SPICE : A Business Process Diagnostics Tool for Construction Projects

The construction sector is under growing pressure to increase productivity and improve quality, most notably in reports by Latham (1994) and Egan (1998). A major problem for construction companies is the lack of project predictability. One method of increasing predictability and delivering increased customer value is through the systematic management of construction processes. However, the industry has no methodological mechanism to assess process capability and prioritise process improvements. Standardised Process Improvement for Construction Enterprises (SPICE) is a research project that is attempting to develop a step-wise process improvement framework for the construction industry, utilising experience from the software industry, and in particular the Capability Maturity Model (CMM), which has resulted in significant productivity improvements in the software industry. This paper introduces SPICE concepts and presents the results from two case studies conducted on design and build projects. These studies have provided further insight into the relevance and accuracy of the framework, as well as its value for the construction sector.