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Atkinson, A R (1999) The management of error in construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, University College London.

  • Type: Thesis
  • Keywords: defects; failures; human error; project management; socio-technical systems
  • ISBN/ISSN:
  • URL: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1318056/
  • Abstract:

    The "defects problem" has demanded considerable attention in recent years, with much emphasis given to the technical causes of failure. This research project examines the problem from a different point of view - that of human error. Taking as a starting point, technical publications in the construction industry, the research reviews human error literature from a variety of industries and perspectives and synthesises a model of error causation covering organisations in a construction project context. This model is then progressively tested in four studies, a general preliminary survey and three more detailed studies of house-building. Conclusions support the view that errors leading to failure in complex socio-technical systems often exhibit systems characteristics and involve the whole managerial structure. An improved model is proposed, which emphasises the importance of both project and general management errors.