Construction award for RGU lecturer at international conference

A Robert Gordon University (RGU) lecturer has picked up the best Project Management paper award at an international conference on construction management.

Dr Dominic Ahiaga-Dagbui, who lectures at RGU’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, collected the David Langford Commemorative Award at the annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) conference in Lincoln.

The paper, entitled ‘Spotlight on construction cost overrun research: superficial, replicative and stagnated’, explores some of the embedded methodological weaknesses in a majority of construction cost overrun research, particularly the lack of systems thinking and demonstrable causality.

It forms a critical reflection on current cost overrun research and suggests that a significant paradigm and methodological shift that incorporates systems thinking may be required to better cope with the embedded nature and dynamics of construction project delivery.

Dr Ahiaga-Dagbui co-authored the paper alongside Dr Simon D Smith, of the University of Edinburgh and Professor Peter ED Love and Professor Fran Ackermann, both of Curtin University, Australia.

He said: “I feel very happy and encouraged to be awarded this prize and would like to thank my co-authors and reviewers for their valuable contribution in completing the paper in its current form.

“We intend the paper to be the basis of further cost overrun research in both the construction and oil and gas industries.”