The research is taking the approach of qualitative assessment of risks by gathering descriptive data associated with risk identification stages of the risk management process in construction of infrastructure projects as well as insights on risk management from industry practice.

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Stage 1: Consultations with stakeholders

 

Preliminary consultations with research project supervisor were made in order to identify areas of research potentially beneficial to public and private practitioners of infrastructure sector in terms of relationship between risk identification and risk prediction.

 

Networking with industry practitioners was conducted as part of the events held at the university and was done in order to gain insight into the construction and infrastructure sectors by collection of first-hand information and establishing communications with potential interview participants.

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Stage 2: Review of academic literature

 

A review of all stages of risk management process in construction and infrastructure projects was conducted, including the role of uncertainty and how it is distinguished from risk. The topic of risk identification was reviewed closely in order to understand the sources of risks arising during planning, design, and delivery phases of infrastructure projects, and establish a list of methods for risk identification found in literature. The topic of risk classification was reviewed in order to understand the most common sources of risks inherent to infrastructure projects, and to outline various methods of risk classification an their applicability to the methods of risk identification found in academic literature and used in industry practice. The topic of risk registers was reviewed in order to understand how risk identification methods can improve quality of risk registers used in New Zealand.

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Stage 3: Interview data collection

 

A series of hourly semi-structured interviews will be conducted with professionals having more than 3 years of experience in the field of engineering and relative experience in any sector of infrastructure industry. Questions addressed will be aimed at gaining understanding about risk management processes used in the field, techniques used for risk identification, most frequently occurring risks, risk registers, and contingency planning.

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Stage 4: Data analysis and synthesis

 

The comparative analysis of the results of literature review and semi-structures interviews will conducted at this stage. The lines of analysis will include methods of risk identification used by industry practitioners and found in academic literature, use and type of information stored in risk registers and found in academic literature, and the role of risk identification and risk registers in formation of contingency plans by industry practitioners.

 

The comparative analysis is aimed at providing insights into potential improvements of quality of risk registers and ultimately risk contingency planning through enhancing the methods of risk identification in projects.

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Stage 5: Discussion of results

 

Discussion of the findings will be discussed at this stage, providing evidence base for the project research objective. Discussion will form along the lines of either discovering information with potential merit in terms of improving quality of risk registers and enhancing risk identification techniques or will state the lack of such.

 

Discussion of the results will conclude with potential areas of further research in the field of risk identification of infrastructure projects.