teaching-learning to enable optimal fulfillment of students` needs; capabilities and individual development. The main component of the Smart School is thus its teaching-learning processes which can be regarded as the "heart" of the Smart School. These processes are enhanced through the utility of ICT and judicious integration of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and teaching-learning materials. It is mode of teaching-learning reinvented in order to enable students to be more self-directing, efficient, and competent in gaining knowledge. The ICT mediated learning also shifts the focus from teacher-centred teaching to student-centred learning.

The ICT used in every aspect of teaching-learning enable students to practice self-accessed and self-directed learning at their own learning pace. The facility for virtual component of the curriculum as in online learning creates new environment for use and organization of space in classroom, daily schedule and routines, and the social and emotional atmosphere. The

integration of classroom and online learning environment could richly meet children‘s

developmental needs. Thus, it makes all children, including those with special needs feel secure and comfortable with their learning pace. Complementary online learning helps overcome some of the learning processes hampered by classroom constraints. As a result, ICT- mediated learning aids them to become independent and confident learners.

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26 teaching-learning through competent management of the ICT infrastructure. They also must be competent in optimizing their human resources; manage relationship with the Smart School stakeholders such as parents, community and the private sector. The principals and headmasters must play dynamic roles in improving the performance of the school, in addition to maintaining professional growth relating to school organization and various aspects of the Smart School.

Thus the principals and headmasters are not only administrators with the required knowledge on their schools` ICT-driven system, but also must be effective manager of teaching-learning and communication with external constituencies. Broadly their duties call successful for implementation of the Smart School through their adaptiveness to changes in Smart School policies and regulations.

2.0 PERMATA Pintar Programme

About 5% of children population in Malaysia is considered gifted and talented. ‗Gifted‘ refers to natural abilities and ‗talented‘ to the high abilities that develop through the nurturing of natural

abilities. Parents with gifted and talented children are facing problems to raise them properly. Raising a gifted and talented child is challenging, as they do things differently compared to other children of their age. This may have caused some misconception which may result in these children being ignored and humiliated. Gifted child often suppressed their extraordinary abilities in order for him or her to be accepted in normal children peer group. Malaysia will lose these great human capital assets if the adverse situation continues. A special programme to actualise the full potential of the gifted and talented children should therefore be considered by the authority.

Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the Prime Minister, who was acutely aware of the problem and its implications, had the `Permata Pintar` Programme for the gifted and talented children launched in March 2009. The purpose of Permata Pintar Programme is to nurture the talents of children with one or more abilities who have a level of intellectual ability and creativity ahead of their year or above biological age. The objectives of this programme are to

further develop students‘ existing capacity of talents, abilities and skills; actualize students‘

potential holistically, and inculcate the value of lifelong learning. The abilities and creativity include abilities in sports, music, design, performing arts, make decision and leadership skills. See (http://www.permatapintar.com.my).

The programme is focused on meaningful learning processes inspired by the National Philosophy of Education. It emphasizes on the development of the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner. The programme concentrates on activities that aims to produce an individual who is intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God.

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27 for the gifted and talented children through a process of screening using three online tests – see

www.permatapintar.com.my. Qualified students underwent a two-level three-week programme conducted during school holiday (November-December). The programme camps were designed for the students to meaningfully interact with each other. They were put to pace in challenging outdoor games with the intention of developing their leadership skills. On top of that, they were also challenged in Mathematics, Science and creative writing.

With the end of PERMATApintar National School Holidays Camp 2010, the programme shall be continued with the Upper Secondary School PERMATApintar Programme in the middle of January 2011. The first intake shall begin in 17 January 2011 with 139 16-year old students. They have gone through the three screening tests i.e PERMATApintar UKM1 Test, PERMATApintar UKM2 Test dan Mathematics and Sciences Competent Test in camp programme in November 2010.

The students shall undergo the two-level programme in two years‘ time. The programme to be conducted is similar to the boarding school mode with full autonomy under UKM. The programme will emphasize on differentiated learning whereby the students shall learn according to their level of achievement. The students shall be exposed to Higher Thinking Order (HOT) to develop creative, critical and innovative thinking in their studies. The instructions are to be student-centred in tandem with other methods including cooperative and collaborative learning, lecture, group discussion, laboratory-based and field study, research project with UKM researchers, writing research report, folio-keeping, exchange students, problem-based learning (PBL) and activities to develop self-identity.

The third programme is the ASASIpintar, a one year programme to complete the trilogy of Pusat PERMATApintar Negara programmes. The programme is to start in June 2011, with an intake of 250 students sponsored by Public Services Department (JPA). The programme will focus on Sciences, Technology and Mathematics. After completing the courses in ASASIpintar, the students later will be admitted to the various UKM faculties.

3.0 Conclusion

The children are tomorrow‘s leaders, scientists, managers, directors, musicians and artists; their