TY  - CONF
TI  - Pitfalls in value optimisation: corridor decisions in a Norwegian hospital
C1  - Singapore, Singapore
C3  - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34)
SP  - 1475
EP  - 1486
PY  - 2026
DO  - 10.24928/2026/0318
AU  - Drevland, Frode
AD  - Associate Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, frode.drevland@ntnu.no, orcid.org/0000-0002-4596-1564
ED  - Hamzeh, Farook
ED  - Poshdar, Mani
ED  - Garcia-Lopez,, Nelly P.
AB  - While the construction industry increasingly prioritises value delivery over the traditional Iron Triangle of cost, time, and scope, the practical mechanisms for optimising value remain under-explored. This paper investigates the decision-making process in a major Norwegian hospital project, specifically examining a contested choice between single- and double-corridor solutions. Through a single-case study comprising document analysis and 19 semi-structured interviews, this research analyses why the project discarded a solution favoured by clinical staff in favour of one that reduced investment costs.
The study identifies that the failure to substantiate the decision as value-optimal stemmed not from a lack of intent but from a lack of methodological capability. An abductively derived framework of three principal pitfalls is proposed: 1) Failure of Identification and Omission (missing factors), 2) Failure of Assessment (the lack of objective quantification leading to subjective bias), and 3) Failure of Weighing (the reliance on unstructured heuristics over formal methods). Using a mechanical analogy, the paper suggests that without quantifying the “Mass” (Attribute Magnitude) of operational factors – whether through empirical data, benchmarking, or simulation – decision-makers cannot correctly assign “Gravity” (Importance). This inevitably leads to precise investment costs dominating the outcome over fuzzy operational considerations.
KW  - Value optimisation
KW  - lean construction
KW  - decision-making
KW  - hospital design
KW  - CBA.
PB  - 
T2  - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34)
DA  - 2026/06/22
CY  - Singapore, Singapore
L1  - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/2593/pdf
L2  - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/2593
N1  - Export Date: 19 June 2026
DB  - IGLC.net
DP  - IGLC
LA  - English
ER  -