An-Najah National University Faculty of Graduate Studies Sustainability Practices in Construction Project Management in the West Bank/ Palestine By Moutaz Hroub Supervisors Dr. Ayham Jaaron Dr. Mohammad Othman This Thesis is Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in Engineering Management, Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus - Palestine. 2020 ii Sustainability Practices in Construction Project Management in the West Bank/ Palestine By Moutaz Hroub This thesis was successfully defended on 22 /10 /2020 and approved by: Defense Committee Members Signature 1. Dr. Ayham Jaaron / Supervisor …………… 2. Dr. Mohammed Othman / Co- Supervisor …………… 3. Dr. Hisham Shkokani / External Examiner ....………… 4. Dr. Yahya Saleh / Internal Examiner …………… iii Dedication To my parents (Mother and Father), brothers, friends and colleagues Moutaz iv Acknowledgment First, I praise Allah for bestowing me the capability to end the requirement of the master degree in Engineering Management program successfully. Many thanks to my supervisors, Dr. Ayham Jaaron and Dr. Mohammad Othman, for their patience, support, rapid response, and for their worthy guidance throughout all thesis-writing stages. Grateful thanks for my mother and father for their unlimited and generous support and encouragement. I am grateful to my brothers, friends, colleagues in university, and colleagues in Governorate of Jericho for their support and for the unforgettable memories during my study period. Sincere acknowledgement to all the academic staff of the Engineering Management program at An-Najah National University. Kind gratitude to all contracting organizations, Engineering firms, and all institutions participated in filling out the study questionnaires who provided valuable information for this study. Finally, I would like to thank everybody who has any touch in realizing this thesis. v vi Table of Content No. Content page Dedication Iii Acknowledgment Iv Declaration V List of Tables Ix List of Figures X List of Abbreviations Xi Abstract Xii Chapter One: Introduction 1 1.1 Chapter overview 1 1.2 Background 1 1.3 The Research Problem 4 1.4 The Research Objectives 5 1.5 The Research Questions 5 1.6 Research Hypotheses 6 1.7 Thesis Structure 7 Chapter Two: Literature Review 9 2.1 Overview 9 2.2 Project Management Definition 9 2.3 Construction Project Management 10 2.4 The Concept of Sustainability 12 2.5 Sustainable Project Management 14 2.6 Sustainable Construction Project Management (SCPM) 20 2.7 Sustainable Construction Project Management in Developing Countries 23 2.8 Barriers and Drivers to Successful SCPM 29 2.9 Construction Project Management in Palestine 31 2.10 Research Conceptual Framework 32 2.10.1 Construction Project Management Stages 35 2.10.1.1 Pre-Construction Section 35 2.10.1.2 Construction Section 36 2.10.1.3 Post-Construction Section 37 Chapter Three: Research Methodology 38 3.1 Chapter Overview 38 3.2 Research Design 38 3.3 Research Strategy 39 3.4 Research Methodology Flow Chart 42 3.5 Research Population and Sample Size 44 3.6 Field Survey and Data Collection 46 3.6.1 Interview Content Validation 48 vii 3.6.2 Questionnaire Survey 49 3.6.2.1 Questionnaire Design 49 3.6.2.2 Questionnaire Content Validation 50 3.7 Data Analysis Approach 51 3.7.1 Interview Analysis 51 3.7.2 Questionnaire Analysis 52 3.7.2.1 Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) 53 Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Results 55 4.1 Chapter Overview 55 4.2 Interview Analysis 55 4.2.1 Theme 1: Economic SCPM Practices 58 4.2.2 Theme 2: Social SCPM Practices 59 4.2.3 Theme 3: Environmental SCPM Practices 60 4.2.4 Theme 4: Barriers to SCPM 60 4.2.5 Theme 5: Drivers of SCPM 61 4.3 Survey Analysis 62 4.3.1 Descriptive Statistics of Respondents 62 4.3.1.1 Respondents Job Position 63 4.3.1.2 Respondents Level of Experience 64 4.3.1.3 Organizations Type 65 4.3.1.4 Organization Level of Experience 65 4.3.1.5 Organizations Geographical Distribution 66 4.3.2 SCPM Practices Assessment 67 4.3.2.1 Sustainable Project Inception Practices 68 4.3.2.2 Sustainable Project Design Practices 69 4.3.2.3 Sustainable Project Tendering Practices 71 4.3.2.4 Sustainable Project Implementation Practices 72 4.3.3 Barriers and Drivers to SCPMP 74 4.3.3.1 Barriers to SCPMP 75 4.3.3.2 Drivers to SCPMP 76 4.3.4 Evaluating Measurement and Structural Models 77 4.3.4.1 Measurement Model 77 4.3.4.1.1 Internal Consistency 79 4.3.4.1.2 Indicator Reliability 80 4.3.4.1.3 Convergent Validity 81 4.3.4.1.4 Discriminant Validity 82 4.3.4.2 Structural Model 83 4.3.4.2.1 Model Fit 84 4.3.4.2.2 Coefficient of Determination (R2) 85 4.3.4.2.3 The Effect Size (f 2 ) 86 viii 4.3.4.2.4 Path Coefficients (P-values) 87 4.3.4.2.5 Predictive Relevance (Q2) 89 Chapter Five: Results Discussion and Framework Development 91 5.1 Chapter Overview 91 5.2 Discussion of the Survey and Interviews Findings 91 5.2.1 Descriptive Statistics Findings Discussion 91 5.2.1.1 Inception Stage Sustainability Practices 92 5.2.1.2 Design Stage Sustainability Practices 94 5.2.1.3 Tendering Stage Sustainability Practices 96 5.2.1.4 Construction Stage Sustainability Practices 98 5.2.1.5 SCPMP Barriers 100 5.2.1.6 SCPMP Drivers 101 5.2.2 Research Hypothesis-Testing Discussion 103 5.3 SCPM Framework 107 Chapter Six: Conclusions & Recommendations 114 6.1 Chapter Overview 114 6.2 Conclusions 114 6.3 Recommendations 116 6.4 Research Contributions 117 6.4.1 Theoretical Contributions 117 6.4.2 Managerial Implications 118 6.5 Limitations and Future Research Work 118 References 120 Appendices 152 ة انًهخص ix List of Tables No. Tittle Page 1 Project Management Sustainability Checklist. (Cited by Silvius, 2010) 61 2 The SPM3 Maturity Levels. (Cited by Pöppelbuß and Röglinger, 2011) 61 3 Framework of Enablers for the R&D Agenda 21 (Cited by Du Plessis, 2007) 42 4 Key Performance Attributes for Successful Sustainable Construction Management Practices. (Cited by Shen et al, 2010) 42 5 The Most Influential Critical Success Factors to Integrate Sustainability in Construction Projects in Developing Countries. (Cited by Banihashemi et al., 2017) 41 6 The Distribution of the Engineering Offices According to their Classification 22 7 Rules of Thumb for Selecting CB-SEM or PLS-SEM 22 8 Profile of Interview Participants 21 9 Themes, Categories and Codes Discussed 25 10 Level of Implementation Scale 11 11 Project Sustainable Inception Practices Means and Standard Deviations 11 12 Project Sustainable Design Practices Means and Standard Deviations 57 13 Project Sustainable Tendering Practices Means and Standard Deviations 56 14 Project Sustainable Implementation Practices Means and Standard Deviations 57 15 Barriers to the Implementation of Sustainable Construction 52 16 Drivers to the Implementation of Sustainable Construction 51 17 Cronbach‟s Alpha and Composite Reliability Values 57 18 Individual Indicators Reliability (Factor loading) 17 19 Average Variance Extracted 14 20 NFI Values 12 21 R square Values 12 22 F-squared Values 11 23 Path Coefficients of Research Hypotheses 11 24 Study Hypotheses 17 25 Construct Cross-Validated Redundancy 77 x List of Figures No. Tittle Page 1 The Sustainability Maturity Model reporting format (Cited by Silvius and Schipper, 2010) 65 2 Conceptual Model for innovation in construction stages. (Cited by Banihashemi et al., 2017) 45 3 Methods to achieve the „life-cycle design‟ principle. (Cited by Sev, 2009) 77 4 A Framework to improve contractors‟ competitiveness from implementing sustainable construction practice. (Cited by Tan et al., 2011) 72 5 Construction Management Stages 72 6 Research Conceptual Model 75 7 Research Methodology Flow Chart 24 8 Respondents Job Title Distribution 12 9 Respondents Experience Distribution 12 10 Organizations Type Distribution 12 11 Organizations Experience Distribution 11 12 Organizations Spatial Distribution 15 13 The Analysis Model as Generated by SmartPLS (the demonstration of the results from the figure follows in the sequent sections) 51 14 Modes and Triggers of Organizational Change 671 15 SCPM Developed Framework 667 xi List of Abbreviations CPM: Construction Project Management SD: Sustainable Development SPM: Sustainable Project Management SCPM: Sustainable Construction Project Management SCPMP: Sustainable Construction Project Management Performance WCED: World Commission of Environment and Development TBL: Triple Bottom Line SEM: Structural Equation Modeling PLS-SEM: Partial Least Square- Structural Equation Modeling LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design NFI: Normed Fit Index CV: Convergent Validity DV: Discriminant Validity AVE: Average Variance Extracted IR: Indicator Reliability xii Sustainability Practices in Construction Project Management in the West Bank/ Palestine By Moutaz Hroub Supervisors Dr. Ayham Jaaron Dr. Mohammad Othman Abstract Sustainable Development (SD) is an emerging guidance that aims to meet current generation needs without compromising future generations to meet their own needs. Since last decades, several initiatives have been created to encourage the construction sector to support the SD agenda. This study aims to explore practices affecting sustainable performance through the construction project management (CPM) phases in the West Bank/ Palestine. Data was collected by utilizing a mixed methodology approach, quantitative data were collected by 73 completed questionnaires, and qualitative data collected through 11 semi-structured interviews with experts from the CPM field in the West Bank. Data was analyzed by thematic analysis and the Partial least square (PLS-SEM) approach. Data analysis results revealed 24 most important sustainable practices that were always implemented by engineers in each stage of the construction projects in the West Bank, which are classified as follows: 1 of the practices is classified under the inception stage, 8 practices under the design stage, 7 practices under the tendering stage, and 8 practices under implementation stage. The most common practice taken in consideration during the inception stage of the construction projects in the West Bank is including xiii diverse representatives from the project team functions (85.6%), and the most common practices that are taken during the design stage are: adapting standard dimensions in the design specifications (90.6%), and compliance with legal requirements (90.3%). In the tendering stage, the most taken practices are preventing bribery and corruption (94.7%), transparent procurement procedure (94.7%), and comprehensive contract and specifications documentation (92.2). Finally, the most taken practices during the implementation stage are: compliance with the required specifications and quality level (89%), and insurance for the construction site, workforces and equipment (89%). In addition, the path coefficients test revealed that sustainability practices in the inception stage had the highest positive influence on sustainable Construction Project Management Performance (SCPMP), where the path coefficient β = 0.308. More and more, the study demonstrated that the key barrier to SCPM in Palestine is lack of stakeholders‟ interest on sustainability issues (87.8%), therefore, it is recommended to rise sustainability awareness in the Palestinian construction sector, especially among the decision makers levels. This is the first study that draws the road map for construction institutions in West Bank by providing the SCPM framework, as a practical tool for integrating sustainability requirements in their CPM practices. 1 Chapter One Introduction 1.1 Chapter Overview This chapter presents the background on sustainability and construction industry, the research problem, objectives, questions, and a summary of thesis structure. 1.2 Background The current global environmental degradation is a result of the increasing natural resources consumption, which exceeds what is possible to sustain in the long term, causing degradation of eco-system and human living conditions (Persson, 2009). This consumption is more likely to escalate in future; an evidence is the increasing content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with more than the expected rate (Raupach et al., 2007). A major threat of such pressure on natural resources is the climate change (Rummukainen and Källén, 2009). The climate change has serious consequences for the living condition, such like the rise in sea level, flooding, heavy rainfall, drought, fresh water shortage, increased extreme events, higher average temperatures and several economic, social, and health impacts (Roper, 2008). Therefore, sustainability issues become one of the most important challenges of our time and a pressing requirement (Ohelmann, 2010). 2 In 1987, the World Commission of Environment and Development (WCED) presented sustainability as “the ability of current generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs” (Nations, 1987). Furthermore, Elkington (1997) described sustainability as the balance or harmony between economic, social, and environmental sustainability, which was identified as the “Triple bottom line “(TBL), or “triple-P” (people, planet, profit) concept. The “Sustainable Development” (SD) concept was first originated in 1980s, in addition to set of guidance measures in order to correct the market failure, decrease the consumption rate of non-renewable resources, mitigate cumulative pollution and steer the production processes into a more precautionary approach of development (Turner, 2006). The most common definition of SD is derived from the definition of sustainability, it is also presented by the WCED as the way that insures satisfying the needs of current generations without compromising the future generations to meet their own needs (Nations, 1987). Then in Rio Summit 1992, sustainable development concept was discussed more in-depth and translated into a development program for the 21st century as the Agenda 21 for sustainable development (Du Plessis, 2007). With the rising awareness of sustainability and SD, many industrial countries developed their national SD strategies to measure their share of global depletion of resources (Atkinson, 2008). In Business, companies as a serious part of the society started to feel the need and pressure to adopt and 3 integrate the SD concepts in their strategies, polices and activities (Keeble and Topiol, 2003). Traditionally, project success factors were related to the compliance with scope, time, and cost objectives (De Wit, 1988). In recent years, project success factors are expanded to include more sustainability requirements, such as the project efficiency, impact on team and customers, business and direct success, and preparation for future (Silvius, 2017). Projects can contribute to the SD agendas of organizations and society (Silvius and Schipper, 2014). “Green” or “sustainable“ project management is considered as challenging global project management trends (Alvarez-Dionisi et al., 2016). Sustainability in project management is a new, distinct, and emerging school of thinking, within the past decade, it was studied and discussed by significant academic communities (Silvius, 2017). Carvalho and Racbechini (2017) recommended organizations to introduce sustainability in their project management practices, due to its pivotal role in improving project success and reducing negative economic, social and environmental impact. Construction projects have incredible social and environmental impacts (Burgan and Sansom, 2006). It is responsible of enormous waste production, massive energy consumption, environmental pollution, resource depletion, habitat destruction, soil erosion and increasing material wastage besides the nuisance it causes to the surrounding communities (Yosef et al., 2017; Abdel-Raheem and Ramsbottom, 2016; Ijigah et al., 2013). Therefore, adapting the general sustainable development 4 requirements and concepts through the conventional CPM stages is an emerging field of science (Matar et al., 2008) 1.3 The Research Problem Traditionally, the project objectives are limited to time, cost and quality, and less or neglected attention is paid for sustainability requirements (Silvius et al., 2017). In addition, economic development has been put above meeting sustainability requirements (Banihashemi et al., 2017). The construction industry is the engine of countries development and economic growth; it plays a serious role in social-economic development, and providing employment opportunities, infrastructure, and over all urban development (Dang and Low, 2011). Supported by Khan et al. (2014), the importance of construction sector is driven by its backward and forward linkages with other several economy sectors, it is regarded as one of the highest contributors to growth. Construction in Palestine constitutes a leading sector in economic growth, it plays a serious rule in employment, value added and urban development, and it includes a high potential demand (Sabra et al., 2015). In spite of that, several factors and challenges affect its sustainable performance. Some of these factors are related to the complicated political situation, and others are related to projects management practices, such the insufficient leadership skills, inappropriate planning, several amendments, shortage of material, lack of monitoring and feedback, lack of communication between 5 projects parties, and the reworks. (Enshassi et al., 2006; UNRWA 2006; Ibrahim, 2013). Therefore, there is a serious need to manage the Palestinian construction sector in line with sustainable development goals, and identify practices affecting sustainable construction project management (SCPM). In addition to the need for a framework as a guideline that would assist practitioners in assessing and enhancing their sustainable construction management practices. 1.4 The Research Objectives In light of the research problem, the aim of this study is to identify the key practices, barriers, and drivers affecting and contributing to the successful implementation of sustainable management performance in the Palestinian construction projects field, particularly in the West Bank. Consequently, this thesis aims at developing a conceptual framework as a guideline by which project managers in construction sector can take their first step in SCPM. 1.5 The Research Questions The research questions are driven by the objectives of the study. As mentioned before, it aims first to explore sustainability practice for Palestinian construction management field, and second to propose a conceptual framework for project managers to assess and enhance their sustainable management performance. Thus, the research questions are: 6  What are the key practices affecting successful implementation of sustainability in construction project management in the West Bank/Palestine?  What are the key drivers and barriers affecting successful implementation of sustainability in construction project management in the West Bank/Palestine?  What model should be adapted in the West Bank construction project companies to enhance sustainability performance of construction project? 1.6 Research Hypotheses In order to achieve the research objectives and answer the questions, the following research hypotheses are proposed: H1: The implementation of sustainable project inception practices has a positive effect on the Construction Project Management Performance (CPMP) in the West Bank. H2: The implementation of sustainable project design practices has a positive effect on the CPMP in the West Bank. H3: The implementation of sustainable project tendering practices has a positive effect on the CPMP in the West Bank. H4: The implementation of sustainable project implementation practices has a positive effect on the CPMP in the West Bank. 7 H5: Explored drivers of SCPM have a positive effect on construction project management Performance in the West Bank. 1.7 Thesis Structure This research is organized in six chapters as follows: Chapter One, the research introduction, which consist of the study background, problem, objectives, and the research hypothesis. Chapter Two, literature review, contains background on project management and CPM, sustainability and SD definitions, sustainability in project management field and in CPM process, it also includes the SCPM assessment tools found in literature, the CPM in Palestine and the thesis conceptual framework. Chapter Three, the research methodology, research design, research strategy, methodology flow charts, population and sample size, data collection techniques are all presented. Chapter Four, Data analysis. It includes the thematic analysis approach for analyzing qualitative data collected via interviewing experts and the Partial Least Squares-SEM for analyzing the quantitative data and testing hypothesis. Chapter Five, the results discussion and framework development. This chapter discusses the results and findings obtained from data analysis following sustainability practices in the CPM stages, drivers and barriers to 8 SCPMP, then it presents the research hypothesis testing results, and finally, the study SCPM framework is illustrated in details. Chapter Six, the conclusion and recommendations. It contains a summary of the research outputs, the conclusion of the data analysis findings, the research proposed recommendations, the research limitations, and the future researches suggestions. 9 Chapter Two Literature Review 2.1 Overview. This chapter consists of background on project management and CPM, sustainability and SD definitions, sustainability in project management field and in CPM process. It also included the SCPM assessment tools found in literature, the CPM in Palestine and the research conceptual framework. 2.2 Project Management Definition Historically, and according to Kerzner (1989), the project involves a series of tasks and activities that consume resources in order to achieve a specific objective within a set of specifications and a definite start and end dates. While project management is the process for achievement of such objective, by utilizing the organizational structure and resources, and it seeks to manage the project without disturbing the routine operation of the company by applying a collection of tools and techniques. The Project Management Institution (PMI) defined Project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result “. While the process of managing the project is defined as “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements” (PMBoK, 2013). 10 Comprehensively speaking, according to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBoK (2004, p. 6), effective project management is achieved through the appropriate application and integration of the project management processes, which are grouped as initiating, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Furthermore, the general project management process includes the identifying requirements, appreciation of stakeholders needs throughout all the project management stages, and balancing the competing project constraints, which are the scope, quality, schedule, budget, resource and risk. 2.3 Construction Project Management Construction is the process for the developing of human settlements and infrastructures; it involves the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing of construction materials and its components, which are used throughout the project life cycle, in addition to the management and the operation of the built area (Du Plessis, 2002). This industry is one of the most essential sectors in the economy; it interacts with all fields of human endeavors (Duy Nguyen et al., 2004). It also has a critical relation with poverty reduction through the basic economic and social services provided in the built environment, in addition to provision of job opportunities, and the improvement relative to its economic, social and environmental impact (ISO, 2008). Therefore, construction has an essential role in the attainment of sustainable development of human settlements (Du Plessis, 2002), as 11 well as the attainment of the nation‟s welfare (Horvath and Hendrickson, 1998). In spite of the importance of construction sector as driving force for nation‟s economy, it has serious threats that should be considered and addressed; the most significant impact is the global climate change due to enormous green gas emissions (Du Plessis, 2007). Moreover, construction deeply affects the surrounding environment and society; it changes the nature and spatial appearance (Asad et al., 2006). In addition, the resource deterioration due to the extraction, production and transportation of construction materials, and chemical pollution by releasing particles in the production and transportation of materials such as cement and quarry products, the spillage of chemicals in the site, and the careless disposal of the huge amount of wastes generated (Ramachandran, 1991; Celik et al., 2017). More and more, the increase of the external road traffic and dirtiness of construction area and surrounding environment which affect the welfare of the community (Sharrard et al., 2008). Construction industry has a special characteristic that distinguishes it from other industries, it is fragmented, very sensitive to the economic and political environment, it also has a high rate of failures (Enshassi et al., 2006). Therefore, it needs a careful planning and a high amount of time and money (Abdel-Raheem and Ramsbottom, 2016). All that sheds the light on the pressing need for shifting the scope of construction projects management from managing the project triple constraints (time, cost and 12 quality), to managing social, environmental and economic impacts and adopting sustainable construction concepts (Silvius and Schipper, 2014). 2.4 The Concept of Sustainability The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development were presented since 1987 by the world commission on Environment and Development (WCED) (Keeble et al., 2003). Sustainability was first defined as the ability of current generations to meet their needs without compromising other generations to meet their needs (Redclift, 2002). SD is a process of change through which the use of resources, the investments, technological development and organizational change, are all in accordance to the current and future needs of generations and in a way that promotes harmony between humanity and nature (Nations, 1987). In addition, Elkington (1997) defined sustainability as the balance or harmony between economic, social, and environmental sustainability, which was called the “Triple Bottom Line” (TBL), or “triple-p” (people, planet and profit) concept. According to Du Plessis (2007), sustainability is the identification and promotion of responses that will allow the continued existence of the community at the best possible quality of life. Moreover, the endeavor of sustainability according to Schultmann and Sunke (2007) is the achievement of economic growth without unreasonable exploiting of resources, pollution of environment or upsetting any existing ecosystem. In other words, it is the matter of how can we develop prosperity without compromising the future (Silvius and Schipper, 2014). As shown, there are 13 so many definitions of SD and sustainability in literature, but the common part in most of these definitions is the concept of satisfying the environmental, social and economic sustainability dimensions, which are referred to as the objectives or pillars of SD (Brent and Labuschagne, 2006). Recently, sustainability has become an integrated part of planning, it considered as a significant complementary approach that provides much to the theories, objectives and goals of the planning profession and the community development (Jepson, 2001). The need for integrating sustainability concepts in the strategic planning level arose with the appearance of Agenda 21 for sustainable construction at the “1992 United Nation Conference on Environment and Development” (Sanchez and Lopez, 2010). Awareness of the environmental degradation and the need for more environmentally sound products and services are increasing throughout the globe (Cohen and Winn, 2007). Especially in project management field, with the rising universal demand for a sustainable built environment (Zhang et al., 2016). Due to the increasing interest in more ethically, ecofriendly and economic efficiency throughout the project lifecycle (Kivila et al., 2017), sustainability has become one of the most essential challenges of our time (Silvius, 2017). Literature on sustainable practices is growing and become an attractive field of research, which argues for a significant change in systems providing human needs (Wieczorek, 2018). 14 2.5 Sustainable Project Management Project management is the means by which the work of the resources assigned to the temporary organization is planned, managed and controlled to deliver the beneficial change (Turner, 2014). Project is regarded as a suitable instrument for change management, so applying the project management discipline to sustainability will promote the necessary required change (Marcelino-Sádaba et al., 2015). With the growing attention for sustainability, it has become a significant perspective in managing firms and projects via a holistic sustainability strategy (Chang et al., 2017), and sustainability concepts has more been linked to the processes of project management (Gareis et al., 2009; Silvius et al., 2009). It also became necessary to recognize the social, environmental and economic consequences associated with how projects and it‟s supporting systems are designed, implemented, operated, maintained and finally eliminated (El-Haram et al., 2007). According to Deland (2009), sustainable project management (SPM) is the reduction of resources consumption through the project, from initiation to the closing. In addition, Silvius et al. (2009) defined SPM as the change management that considers the economic, environmental and social impact of the projects and its deliverables for current and future generations. Moreover, Tan et al. (2011) presented SPM as the rising of positive economic, social and environmental impacts in the process of project 15 delivery in addition to reducing the negative effects in order to contribute to a sustainable society. In addition to the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability, Silvius and Schipper (2014) identified other sustainability areas of impact on project management through a review of 164 publications on SPM. The identified areas of impact are: the „value and ethics‟ referring to considering the society culture (Robinson, 2004), the „geographical dimension‟ by considering sustainability effects locally, regionally and globally (Gareis et al., 2009). In addition to the „time effect‟ by considering short-term and long-term consequences (Brent and Labuschange, 2006). The „stakeholders‟ participation‟ by considering their interests (Freeman, 1994), and the „waste reduction‟ for saving available resources (Maltzman and Shirley, 2010). Moreover, the „transparency‟ by providing clear and periodic information for stakeholders, the „accountability‟ refering to the organization responsibility for its policies, decisions and actions (ISO, 2010), and the „risk reduction‟ by preventing damage (Turner and Tennant, 2010). Besides that, the „consuming of income not capital‟ which means that the extraction of the renewable resources is not exceeding the rate at which they are renewed (Gilbert, 1996). According to Silvius (2010), one of the objectives at the international project management association Seminar in 2010, was to translate sustainability concepts into a practical tool for project management 16 practitioners; such tool was the “Sustainability Checklist”. The developed checklist consists of factors and indicators related to economic, environmental and social sustainability dimensions to be used by project managers as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Project Management Sustainability Checklist. (Cited by Silvius, 2010). Economic Sustainability Return on Investment - Direct financial benefits - Net Present Value Business Agility - Flexibility / Optionality in the project - Increased business flexibility Environmental Sustainability Transport - Local procurement - Digital communication - Traveling - Transport Energy - Energy used - Emission / CO2 from energy used Waste - Recycling - Disposal Materials and Resources - Reusability - Incorporated energy - Waste Social Sustainability Labor Practices and Decent Work - Employment - Labor / Management relations - Health and Safety - Training and Education - Organizational learning - Diversity and Equal opportunity Human Rights - Non-discrimination - Freedom of association - Child labor - Forced and compulsory labor Society and customers - Community support - Public policy / Compliance - Customer health and safety - Products and services labeling - Market communication and Advertising - Customer privacy Ethical behavior - Investment and Procurement practices - Bribery and corruption - Anti-competition behavior 17 This checklist was one of the foundations for Silvius and Schipper (2010) in developing a model for sustainability integration in project management. This model serves as a practical tool for assessing the level of sustainability performance in a project, which helps organizations in determining their sustainability maturity level, and so, organizations can prepare themselves to the new project management profession (Silvius and Schipper, 2010). This model assesses the current sustainability performance situation (dark colors) and compares it with the desirable situation (light colors) for each sustainability aspect as illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1: The Sustainability Maturity Model-Reporting Format (Cited by Silvius and Schipper, 2010). Silvius and Schipper (2010) maturity model provides a useful instrument for assessing sustainability performance in projects and projects management, but it does not provide guidance for how to improve the sustainability performance in practice. Therefore, in another research, Silvius and Schipper (2015) developed a conceptual sustainable project management maturity model „SPM3‟ as a practical tool to assist project 18 organizations to operationalize the concepts of sustainability into practical activities and develop their sustainability performance (Silvius and Schipper, 2015). This Maturity model is designed as a matrix of project social, environmental and economic sustainable project management indicators collected from literature, and assessed based on four maturity levels by using a questionnaire, which consist of assessment questions for project activities. The SPM3 follows the CMM maturity levels (Pöppelbuß and Röglinger, 2011) as presented in Table 2. With this description of the different sustainability maturity levels and sustainability indicators, the SPM3 provides an active guide on how to develop the integration of sustainability in project management processes. Table 2: The SPM3 Maturity Levels. (Cited by Pöppelbuß and Röglinger, 2011) Strategy Maturity level Description do no harm positive contribution Level 1: Compliant Sustainability is considered minimalistic and implicit, and (only) with the intention to comply with laws and regulations. Level 2: Reactive Sustainability is considered explicitly, with the intention to reduce negative impacts of the project. Level 3: Proactive Sustainability is explicitly considered as one of the areas that the project contributes to. Level 4: Purpose Contributing to sustainability is one of the drivers behind the project and sustainability considerations are included in the justification of the project. In another study concerning linking sustainability and projects management, Martens and Carvalho (2016) explored the gap between sustainability and project management in order to identify the key aspects 19 of a sustainable project management context and its importance. They found that the sustainable innovation business model, stakeholder‟s management, economic and competitive advantage, and environmental policies and resources saving are the key aspects for integration sustainability principles in the project management practices. With this blooming of sustainability studies in project management field, Silvius (2017) revised 71 articles on sustainability in project management. He concluded that sustainability qualifies a new, distinct, and emerging school of thinking in project management. Such sustainability school has characteristics, which are considering projects in a societal perspective, having a management for stakeholders‟ approach, applying triple bottom line criteria, and taking values based approach to projects and project management. In the light of the significant need to adopt sustainability principles in project management practices around the world; the construction industry is considered as an important sector for the attainment of the sustainable development concepts (Sev, 2009). This industry is different from other industries due to its size, activities, number of people involved in project lifecycle, service provided, besides its impact to the environment and surrounding community (Asad and Khalfan 2006). For example, it produces an enormous amount of wastes and consumes a massive amount of energy, as well as the effects it causes to the surrounding community, 20 which results in a serious demand to implement sustainable practices at all construction levels (Yosef et al., 2017). 2.6 Sustainable Construction Project Management (SCPM) In reference to Bourdeau (1999), since 1994, sustainable construction was proposed as the responsible management of a health-built environment based on resource efficient and ecological principles. It was originally described as the responsibility of construction sector in the realization of sustainability (Hill and Bowen, 1997). Huovila and Koskela (1998) defined SCPM as a new construction way, which requires considering the sustainability requirements for all decision making during the lifecycle of the construction project. According to Raynsford (2000), it is the processes of delivering built assets (building, structures and supporting infrastructures) in a profitable and competitive manner, which considers the customer satisfaction and enhance the quality of life; offer flexibility to accommodate users‟ changes in future; support the natural and social environment; and increase the efficient use of resources. In addition, the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) defined SCPM as “the sustainable production, use, maintenance, demolition, and reuse of buildings and constructions or their components” (CIB, 2004). In the context of what was mentioned above, plethora of studies concerning the concept of sustainability in CPM were developed. Ugwu and Haupt (2007) found that the adoption of sustainability factors has led to a more 21 sustainable project delivery performance, since it contributes to better decision making, efficient project delivery, minimizes resource consumption and waste generation, beside less construction problems and delays. In addition, the implementation of sustainable construction principles causes better project performance such like safe construction, air quality and dust control, noise and vibration minimization, maintenance and operation costs minimization, cultural heritages protection, quality and time compliance, and community acceptance (Lim, 2009). In line with the purpose of this study, Sanchez and Lopeze (2010) shed the light on the importance of developing a sustainability indicator, practices and factors set to meet the sustainability targets in urban development, besides the control and monitor of such indicators over time. Factors affecting sustainable construction include the minimization of resource consumption; maximization of resource reuse, the use of recyclable and renewable resources, the protection of environment, and pursuing quality in creating the built environment (Miyatake, 1996). Moreover, according to Chaharbaghi and Willis (1999), the education is one of the most critical factors to change the existing values and practices related to sustainability principles. In addition, the United Kingdom Government in their sustainable construction strategy proposed significant sustainable construction factors by widening the basic themes. Such factors include: the design for less waste generation, minimum resources consumption, choice of material with less impact to environment with ability to reuse, 22 lean construction, obviate pollution, preserve biodiversity, conserve water resources, respect people and local government, set targets and monitor and report (Raynsford, 2000). In addition, one of the most significant factors affecting the adoption of sustainability in construction management is the „Knowledge Management‟, which means managing the knowledge required by project teams, due to the unique characteristics of construction projects, especially the dynamic participation of a multi-disciplinary team, the reliance on previous heuristics and the tight schedule (Shelbourn et al., 2006). As supported by Sourani and Sohail (2005), most of studies in the sustainable construction field concentrated on the environmental aspect of sustainability, while very few studies discussed the social aspect. Therefore, they suggested potential factors for realizing social sustainability through procurement strategies in the context of developed countries. Which included the integration of sustainability in project contract specifications, the selection of procurement system from sustainable perspective; which considers the client needs, contractor requirements and project specifications, using multi-criteria decision- making technique, the selection of contractors based on sustainability value, and providing incentives and rewards. More recently, Abdel-Raheem and Ramsbottom (2016) identified other ten social factors for sustainable construction management. These factors include the respect and protection of communities impacted by the project, improve quality of living, diversity with employees by acquire a wide spectrum of workforces from 23 varieties of backgrounds of the community. In addition to minimize using of non-renewable resources, maintaining ethics and responsibility, provide feedbacks, provide education and training on social sustainability practices, global networking for continuous updating, and keep accountability of the organization. 2.7 Sustainable Construction Project Management in Developing Countries Developing countries need special efforts for shifting from traditional project management to more sustainable management practices, since perceptions of sustainability concepts in such countries differ in various contexts from those of developed countries (Reffat, 2004). These countries suffer from high level of land degradation, fresh water shortage, air pollution and insufficient infrastructure services due to the rapid urbanization (Ofori, 2000). Moreover, developing countries lack financial resources, experience in sustainable construction management, legal and administrative systems, enforcing regulations and encourage of better behavior through giving incentives, besides the need for massive amount of construction resources (Chen and Chambers, 1999; Shafii et al., 2006). SPM is becoming a pressing issue in developing countries (Shen et al., 2010). These countries need huge investments in construction projects; especially infrastructure construction projects, in order to reduce urbanization constrains and meet their development goals (Diaz-Sarachaga et al., 2017). 24 In 1999, the international council for research and innovation in building and construction (CIB) published its Agenda 21 for sustainable construction, then a special R&D Agenda 21 for sustainable construction in developing countries was published as a part of the action plan of the CIB Agenda (Du Plessis, 2002). This R&D agenda is based on a matrix of technological, institutional and value-system “the way things are valued and the social, spiritual or moral values that guide decisions” enablers, such enablers are informed by local human needs and both local and global environmental needs (Du Plessis, 2007). Table 3 shows the proposed research and development areas of these enablers, which constitute a guidance framework for development. Table 3: Framework of Enablers for the R&D Agenda 21 (Cited by Du Plessis, 2007). Time Technological Institutional Values Immediate  Benchmarking & Assessment  Knowledge systems & data-capturing  Clarified roles and responsibilities  Education  Advocacy & awareness  Cooperation and partnership  Mapping the route to change  Understanding the drivers  Re-evaluating heritage Medium  Technologies to mitigate impact  Linking research to Implementation  Develop regulatory mechanisms  Develop a new way of measuring value and reward  Develop codes of conduct Long term  Technologies of the future  Changing the construction process  Strengthening implementing mechanisms  Using institutions as drivers  Regional centers of excellence  Corporate social responsibility reporting 25 With the appearance of the Agenda 21 for sustainable construction in developing countries, too many researches concerning sustainable construction concept appeared in these developing economies. For example, in China, Shen et al., (2010) concluded that it is important to shift from traditional project feasibility study to a new approach incorporating sustainable development principles with participation of all stakeholders, including government, clients, consultants, architectures, contractors and suppliers. Table 4 includes their findings of the key environmental, social and economic performance attributes for successful implementation of sustainable construction management practices. Table 4: Key Performance Attributes for Successful Sustainable Construction Management Practices. (Cited by Shen et al, 2010). Environmental performance attributes Social performance attributes Economic performance attributes  Eco-environmental  sensitivity of the project location  Waste assessment  Air impacts  Environmental friendly design  Water impacts  Energy consumption performance  Noise assessment  Land consumption  Influence to the local social development  Safety standards  Provision capacity of employment  Improvement to the public health  Provision capacity of public services  Cultural and heritage conservation  Provision capacity of public infrastructure facilities  Development of new settlement and local communities  Provision of the infrastructures for other economic activities  Governmental strategic development policy  Financing channels  Tax policy  Investment plan  Demand and supply analysis  Life cycle cost  Market forecast  Life cycle profit  Project function and size  Finance risk assessment  Market competition  Return of investment (ROI)  Location advantage  Net present value (NPV)  Technology advantage  Pay-back period  Budget estimate  Internal rate of return (IRR) 26 In line with the previous study, and due to the importance of the infrastructure construction project in the attainment of development, and its associated significant impact on the environment, especially in developing countries (World Bank, 2006), there is a need for effective sustainable construction assessment indicators (Griffith and Bhutto 2008). Therefore, Shen et al., (2011) introduced key assessment indicators for infrastructure construction projects in China. They used a survey given to government officials, professionals and clients in Chinese construction industry. They found that in social dimension indicators, the “public safety” was the most significant social factor, and other important social factors are the provision of ancillary amenities to public to economic activities, scale of serviceability and public sanitation. For environmental dimensions, the “effect on water quality” was ranked with highest scores as the most important factor, other environmental factors are the effect on air quality, land pollution, influence on public health, environmental protection measures in project design and energy saving. Moreover, for economic dimension factors, the “analysis of market supply and demand” ranked as the most important economic factor, and then other less important economic factors are the life cycle benefit, financial risk, project budget, life cycle cost, internal return ration (IRR) and the payback period. Previous studies presented sustainable construction management factors in general. In contrast, Banihashemi et al. (2017) presented the critical success factors to integrate sustainability in construction management practices in 27 developing countries by adopting a conceptual framework for innovation in construction sector. This framework for innovations integration in construction context is suggested by Slaughter, (2000), by following consecutive project stages, which are the identification, evaluation, commitment, preparation and implementation stages as shown in Figure 2 below. Figure 2: Conceptual Model for Innovation in Construction Stages. (Cited by Banihashemi et al., 2017). They found that the most influential factors for successful implementation of sustainability in construction project management in developing countries. Critical success factors are the role of clients, knowledge management, high quality workmanship, strategic direction and health and safety protocols, project managers' knowledge, skills and abilities and tighter control over construction activities. These CSFs are discussed in view of the identification, evaluation, commitment, preparation and 28 implementation phases of sustainability integration into construction project management practices as shown in Table 5 below. Table 5: The Most Influential Critical Success Factors to Integrate Sustainability in Construction Projects in Developing Countries. (Cited by Banihashemi et al., 2017). Stage CSFs Identification  Client's commitment to the needs of other stakeholders.  Enacting required policies in supporting sustainability principles establishment in construction projects by governmental and professional bodies.  Clearly defined goals and prioritizing all stakeholders. Evaluation  Knowledge and awareness of sustainable project delivery in the Project management team.  Dominance of constructive relationships among project stakeholders. Commitment  Strong commitment to sustainable project delivery from project stakeholders.  Emphasis on high quality workmanship. Preparation in organization  Creating accountabilities, expectations, roles and responsibilities for the organization.  Implementing effective health and safety protocols. Preparation on project  Tenure of project managers.  Project manager's experience and competence. Implementation  Comprehensive contractors' portfolio investigation in terms of their level of awareness of the Sustainability concept and their previous records of sustainable projects implementation.  Water and noise pollutions minimization during execution.  Implementing a particular project monitoring and feedback methodology to evaluate the current state of sustainability and rectify any discrepancy and/or deviation For enhancing and monitoring the application of such development guidelines, Zhang et al., (2014) suggested a paradigm shift for project management organizations through the involvement of “Environmental Representative” (ER) along with project stakeholders throughout the different phases of the construction projects. The (ER) is an independent 29 person who is appointed by the government, for monitoring the environmental performance throughout all stages of the construction process. Such like monitoring site workers, ensuring provision environmentally-friendly materials by the suppliers, beside monitoring the balance between the project triple objectives (cost, time and quality) and the sustainable environment objectives, raise public awareness and to guide the contractors in implementing the Environmental Impact Assessment. In addition, the involvement of the ER ensures that all project parties have a shared goal of protecting the environment through the different project stages, thus promoting the cooperation between all participating members (Zhang et al., 2014). In light of what was presented, and with growing worldwide attention to the importance of integrating sustainability concepts in the construction management field, several construction sustainability assessment and rating tools were developed around the world (Diaz-Sarachaga et al., 2016). 2.8 Barriers and Drivers to Successful SCPM In spite of the presented SCPM importance, several countries failed to adopt the SD requirements in their CPM practices or where scantily applied due to several reasons and barriers. According to Van Bueren and Priemus (2002), the fragmented nature of the CPM process and the various participants within each stage affects the decision making process due to the decentralization, and the cost-efficiency goals of each participants, that need improve communications between players within the different stages. 30 For Ofori-Kuragu et al. 2015, the highest ranked barriers to SCPM are lack of governmental commitment, fear of high costs, lack of professional knowledge, the cultural change resistance, and absence of supporting legislations. AlSanad (2015) concluded that lack of governmental enforcement factors is an essential barrier besides the economic situation and the limited awareness on environmental and social issues. Another barrier to successful SCPM are lack of training on the concept of sustainability, lack of legal aspects concerning sustainability in construction management, lack of information on sustainable construction issues and solutions, and lack of stakeholders‟ interest on sustainability issues (Serpell et al., 2013; Durdyev et al., 2018). Due to the explored and presented barriers to successful SCPM implementation, the existing literature suggested number of drivers to change that might encourage institutions and governments to change the CPM practices to become more in line with SD agendas. According to Gan et al. (2015), the most critical drivers of sustainable performance in CPM are awareness, knowledge, and education on sustainability concepts and requirements among the stakeholders, in addition to the legal aspects, legislations, regulations and governmental enforcement. For Oke et al. (2019), the institution image and reputation due to sustainable performance, education programs, cooperative partnership, linking research to the implementation mechanisms, and knowledge sharing are key drivers to SCPM. 31 Other drivers mentioned in literature are resource conservation, waste reduction, satisfaction of local community, less rework and field adjustments, tax reduction incentives (Manoliadis et al., 2006; Circo, 2007; Ahn et al., 2013) 2.9 Construction Project Management in Palestine Palestine has a fragile environment, faced with significant problems that seriously should be considered to meet current needs without compromising the future. Such as the land degradation, the acute shortage of fresh water and other resources, besides the rapid urbanization and its associated impacts on environment, air pollution and pressure on the available infrastructure (Enshassi and Mayer, 2005). In spite of the importance of the construction industry as a driving force in the Palestinian economy, it faces many problems affecting its performance (Enshassi et al., 2006). Many construction projects report poor performance due to several causes, such as the lack of managerial experience and financial resources, several amendments, lack of sufficient leadership skills, shortage of material, lack of monitoring and feedback, lack of legal and administrative systems, and of course the political situation (UNRWA, 2006). More and more, the labor performance in construction projects faces inefficient performance due to the lack of communication between projects parties, the reworks, the financial problems, lack of material, and lack of experience (Ibrahim, 2013). Furthermore, using data from projects in the West Bank, Mahamid (2013) explored causes of inefficient road 32 construction projects implementation; he found that the insufficient knowledge in contracts, insufficient estimation of time, and incomplete documents seriously affects the implementation of such construction projects. In Palestine, until now there are no enough researches or guiding tools that relate the sustainable principles with CPM activities. At the same time, there is a pressing need to shift from traditional project management to a more sustainable management practices, which considers the social, environmental and economic impacts associated with the construction sector. Moreover, due to the significant rule of identifying practices affecting sustainability in the project management, which guides project stakeholders to enhance the sustainable management performance, it is urgent to develop a checklist of sustainable CPM factors in reference to construction industry in Palestine. In addition, it is necessary to build and develop a guiding model for translation of sustainability principles into concrete action throughout the project lifecycle (Ugwu et al., 2006). 2.10 Research Conceptual Framework With the growing attention toward the construction sector role in the sustainable development agendas, several studies suggested rational and conceptual frameworks for sustainability attainment in the construction management process. For example, Hill and Bowen (1997) proposed a multi-stage framework for application of environmental management and environmental assessment in the construction management, the proposed 33 framework required the application of environmental assessment in the project planning and design stages, and adopting an environmental management system during the project construction and operation. Sev (2009) proposed another framework that aims to implement sustainability principles and strategies to the construction projects from life-cycle perspective. Sev framework is built on three fundamental principles, which are resource management, life-cycle design and design for human and environment. Each principle involves methods and strategies for application during the construction project life cycle as shown in Figure 3, and so, it constitutes an assessment tool for stakeholders of construction industry. Figure 3: Methods to Achieve the „life-cycle design‟ Principle. (Cited by Sev, 2009). In addition, Tan et al. (2011) proposed a framework that introduced sustainability practices in the construction sector and its effect on contractor‟s competitiveness as shown in Figure 4. This framework helps 34 contractors in the construction sector to improve their competitiveness by developing their sustainable performance. The proposed framework presented understanding principles and legislations as the fundamental step for sustainability adoption, the second step is the sustainability policy as a commitment statement by the top management about the goals to be achieved. Then the strategy to achieve these goals, after that, the institution should identify their sustainable construction practices, and finally, the review and correction of their sustainable construction performance. Figure 4: A framework to Improve Contractors‟ Competitiveness from Implementing Sustainable Construction Practice. (Cited by Tan et al., 2011) 35 In line with the presented literature, the conceptual framework in this study is proposed to follow explored sustainability practices from literature as shown in Appendix (A) through the CPM consecutive stage. 2.10.1 Construction Project Management Stages. Construction project management process is divided into three consecutive sections; Pre-construction, Construction and Post-construction (Tregenza, 2004). The pre-construction section is the initial stage of construction project management and consists of the Inception & Feasibility, Design, and Tendering stages shown in Figure 5 (Singh, 2002). Figure 5: Construction Management Stages. 2.10.1.1 Pre-Construction Section As mentioned before the pre-construction stage consist of three consecutive stages: Inception & feasibility, design, and tendering stages. The inception & feasibility stage is described as the pre-project planning, and it is more concerned with the client requirements (Hendrickson & Au, 2000). This 36 initiation stage consists of land matter, project objectives, project organizational structure, and the project feasibility study (Gahlot, 2007). The design stage aims to acquire a complete and accurate understanding of project requirements, it encompasses the project brief, budget preparation, conceptual and schematic design development, detailing design, planning approval, and value engineering (Hendrickson & Au, 2000). The last stage of pre-construction section is “tendering”, in this stage the tender documents are issued and evaluated to choose the required contractor (Al- Reshaid et al., 2005). 2.10.1.2 Construction Section The construction stage involves the execution of designed construction works within the agreed time, cost, and quality. It is the most difficult and resource-intensive stage which require a careful planning to save manpower, prevent money and time wastage, and avoid disruption of project schedule. According to Gahlot (2007), construction stage consists of planning activities and site operation activities, the planning activities includes construction schedule, manpower schedule, plant and equipment schedule and material delivery schedule, while the site activities includes temporary and permanent works, supply of material and equipment, coordination of sup-contractors, and supervision for quality control. 37 2.10.1.3 Post-Construction Section This stage starts after the completion of construction activities, it concerns the continuous monitoring and management of maintenance needs for the constructed facility (Kagioglou et al., 2000). It also includes records of the actual performed works, thoroughly inspection and defect removal, preparing operating instructions and maintenance manual, and carrying out tests for performance (Gahlot, 2007). Figure 6: Research Conceptual Model. Based on what was mentioned above, Figure 6 demonstrates the research model and the proposed strategy to explore sustainability practices and factors in the Palestinian CPM field. 38 Chapter Three Research Methodology 3.1 Chapter Overview This chapter provides a description of how the methodology was chosen in order to reach the research objectives in appropriate steps. The research design, research strategy, methodology flow charts, population and sample size, data collection techniques are all presented. 3.2 Research Design Educational research has one of these three objectives: to explore issues and find answers to questions (for academics), to share policy (for policy makers), and to improve a practice (for practitioners) (López-Alvarado, 2017). In relevance to the study objectives and questions, there are three research types: exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory research (Jalil, 2013). Exploratory study is utilized when the purpose of the study is to develop an instrument from qualitative data (Creswell, 2002, p. 550), and when the research problem is not sufficiently defined and explored before (Brown, 2006). Descriptive study is concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual, group or situation (Kothari, 2004, p. 37). While Explanatory study is to explain correlations between variables, where the change in one variable are reflected in change in the other (Creswell, 2002, p. 340). 39 Moreover, according to Kothari (2004, p. 37), the research purpose is fallsinto one or more of four objectives. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it, known as exploratory study. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group, known as descriptive study. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else, known as diagnostic study. Finally, to test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables, known as hypothesis-testing study. This study aims at exploring and identifying sustainability factors affecting CPM practices in the West Bank/ Palestine. Therefore, to achieve the objective, an exploratory research approach is adopted to identify sustainability factors, and build a conceptual framework of these factors. 3.3 Research Strategy In scientific researches, there are two main research strategies (i.e. approaches): quantitative research strategy and qualitative research strategy (Kothari, 2004, p .5). According to Newman (2000), the quantitative approach is used for the aim of developing an explaining theory of what was experienced by observing and interpreting reality, while the qualitative approach is used when the researcher starts with a hypothesis or theory and then test it for conformation or disconfirmation. It is also possible to use a mixed methodology approach, which refers to researches that combine methods associated with both quantitative and qualitative research (Bryman, 2016, p .37). 40 A justification for using a mixed method design (i.e. use both quantitative and qualitative data) in the exploratory research is that it is important to test the qualitative explorations in the first stage by collecting quantitative data in second stage. In addition, quantitative data provides the opportunity to gather data from a large number of people and generalize results, whereas qualitative permits an in-depth exploration of a few individuals (Creswell, 2002, 548). In addition, according to Bowen et al. (2017), combining the qualitative and quantitative data in one study provides greater understanding and insight into the research topic. This research combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The combination of these methods in one study is regarded as the most effectual in management field researches (Creswell et al., 2003). The qualitative part of this research employs face-to-face interviews with experts, professionals, and construction project managers. In addition, to review the literatures on sustainable construction project management, since this research builds on the existence body of knowledge in this area. First, the purpose is to understand how sustainability principles, which presented in literature, are applied in construction project management. This is in line with the interpretation of an exploratory nature as presented by many authors, which is to gain answers of open-ended questions for the aim of new knowledge creation (Adams et al., 2007; Baxter et al., 2008; Saunders et al., 2012). A pool of factors affecting sustainable management practices in construction projects are collected 41 from literature, then these factors retracted and refined by investigating their importance in the Palestinian construction context through interviewing experts, professionals and project managers in construction sector. Much researches concerning sustainable construction management involves asking and obtaining answers to questions through conducting surveys of people by questionnaires and interviews “face-to-face or telephone interviews” (Diaz-Sarachaga et al., 2017; Ugwu and Haupt, 2007; Shen et al., 2010; Banihashemi et al., 2017). After collecting data in the first stage, such data are analyzed to discover and explore the most influential sustainability factors as well as the relation between these factors in order to form a framework of the critical sustainability factors for construction project management in Palestine. Creswell et al. (2003) defined this sequence of qualitative data collection which followed by a quantitative data analyses as “Sequential Exploratory Design”. Therefore, the logical framework to conduct this study is by using the “Mixed Exploratory Sequential Design Methodology”. Recently, this framework has been followed by several studies (Ramaraj and Nagammal, 2017; Law et al., 2017; Watson et al., 2017; Banihashemi et al., 2017). It is also recommended to combine mixed methods in construction management researches (Pinto and Patanakul, 2015). 42 3.4 Research Methodology Flow Chart This section summarizes and clarifies the followed methodology in this research, Figure 7 illustrates the methodology flow chart of the study, which consists of six stages as shown below. Figure 7: Research Methodology Flow Chart. Stage 1: the first phase of the study includes a review of the existing literatures concerning project management, sustainable development, construction management, sustainable project management, and sustainable construction project management. A pool of sustainability factors affecting construction management field were collected to refine it in the next phase. Stage 2: This phase includes a collection of qualitative data by semi- structured interviews, which combine some structured questions with some unstructured exploration of participants‟ opinions (Wilson, 2014). Semi- 43 structured interviews have a number of prepared questions, but such questions are relatively open, can be changed in wording and sequence, and can be modified based on the interviewer‟s opinion, at the same time, it should be improved in a theorized and careful way (Wengraf, 2001). The need for qualitative techniques “interviews” is to verify the findings from literature review by different perceptions and opinions of experts and stakeholders concerning sustainable construction project management practices in the West Bank/ Palestine “content validity”. This step deems to suit the collected construction sustainability factors and indicators to the Palestinian context. It explores multiple meanings that participants attached to sustainability perceptions as well as the influential factors that may aid or impede the integration of sustainability considerations. Additionally, it embodies the social reality of principles, which change from project to project, due to the surrounding conditions and the participant‟s subjective natures (Bryman, 2012, p.31). Stage 3: this phase includes the second stage of data collection by using a questionnaire, which is proposed to assess the importance of the refined sustainability Practices list on sustainable construction projects management. Respondents will indicate their level of implementation of the previously selected sustainability practices on the sustainable construction management in Palestine by using 5 points Likert scale. 44 Stage 4: this phase includes data analysis by following the Partial Least Square (PLS-SEM) methodology. The Smart PLS statistical software was used to perform data analysis and get results. Stage 5: this phase consists of the conceptual framework development. This framework is proposed as a useful instrument for practitioners and project managers in construction projects, since by using this framework they can enhance their sustainable construction management performance. Stage 6: this phase consists of conclusions and recommendations to the practitioners in the Palestinian construction industry, in addition to the future researches suggestions. 3.5 Research Population and Sample Size The proposed target population of this study is the consulting engineering offices, construction governmental departments, NGOs that implement construction projects, and construction-contracting firms which participate in the CPM stages in the West Bank/Palestine. According to the Engineering Association headquarter in Ramallah-West Bank, engineering offices are classified in relevance to their experience into four levels, starting from 3 rd class engineering office and ending with consultant engineering office with highest experience level (Palestinian Engineers Association, 2014). In reference to the Engineering Companies and Offices Body Annual report for the year 2017, the number of the engineering 45 companies and offices in the West Bank reached 697 offices, and the number for each classification is as illustrated in Table 6 below. Table 6: The Distribution of the Engineering Offices According to their Classification. Number of Engineering Offices Classification 241 Consultant office 140 1 st class Engineering office 249 2 nd class Engineering office 67 3 rd class Engineering office 697 Total For contracting companies, and according to the Palestinian Contractors Union (PCU), contracting companies are classified under five major specialties: building construction, road construction, water and sewage, electromechanically, and public works. For each field, contractors are classified into different levels in relevance to their experience, capital, equipment, and the executed projects. For road, building, water and sewage construction-contracting companies, there are 5 classifications. In this study the target population is the 1 st classified companies which participate in CPM from inception stage, that to ensure acceptable respondents experience. Now, in order to estimate the required minimum sample size, in PLS-SEM, the “10-times rule” is the widely used estimation method (Hair et al., 2011). This method depends on the maximum number of model links, where the minimum sample size should not be less than 10 times the maximum number of inner or outer links pointing at any latent variable in the model (Goodhue et al., 2012). In this study, the maximum number of 46 links is six pointing at the SCPMP latent variable as shown in Figure 6, therefore according to the “10-times Rule”, the minimum number of study sample should not be less than 60 samples. The “10-times rule” is very simple for application, that why so many researches preferred to use it, but it tends to yield imprecise estimates (Kock and Hadaya, 2018). An alternative to the “10-times rule” is the minimum R-squared method, which in addition the maximum number of arrows pointing at a latent variable, the minimum R-squared method depends also on the significance level used, and the minimum R-square in the model, which make it more relatively accurate than the “10-times rule”. In this study, the used significance level is 0.05, the maximum number of arrows pointing at on construct is six, and the minimum R-square in the model is 0.697. Therefore, with reference to Table (B) in appendix (B), which is a reduced version for the minimum R-squared method focuses on the significance level of .05 by Hair et al. (2014, p. 21), the closest cell shows a minimum sample size of 48 samples. 3.6 Field Survey and Data Collection Survey is a widely used method to provide a representative sample of the area of the study. It is considered as an effective and efficient way of looking at greater number of variables compared with experimental approach (Galiers 1992), and it involves eliciting data from respondents 47 using several methods. Data collection methods in survey studies include interviews, questionnaires, observation, examination of documents, and a variety of other motivational techniques such like projective tests (Robson, 2002). In general, in survey research, interviews, observing people and phenomena, and administering questionnaires are the main three main data- collection methods (Sekaran and Bougie, 2003). There are different types of data required in this research: the sustainable practices, drivers, and barriers affecting CPM, from existing literatures, and the surveyed data from practitioners of construction project management in the West Bank/Palestine. In this research, two of the data collection methods are used, which are the interviews and questionnaire. The first method was used to explore sustainability practices, drivers and barriers affecting SCPM in the West Bank through interviewing academics and professionals who are involved and experienced in the sustainable construction field. The latter is used to build and form the proposed conceptual framework of the study. 3.6.1 Interviews The interview is simply a qualitative approach to social sciences, which aims to collect descriptions of the life world of the interviewees through a conversation (Kvale, 1996). In other words, interviews are the suitable data collection tool to gather in depth information concerning specific topic or subject (Schostak, 2005). Researches demonstrated four types of 48 interviews: the first type is the structured interview, where interviewees has less freedom, since the questions are direct and predetermined with immediate responses (Alshenqeeti, 2014). The second type is the semi- structured interview, which is more flexible than the first type, and it allows the interviewer to get information by expanding interviewee‟s responses (Rubin & Rubin, 2005). The third type is the unstructured interview, where greater flexibility is allowed for both; the interviewer and the interviewees (Gubrium and Holstein, 2002). Finally, the fourth type is the focus group interviewing, where a purposive group are selected, to discus and focus on a specific topic (Barbour and Schostak, 2005). In this study, semi-structured interviews are utilized with eleven academics and professionals who were selected carefully based on their experience in construction projects management field and their cognition in sustainability knowledge. 3.6.1 Interview Content Validation Before proceeding in the interviewing process, the prepared semi-structure interview was validated by consulting three recommended academics in the Civil Engineering Departments in different Palestinian universities as shown in Appendix (C). They were asked to comment on the proposed interview language, order, relativeness, consistency, time, and the overall structure. 49 3.6.2 Questionnaire Survey The questionnaire is a widely used data collection methodology, it is a written list of questions which answered by small or large numbers of respondents (Frankfort-Nachmias and Nachimas, 1992). The successful questionnaire survey depends significantly on the design of its content, so serious precautions must be taken while designing its content, structure and response format (Hoinville and Jowell, 1978). 3.6.2.1 Questionnaire Design The questionnaire is the selected quantitative data collection tool; it was designed based on collected data from existing literatures on SCPM practices. The questionnaire started with a brief description of the study objectives, description of its parts, sections and sub-sections, and the expected time to complete it. The questionnaire consists of five major parts as follows:  First part investigates general information, including the respondent work experience in construction field and the work position, organization place and type, the organization experience in construction field and the main specialization.  Second part explores the implementation of SCPM practices; it is divided into four sections following the construction project management consecutive stages and each section is divided to three sub-sections concerning sustainability pillars (Economic, Social, and Environmental). 50 The first section explores implementation of sustainability practices in the inception & feasibility stage, the second section explores implementation of sustainability practices in the design stage, the third section explores implementation of sustainability practices in the tendering stage, and the final section explores implementation of sustainability practices in the construction stage.  Third part is divided into two sections: the first section explores barriers to the implementation of SCPM, and the second section investigates the drivers of SCPM adoption in the Palestinian construction sector.  Fourth part explores general factors affecting SCPM for the context of Palestinian construction sector.  Fifth part represents the qualitative part of the questionnaire by giving respondents space to express their notes, comments, or any additional information concerning SCPM in Palestine. 3.6.2.2 Questionnaire Content Validation Following the same way how the interview was validated, the proposed questionnaire was presented to the recommended academics (See Appendix C), and they were asked to comment on the questionnaire parts, sections, and sub-sections and indicate their opinion on the content appropriateness to measure the intended purpose of the study. In addition, they were asked to approve language, time, consistency, relevance, and the overall structure. 51 3.7 Data Analysis Approach This section presents the selected analysis techniques to draw the results of the collected data, following the sequential mixed approach, which includes qualitative and quantitative data as mentioned and discussed before. 3.7.1 Interview Analysis As discussed before, the qualitative data of the study was collected using the semi-structure interview process with eleven academics and field experts who are familiar with construction project management and sustainability knowledge. The collected qualitative data was handled and analyzed following the “Thematic Analysis” approach. “Thematic analysis” is an accessible and flexible qualitative data analysis methodology; it organizes the qualitative data set into identified pattern of meanings (themes) (Clarke and Braun, 2014). It demonstrates which themes are essential in reflecting and describing the phenomenon under study (Daly et al., 1997). Verbal interviews and textual newspaper data are considered the most appropriate kinds of data whom should be thematically analyzed (Harper and Thompson, 2011). Thematic analysis procedure is summarized by Clarke and Braun, (2014) in six consecutive phases as follow: 1. Familiarizing yourself with your data: the first step is transcribing the collected data, read it carefully, and writing the initial ideas. 52 2. Generating initial codes: the second step is coding the interesting features of collected data, and collecting relevant data for each code. 3. Searching for themes: the third step is combining codes into potential themes, and gathering data relevant for each theme. 4. Reviewing themes: the fourth step is checking themes in relation to codes and the entire data set, and drawing the thematic map for analysis. 5. Defining and naming themes: the fifth step is the analysis of each theme specifics, and the overall story the theme tells, and generating names and definitions for each theme. 6. Producing the report: the final step in thematic analysis is final analysis of the vivid and compelling extracts, relating the analysis to the research questions and literature, producing the scholarly report of analysis. 3.7.2 Questionnaire Analysis The conceptual analytical model of the research suggests number of relations between sustainability practices in CPM stages and the construction projects management performance. As discussed in the introduction, the objectives and the hypothesis of the study is concentrated on exploring the relations between such sustainability practices and the SCPM performance by following the mixed analytical approach. According to Ullman and Bentler (2003), the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is the appropriate method for conducting both confirmatory and exploratory 53 researches. SEM is an effective second-generation multivariate analysis method for complex structural paths and measurement models with multiple latent variables and levels of constructs (Williams et al., 2009; Astrachan et al., 2014). In addition, SEM is utilized for either confirm prior established theories “confirmatory studies”, or identify relations between variables and data patterns “exploratory studies” (Hair et al., 2016). Moreover, SEM has significantly utilized in management field in the past decade (Xiong et al., 2015). 3.7.2.1 Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS- SEM) According to Hair et al. (2016), SEM has two types: the first is the covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM), and the second type is the variance- based partial least square-SEM (PLS-SEM). CB-SEM is utilized to reject or confirm theories when relation between variables are tested empirically, while the PLS-SEM is used in exploratory researches to develop theories (Hair et al., 2012). Hair et al. (2011) presented a rule of thumb that can be utilized when deciding whether to use CB-SEM or PLS-SEM, these rules of thumps are summarized in Table 7. 54 Table 7: Rules of Thumb for Selecting CB-SEM or PLS-SEM. Decision considerations When to use PLS-SEM When to use CB-SEM Research Goals Research is exploratory Predicting key driver constructs Theory testing and confirmation Model Specifications Formative constructs are parts of the structural model Structural model is “complex” model is nonrecursive Data Characteristics Small sample size Normality is not requested Needs large sample size Model evaluation subsequent analyses for the latent variable When global goodness-of-fit model is required need to test for measurement model invariance Hair et al. (2016) recommended the selection of the PLS-SEM over CB- SEM, because of its ability to obtain solutions in any situation, especially with small sample size, complex models with large number of indicators as well as several exogenous and endogenous constructs, hypothesis is less created, and non-normal data distribution. In addition, PLS-SEM combines explanation and prediction perspectives to model estimation. Therefore, in this study, the collected quantitative data was analyzed by using the PLS- SEM approach. 55 Chapter Four Data Analysis and Results 4.1 Chapter Overview This chapter presents the results of the qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Data in this study were analyzed following two approaches; the first one was the thematic analysis approach for analyzing qualitative data, which was collected via interviewing experts. The second data analysis approach was the Partial Least Squares-SEM for analyzing the quantitative data and testing hypothesis. 4.2 Interview Analysis As demonstrated in the research methodology, the research utilized the qualitative data collection approach “semi-structured interviews” in order to discuss the real situation of SCPM in the West Bank/ Palestine. Eleven interviews were held with variety of experts and academics who are familiar and sufficiently experienced in sustainability concepts, sustainable development concepts, and the construction project management field as shown in Table 8. 56 Table 8: Profile of Interview Participants. No. Role Years of Experience Institution Interviewee 1 General Manager 24 Government Interviewee 2 Institution Manager 13 NGO Interviewee 3 General Manager 16 NGO Interviewee 4 General Manager 7 Engineering Office Interviewee 5 General Manager 11 Engineering Office Interviewee 6 General Manager 17 Engineering Office Interviewee 7 Manager 8 Engineers Association Interviewee 8 General Manager 22 Government Interviewee 9 Academic lecturer 11 University Interviewee 10 Academic lecturer 24 University Interviewee 11 Manager 16 Government The interview started with verbal description of the research topic and the research objectives, in addition to a brief summary of sustainability, and sustainable project management definitions in reference to Silvius and Schipper (2014); to insure the consistency of interviewee‟s responses. In addition, it was made clear for the interviewees that the semi-structured interview will take around 30 minutes, all personnel information will be treated with high level of confidentiality, all gathered data will be used only for scientific research objectives, then the interview was proceeded as shown in Appendix (D). As discussed before, the researcher handled and analyzed collected qualitative data by following the thematic analysis procedure by Clarke and Braun (2014). As a result, the interested features of collected data were coded under different issues, and then, the researcher combined the codes under the potential themes as shown in Table 9. All interviewees agreed on 57 sustainability requirements adoption in the CPM practices alongside the project iron triangle (time, cost and scope). Table 9: Themes, Categories and Codes Discussed. Codes Issue(s) discussed Themes Location analysis Economic Inception Economic SCPM Practices Consulting contractors Consulting Suppliers Use existing Infrastructures Traffic Plan Economic Design Durable material Local Material use Flexible working location Tender technical evaluation Economic Tendering Tender financial evaluation Local Employment Economic Implementation modern construction technology Society Participation Social Inception Social SCPM Practices Local Acceptance Flexible working time Social Design Workers Training Social Implementation PMT training Carbon emissions Environmental Design Environmental SCPM Practices Renewable material Green areas Materials recycling Environmental Implementation Special smoking areas Dust control Supply Plan Environmental Inception Environmental Impact Assessment Electronic Tendering Environmental Tendering Less Knowledge Ability limitations Barriers to SCPM Economic situation Recycling abilities Tender selection criteria Technical criteria Occupation Control resources Financial Incentives Governmental Support Drivers of SCPM Decision maker support Tax reduction Taxes on nonrenewable resources Non-Compliance penalties University courses Sustainability Knowledge 58 4.2.1 Theme 1: Economic SCPM Practices This theme discusses and analyzes the economic sustainability pillar. The interviewees insured the importance of considering economic sustainability practices through all the CPM stages, i.e. inception, design, tendering, and implementation stage. First, interviewees discussed the need for site analysis in the project inception and feasibility stage, for example, analyzing the ability of exploiting the existing infrastructure in the project place could decrease costs from 30-40%. In addition, contractors and suppliers consulting and participation during the inception stage is very important, since that would decrease costs by releasing the vagueness in the project specifications and requirements and it will insure the availability of needed resources which in turn will save time and cost. Second, in the project design stage, interviewees insisted on the importance of designing a traffic plan in order to reduce transportation as much as possible, and utilizing local durable material. They also suggested adoption of flexible working place technique, this will save time and money due to less transportation time and offices needed. Third, in the tendering stage interviewee, especially those who are working in engineering offices insured the need for differentiating between the financial evaluation and the technical evaluation of tenders in the 59 Palestinian CPM, since the selection of the lowest price might detract from the technical sustainability needs in the CP design specifications. Finally, for practices affecting the economic implementation of the CP in Palestine, interviewees agreed on the local employment, which in turn would enrich the local economy. In addition, they pointed out on the importance of adopting modern construction techniques, which will save time and money. 4.2.2 Theme 2: Social SCPM Practices Since interviewees agreed on the importance of sustainability requirements adoption in the Palestinian CPM. This theme is for analyzing social CPM practices that are practiced and should be more practiced by the construction sector in Palestine. First, interviewees pointed out the significant rule of society participation in the inception stage, this practice will insure the local acceptance and the survival of the project through all its management stages. Second, in the project design stage, interviewees suggested the need for shifting from restricted working time in to flexibility in working time and evaluation in reference to the employee achievements and effectiveness, which would increase the employee satisfaction and save their time. Finally, in the CP implementation stage, according to the interviewees, one of the most important needed practices in order to integrate sustainability in 60 CPM in Palestine is providing training courses on sustainability practices and requirements for workers and the PMT. 4.2.3 Theme 3: Environmental SCPM Practices This theme is for analyzing environmental practices needed for sustainability integration in the Palestinian CPM. In the project inception stage, interviewees agreed on two crucial environmental practices for the Palestinian CPM, which are environmental impact assessment and supply plan with less transportation. During project design stage, interviewees highlighted three environmental practices, which are selecting renewable materials, considering carbon emissions, and designing for green areas. In the project tendering stage, a number of interviewees suggested the transition from hardware tendering document to software utilization tendering process with less paper works. Finally, in the project implementation stage, the most mentioned environmental practices were dust control, due to its high impact on the surrounding environment, material reuse and recycling, and one of the interviewees suggested customizing special smoking places in the project site. 4.2.4 Theme 4: Barriers to SCPM The researcher discussed with interviewees the barriers to the successful implementation of sustainability requirements in the Palestinian construction management sector. One of the most serious barriers that would obstruct sustainability implementation is the limited available 61 abilities, for example, the limited available knowledge and lessons learned on sustainability and its requirements. In addition, as discussed by interviewees, the modest Palestinian economic situation would affect the adoption of sustainability requirements as a priority in construction management, for example, there are no available enough recycling companies for recyclable materials generated in the construction site. Another highlighted barrier to the implementation of SCPM, especially by those who are working in designing offices, is tendering selection criteria. They claimed that financial criteria is always preferred over the technical selection criteria, which would detra