Quantifying the impact of nontraditional stakeholder involvement on project quality

The traditional approach of stakeholders' involvement in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects typically consists of the architect or engineer's (A/E) involvement in the design phase, and the general contractor or construction manager's (GC or CM) and subcontractors' involvement in the construction phase. Previous research emphasizes the need for the involvement of the GC/CM in the design phase and focuses less on the A/E's participation in the construction phase. This study evaluates the impact on project quality performance of both (1) the GC or CM and subcontractor's involvement in the design phase, and (2) the A/E's involvement in the construction phase. This type of involvement is termed the "non-traditional approach" in the paper. Relevant literature was analyzed, and a data collection instrument was developed and utilized in detailed interviews to gather information on different stakeholders' involvement, as well as quantity performance scores from more than 30 recently completed complex institutional construction projects in the United States. Univariate analyses, such as t-tests and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests, were performed to evaluate stakeholders' involvement impact on project quality performance. The preliminary findings indicate that non-traditional stakeholder involvement is linked to statistically significant improvements in project quality. The AEC industry can utilize this information as a guide for decision makers, assisting them to select the appropriate level of involvement of various stakeholders at different phases of a project.