Utilizing group decision support systems to improve the processes and outcomes of value management workshops: Experimental studies

Value management (VM) participants often encounter problems of lack of active participation and insufficient time and information in decision analysis. Group decision support systems (GDSS) have been proposed to overcome the above problems by improving efficiency and effectiveness of VM studies. In order to investigate the effect of using GDSS in VM workshops, three experimental studies together with questionnaire surveys have been conducted to compare the traditional VM workshops and GDSS-supported workshops. The results have revealed that GDSS can help improve the performance of VM workshops in quantity of ideas, process efficiency and participants' satisfaction. These outcomes are valuable to the construction industry in Hong Kong, where both the government and the industry have called for wider use of VM, and yet users often encounter difficulties due to the large number of participants and short duration of the workshops.