Research methods for construction

"For many people, the prospect of embarking on a research project is a daunting one. However, especially for people who are associated with a project-oriented industry, such as property development, building design, construction, or facilities management, familiarity with the nature of projects and their management is a significant advantage. Dr Martin Barnes, an ex-chairperson of the Association of Project Managers (APM), has described a project as a task or an activity which has a beginning (start), a middle and an end that involves a process which leads to an output (product/solution). Thus, getting married is a project but staying married is not a project! Staying married is a process. Despite the situation that much research is carried out as part of a long-term "rolling" programme, each individual package of research is an entity which is complete in itself, while contributing to the overall programme"--