INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON PROJECT ENGINEERING

VALENCIA, September 13-15, 2006

TRAINING NEEDS IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN

PORTUGAL

J. C. Teixeira(s), B. R. Pires

Abstract

Training in construction project management is an important issue in European construction

industry nowadays. The need for training on this area has been felt by all project participants
holding various academic backgrounds, yet working for a common goal, that is, project
efficiency. Several countries in Europe, with special relevance to the UK, have greatly expanded
training in this topic through academic courses, professional continuous development and
experience improvement of practioners. Other countries have not yet achieved this stage but the
need to prepare professionals to work in the open European market is impelling efforts for
convergence in this matter. Lack of knowledge on this topic has been highlighted by several
researchers in the literature. The Portuguese experience is scarce but a recent research project
conducted by the authors reveals the main problematic factors for project success, namely,
delays, cost overruns, lack of safety and insufficient quality. This calls for specific training on
related management areas. This paper reports a survey on professional training needs in
Portugal in the scope of an international project on management of infrastructure projects. The
survey was carried by a questionnaire delivered to the construction stakeholders of participating
countries. The Portuguese results show that the areas selected by the organizations inquired
reflect the desire of the industry on more knowledge to overcome the issues approached by the
mentioned project.

Keywords: training, construction, project management.

1. Competitiveness in construction
The construction sector is vital to the economic, social and environmental agendas of a country
and consequently plays a critical role in the future of Europe. It is the largest industrial employer
in Europe, with investments worth more than 900 billion euros, representing 10% of the GDP
(EU-15, 2003) [1]. Moreover, it has multiple effects in surrounding economic activities.
Construction is typically a project oriented activity. Accordingly, project managers are
responsible for planning and coordinating an assortment of activities while optimising cost, time,
human and material resources so that the predetermined project objectives are eventually
reached. Therefore, it is not surprising to say that productivity would benefit from enhanced
management skills of project managers in the construction activity.
Significant research has identified a number of areas where sector performance could be
improved, including better training and education, greater use of new technologies, better project
management and innovative design [2]. Recommendations for assessing the competitiveness of
the construction industry and for enhancing sector performance have been compiled by many

1
international researchers. In fact, the European Commission proposed recommendations for the
improvement of the competitiveness of the European construction industry in a communication
(COM(97)539 final) adopted in November of 1997, namely through priority actions in education
and training provision, reorientation and reinforcement of R&D, regulatory environment and
quality in construction.
The lack of knowledge on competitiveness in the construction industry has been felt by the
Portuguese stakeholders. A recent research project conducted by the authors has revealed that
delays, cost overruns, lack of safety and insufficient quality are the main problematic factors for
project success1. Using these results, the research team at the University of Minho, plans to
clarify the main reasons for the lack of competitiveness in the Portuguese Construction Industry
and consequently outline the main path that hopefully circumvent interfering problematic factors.
One priority action lies in more investment in education and training of the workforce ranging
from university educated professionals to poorly qualified site laborers. Indeed, because
construction is a labour intensive activity, the workforce lies at the heart of the construction
sector. Improved competitiveness relies on specialized professionals with updated skills in order
to meet constant new requirements of an expanding global market that faces an ever-changing
global climate.
Although coverage of the education system has improved dramatically international test scores
suggest that problems with the quality of schooling remain [3] Table 1 illustrates the weak and
strong points of the national construction industry.

Table 1 Weak and strong points of the national construction industry

Strong points Weak points

Deficient training of human resources of upper

Has considerable multiple effects in management executives
surrounding economic activities
Weak innovation, investment, quality and productivity

Resistance to recessive periods in the

Weak internationalization of construction services
economy

Recognition of competencies in the Incipient investments in the maintenance /renovation

engineering area sector

Weak organization and business planning

source: http://www.gee.min-economia.pt

Deficient training has already been recognized by the Portuguese Ministry of Economy.
Therefore, in order to ensure skilled workers and managers for an expanding global market,
planned initiatives to enhance efficiency and quality education and to promote training are
greatly required.

1
”Reasons for the lack of accomplishment of schedule, costs and safety objectives in construction”,
financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). http://www.civil.uminho.pt/fct

2
2. Training in construction
A project manager requires expertise in building science as well as in business and
management. A good background on construction techniques, materials and regulations [4],
together with know-how on contracts, procurement, specifications and other domains, is
indispensable for achieving good performance in managing construction projects at all stages of
the construction process. This calls for specific training on related management areas.
Several countries in Europe, with special relevance to the UK, have greatly expanded training in
this topic through academic courses, professional continuous development and experience
improvement of practioners. Other countries have not yet achieved this stage but the need to
prepare professionals to work in the open European market is impelling efforts for convergence
in this matter.
For instance, professional training needs in Portugal, Spain, Lithuania and Poland are currently
being addressed in the scope of an international research project on management of
construction projects, entitled “Recognition of needs and creation of the professional training in
the area of preparation and management of infrastructure construction projects financed by the
European Union”2. The increasing number of international projects in EU countries and pre-
accession countries, connected with structural funds, requires better cohesion of knowledge
amongst construction engineers and managers working on common projects. Therefore, the
project aims at facilitating the understanding of management of infrastructure projects within
member states of the European Union.

2.1 Survey to the industry

A survey was carried out between February and July 2005 through a questionnaire distributed to
the various organisations operating in the construction cluster, in order to determine the type of
training needed to overcome the lack of knowledge in this area. Portuguese construction
engineers and managers validated the need for training in several management areas in the
construction sector.
Although only 11% of the questionnaires were returned, feed-back from the industry was
positive. Respondents were categorized in 6 distinct groups (Figure 1):
• Contractor: 43,33%
• Consultant / Project Manager: 13,33%
• Governmental Organization / Local Authorities: 16,67%
• Private Investor / Client / Developer: 23,33%
• Professional Associations related to construction: 0%
• Other: 3,33%;
From the list of management areas that had already been identified in a former research project
[5] respondents were asked to select five relevant management areas (Table 1). Accordingly,

2
Leonardo da Vinci vocational training action programme, project nº. PL/04/B/P/PP/-174 417. Project team: University
of Minho (Portugal) Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain), Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania),
PBCP – Polish British Construction Partnership (Poland) SIDIR – Polish Association of Consulting Engineers and
Experts (Poland) and Department of Construction Engineering and Management at Warsaw University of Technology
(the Promoter, Poland)

3
the following areas were endorsed:
• Project Cost Estimation and Cost Management;
• Planning and Scheduling;
• Quality Management;
• Health and Safety Management.

Contractor

Consultant / Project Manager

0,0%
3,33%
23,33% Governmental Organisation / Local
43,33% Authorities
Private Investor / Client / Developer

Professional Associations related to

16,67% Construction
13,33%
Other

Figure 1 Weight of organisation type

Table 1.Number of responses/Organisation type in Portugal

Private
Consultants / Governmental
Investor /
Management areas Contractors Project Organisation / Other TOTAL
Client /
Managers Local Authorities
Developer
Project’s Conception
Development / 2 2,63% 2 6,90% 3 12,50% 5 11,36% 0 0,00% 12 6,67%
Feasibility
Planning and
13 17,11% 2 6,90% 4 16,67% 7 15,91% 1 14,29% 27 15,00%
Scheduling
Risk Management 2 2,63% 2 6,90% 2 8,33% 1 2,27% 0 0,00% 7 3,89%

Corporate Marketing 1 1,32% 1 3,45% 0 0,00% 2 4,55% 0 0,00% 4 2,22%

Project Cost
Estimation and 13 17,11% 4 13,79% 4 16,67% 6 13,64% 1 14,29% 28 15,56%
Cost Management
Quality
9 11,84% 4 13,79% 3 12,50% 4 9,09% 1 14,29% 21 11,67%
Management
Procurement and
Tendering 4 5,26% 2 6,90% 1 4,17% 5 11,36% 1 14,29% 13 7,22%
Procedures
Contract Conditions 3 3,95% 2 6,90% 1 4,17% 3 6,82% 1 14,29% 10 5,56%
Joint Ventures /
6 7,89% 0 0,00% 2 8,33% 1 2,27% 0 0,00% 9 5,00%
Partnering
Health and Safety
10 13,16% 4 13,79% 3 12,50% 3 6,82% 1 14,29% 21 11,67%
Management
Handing Over /
6 7,89% 2 6,90% 0 0,00% 5 11,36% 0 0,00% 13 7,22%
Guarantee Period
Environmental
7 9,21% 3 10,34% 1 4,17% 2 4,55% 1 14,29% 14 7,78%
Management
Other 0 0,00% 1 3,45% 0 0,00% 0 0,00% 0 0,00% 1 0,56%
Total 76 100% 29 100% 24 100% 44 100% 7 100% 180 100%

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External courses are preferred by 43% of the organizations that have provided training courses
(only 4% selected internal courses). Figure 2 illustrates the percentage of organisations
surveyed which have already provided training in construction management for their staff and
Figure 3 the type of training selected.
In addition, respondents revealed a strong interest for training in the above selected areas and
predicted an encouraging number of participants for the forthcoming CPD courses currently
being developed in the scope of the project.

45%

43%
70% 40%
35%
67%

60% 30%
50% 25%
40% 20%

17%
15%

4%
30%
33%

3%
10%
20% 5%
10% 0%
External Internal External and No answ er
0% Courses Courses Internal
Organisations have Organisations have not Courses
provided training provided training
courses courses

Figure 2: Percentage of organisations which Figure 3: Type of training courses provided by

have provided training courses in Portugal organisations in Portugal

2.2 Focus Group results

The training needs of Portuguese construction engineers and managers were also assessed
through a focus group meeting. The five most relevant management areas selected by the
participants corresponded with results obtained from the questionnaire, despite the fact that
“Project Conception Development/ Feasibility” was more quoted than “Quality Management”.
Furthermore, participants were asked to measure the adequacy of the manuals by means of a
scale: 1 (not at all adequate) to 5 (adequate). The numbers of answers, depicted below in Table
2, show encouraging results on the adequacy of the manuals currently under development by
the project partners.
Table 2: Adequacy of the chapters

Adequacy
Chapters
1 2 3 4 5
Manual 1: Procurement and Contract Conditions in Construction 3 3 2
Manual 2: Planning and Scheduling in Construction 3 5
Manual 3: Cost estimating and Cost Management in Construction 3 5
Manual 4: Quality & Health & Safety Management in Construction 1 1 3 3

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Moreover, participants went on to say that due to the internal economic recession in the
construction sector, national competition has become more aggressive compelling companies to
face the international market. Accordingly, in order to survive in a demanding environment,
improvement of management competencies, productivity and competitiveness of the sector has
become vital.
The increase of highly qualified staff contributes to the increase of more successful and efficient
national development projects, and consequently, a more competitive national construction
market. Therefore, construction companies and organizations have become more and more
aware of the benefits of improving staff qualification and skills, especially in the management
area.
However, the prevailing “improvisation” and “band-aid approach” culture makes implementing
measures for skills improvement a difficult task in the construction industry in the country.
As for the current training levels, participants acknowledged that large size companies have
more skilled and experienced staff compared to almost all of the medium and small size
companies that have very low training levels. Thus, the overall conditions for procurement of
construction services are influenced by the lack of perspective on excellence and qualifications
as factors for project success.
Participants also acknowledged the fact that external courses are more sought out by
companies rather than providing and organizing internal courses for their collaborators. Still,
there is insufficient offer of specialized training courses that may interest engineers and
managers in the area of construction management. The lack of recognition of training needs or
biased diagnosis of market needs, resulting in ineffective use of time, cost and effort, may
possibly be one of the factors that contribute to the scarce training in the management area.
As well as providing further support for our findings, participants emphasized the importance of
courses to the various stakeholders of the construction sector and secured the interest for future
training courses in management in construction.

2.3 Test course results

Course tests were also held in each partner country and assessed by participants using a
questionnaire. In Portugal, the 4 hour test course, on part of Manual 3: Cost estimating and Cost
Management in Construction, produced overwhelming results that have been summarized in the
tables and figures below. Results gathered from the test course were used to improve the
manual before final publication in June 2006.
The topics presented were classified by 57% of the participants as “very interesting” for
managers in the construction industry (43% as “interesting” and 0% as “boring”) and 29% as
“very interesting” for other professionals in the construction industry (71% as “interesting” and
0% as “boring”). Figure 4 illustrates these results. On the whole, 24% of course participants felt
that they could learn “very well” using the manual, 62% “fairly well”, 0% “badly” and 14% did not
know (Figure 5).

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 100%
100%
90% 90%

80% 80%

70% 70%
60% 60%
50% 50%
40% 40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0%
0%
very interesting not very well fairly well badly don't
interesting interesting know

Managers in the construction Industry

Other Professionals in the Construction Industry

Figure 4. Interest / Usefulness of the topic Figure 5: Learning aspects

Participants were also given the opportunity to assess the course as well as the contents of the
manual. The following figures depict the assessment made by the course participants.

Is duration of the course appropriate?

Is quality of means use sufficient?

yes

Is motivating capacity of the course sufficient? no

Is complexity of the materials appropriate?

Are supporting documents and bibliography

sufficient?
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

The course: yes no

Is duration of the course appropriate? 13 62% 8 38%

Is quality of means use sufficient? 16 76% 5 24%

Is motivating capacity of the course sufficient? 19 90% 2 10%

Is complexity of the materials appropriate? 15 71% 6 29%

Are supporting documents and bibliography sufficient? 4 19% 17 81%

Figure 6. Course assessment

7
 Is the content related aspect consistent throughout
the manual?
Is the importance of the subjects well chosen?
yes
Is the practicability of the subjects appropriate?
Is the clarity and sequence of the material appropriate no
for participants?
Is the graphical layout appropriate?

Is there a good variety of exercise types?

Are the case studies appropriate?

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%
Manual contents: yes no
Is the content related aspect consistent throughout the 19 90% 2 10%
Is the importance of the subjects well chosen? 21 100% 0 0%
Is the practicability of the subjects appropriate? 20 95% 1 5%
Is the clarity and sequence of the material appropriate for 16 76% 5 24%
Is the graphical layout appropriate? 13 62% 8 38%
Is there a good variety of exercise types? 13 62% 8 38%
Are the case studies appropriate? 17 81% 4 19%
Figure 7. Manual contents assessment

Other suggestions included deepening the material, adding more solved case studies, more
exercises and extending the course hours in order to improve the course. Furthermore, 57% of
participants recommend that the teacher’s manual with key answers be published at the end of
the manual, 29% as a CD attached and 14% as both formats.

3. Conclusions
The need for improved quality-based performance of construction projects highlighted the focus
on more effective management. Consequently, training on construction project management has
been considered an essential issue amongst construction stakeholders’ world wide, especially in
Portugal. The progressive open and competitive market felt by the Portuguese construction
industry has enhanced the need for superior skills and competencies of managers and
engineers involved in management of construction projects.
Accordingly, the training needs of Portuguese construction engineers and managers have been
addressed through the LdV framework, and not surprisingly, results reflect the desire of the
construction industry for more knowledge for promoting project efficiency.
Strategies for improving training needs should include, for instance:
• more investments and encouragement for continuous specialized training strongly
directed to the real needs of the industry’s stakeholders;

8
 • better integration of management areas in engineering graduate or post graduate studies
in order to provide better prepared students with the necessary skills and qualifications for
management of infrastructure construction projects;
• further collaborative R&D projects between academic institutions and companies for new
and more adequate management systems.
• approval of construction management evaluation for managers and engineers based on
exam and curriculum results. Courses may be created in order to improve specific skills
and to prepare participants for such exams.
Training in construction project management has in fact become an important issue in European
construction industry. The authors expect that the LdV project will contribute for filling the
knowledge gap felt in the management area of the construction industry. Measures are needed
to strengthen human capital, enhance business environment and improve competitiveness.

References
[1] “Education, Training and Image of the Construction Sector Report”, European Commission
Portal, http://ec.europa.eu/ enterprise/construction/educim/eductra.htm.
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Competitiveness in selected companies”, University of Reading, (in publication),
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[9] “The Competitiveness of the Construction Industry (COM(97)539 final)”, European
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management of infrastructure construction projects”, Leonardo da Vinci Community
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