Spice: Is a capability maturity model applicable in the construction industry?

Currently the UK construction industry is in search of continuous process improvement mechanisms, in order to improve quality and reduce construction time and costs. Likewise the software industry has been in search of process improvement frameworks, in the past decade. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM), developed by the Carnegie Mellon University, is one of the most widely adopted process improvement initiatives, within the software industry. Many of the basic process improvement concepts in CMM appear generic and could potentially be applied in construction. A recent research project at Salford University set itself the task of investigating if CMM is applicable in the construction industry. The project is titled SPICE (Standardised Process Improvement for Construction Enterprises). SPICE is in search of a systematic step by step process improvement framework for the construction industry. It investigates whether the CMM framework and concepts can be reused in construction SPICE has conducted several experiments to assess the applicability of CMM to the construction industry. So far the results show that most of the basic process improvement concepts of CMM are applicable. However, the CMM framework is not applicable in its current form. Much further research is needed to integrate the appropriate process improvement concepts from CMM and other research to develop a process improvement framework for the construction industry. In general the construction industry appears a more mature industry in its shared understanding of customs and working practices. Industry standards and data are more readily available. However, major problems stem from the supply chain arrangements. Also the cost of process improvement initiatives such as CMM may be too high for the construction SMEs, on most projects. This paper discusses the SPICE experiments undertaken to date. It high lights why the CMM framework can not be applied in construction in its present form and suggests future research directions.