%0 Journal Article
%T Early Stakeholder Involvement in the Project Definition Phase: Case Renovation
%A Aki Aapaoja
%A Harri Haapasalo
%A Pia S£¿derstr£¿m
%J ISRN Industrial Engineering
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/953915
%X Relational project delivery methods (RPDMs) have been widely offered as a solution to increasing holistic project value creation. Furthermore, early stakeholder involvement has been emphasized as one of the cornerstones of RPDM. The purpose of this paper is to examine who the stakeholders are that should be involved early in the project definition phase. This paper discusses the process and nature of the project definition phase in RPDM, with the main focus on early stakeholder involvement. The results are derived from the analysis of the literature and an empirical study (interviews). The stakeholders, their roles in the renovation project, and at which stage they should each be involved in the project definition process are determined. The findings show that projects cover different levels of stakeholders, whose requirements and purposes must be considered and managed. Early involvement allows room for creative solutions and the intensive exchange of ideas. Thus, it leads to procedures that run in phases, which in turn change the project¡¯s value creation to holistic value cocreation. This article facilitates and contributes to early stakeholder involvement and the creation of integrated teams by identifying and consolidating the different levels, roles, responsibilities, and objectives of the stakeholders. 1. Introduction Traditionally, construction projects start from the premise that the customers know what they want and what they need. Value creation is, however, more than implementing an extensive set of features. Customers do not seek products or services in themselves, they want solutions that support their processes and create value when used [1]. Therefore, during the project definition phase, the task of project management today is to challenge the customer¡¯s self-understanding about the project¡¯s objectives, reveal conflicts between the customer and the other stakeholders, and confront the customer¡¯s desires by exploring alternatives that were not previously considered [2]. Consequently, new approaches help to expose the customer to alternative means of accomplishing their purposes beyond those they have previously considered and help the customers understand the consequences of their desires [3]. Moreover, early stakeholder involvement enables projects to utilize the knowledge base of the stakeholders [4]. Relational multiparty contracting and methods have been widely offered as a solution to increasing value creation, not only for the customer but for the other project stakeholders as well. In addition, it has been noted that creating
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.industrial.engineering/2013/953915/