1,721,379 research outputs found
Project Flexibility in Large Engineering Projects
Get PDFTraditionally, projects tend to strive for increased predictability by managing details and attempting to bring all variables under control. However, experience shows that the chance of realising a plan without major amendments decreases with an increasing time horizon, which points to a need for flexible projects. A number of scholars argue that flexibility is necessary to face changes and uncertainty in the business environment. On the other hand, flexible projects are generally not described as desirable in project management literature. These conflicting approaches to flexibility have justified an analysis of the dynamics related to project flexibility, both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. Such an analysis is presented in this thesis,based on analyses of large engineering projects in Norway. Most of the projects are governmental investments.
This thesis aims at structuring knowledge on project flexibility. Two types of results have emerged; the first related to how to analyse project flexibility, and the second related to how to manage flexible projects. Based on studies of different parts of the life cycle of projects, the research provides indications as to how flexibility can be addressed in the front-end phase of large public investments. A framework for analysing project flexibility is also proposed.
Chapter 1 discusses flexibility in a project management perspective, and raises key research questions. The research presented in this thesis addresses the dynamics between utilising benefits from flexible approaches and avoiding drawbacks. Being flexible is characterised by a capability to adapt to new, different or changing requirements.
Flexibility is used in a rather wide sense in the thesis, but is always related to the managing effects of uncertainty. Project flexibility includes adjustments and preparations in response to both internal and contextual uncertainty, such as for example, scope change management, iterative decision process and adjustments related to uncertain funding. Chapter 1 ends with two key research questions related to how to analyse and manage project flexibility.
Chapter 2 presents the research design. The thesis is based on nine papers. These papers are summarised in part one of the thesis. Three main data sources have been used, along with complementary information. First, project evaluations and summaries of 18 Norwegian investment projects have been analysed. Second, this research has benefited from access to an established database for major governmental investments, including results from 48 front-end assessments of large governmental projects. Third, a wider range of data has been collected in a multi-case study of four Norwegian railway projects.
The research is based on an inductive-deductive approach, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative information. Validity and reliability associated with the data used in this thesis are not sufficient to provide solid answers, taken in isolation. As is common in project management research, the small samples in the studies generally do not support statistical analysis of the data, particularly when subgroups of the material are subject to analysis. However, the research has taken previous studies of related issues into account.The results presented in the thesis support many of the findings from other studies, but also indicate some nuances to common understanding of project flexibility. Further research is needed to clarify to what extent these indications are of a general nature or project-specific.
Chapter 3 discusses project flexibility in different project phases. A distinction is made between three project phases: front-end, planning and execution. Both this thesis and previous research point to a flexible front-end phase as the least controversial aspect of project flexibility. Low flexibility after the front-end phase increases the likelihood of projects being completed on time, within budget and according to specifications. Some models and measures of project flexibility in a time perspective are also presented in this chapter.
Chapter 4 analyses project flexibility from a stakeholder perspective. Project stakeholders are actively involved in a project, or their interests may be positively or negatively affected by the project. Project flexibility is perceived differently by different stakeholders. Flexibility for one project stakeholder can be another stakeholder’s risk.
An analysis of flexibility in stakeholder perspective called for a distinction between internal and external project flexibility. Project internal flexibility relates to flexibility within defined scope – how requirements are to be met. External flexibility refers to adjustments of project scope – what requirements are to be met. Project internal flexibility appears to be particularly desirable to project managers and contractors. Project external flexibility is more likely to be looked upon favourably by users and project owners. Incentives open to stakeholders affect their approaches to project flexibility. In general, flexible projects have a value for stakeholders which benefit from adjustments and come at a cost for those who have to adapt.
Chapter 5 highlights the relevance of efficiency and effectiveness when discussing flexible projects. In general, efficiency is related to producing direct project outputs, often measured in terms of cost, time and quality. Effectiveness is related to added value for owners and users. The case in favour of flexibility emphasises the possibility to increase a project’s effectiveness. The case against project flexibility highlights the negative effects on efficiency due to changes and the possibilities for frustration due to lack of decisions and commitments.
Analyses presented in this thesis indicate challenges in materialising the expected benefits of flexible projects. On the other hand, the expected decrease in efficiency in flexible projects has been frequently observed throughout the analysis. Chapter 5 also addresses redundancy as an enabler for project flexibility. Redundancy is created when more resources than strictly necessary are available. The logic behind redundancy is that a project with redundant resources will be efficient because it can be executed as planned, compared to a project with no redundancy that turns out to be error-prone in reality.
Chapter 6 discusses flexibility related to modularity, flexible decision processes and flexible final products. Flexibility in the decision process means that decisions and commitments in projects are made sequentially over phases. Flexibility in the product is achieved when the final product that a project is to produce is prepared for alternative use. There are indications that flexible projects utilise both flexible products and flexible decision processes, rather than emphasising one of these dimensions at the expense of the other. When analysing flexibility in decision processes, there was a need to make a distinction between planned and actual approaches to flexibility. Actual approaches turn out to be different from planned ones.
Modularity can be an enabler for flexible project management. On a macro level, modularity means that projects are divided into independent sub-units. Decision makers can then make incremental commitments to each sub-unit at a time. In the studied projects, macro modularisation was associated with cost control but also with lower benefit realisation than planned. On a micro level, modularisation means a decomposition of a product into modules with specified interfaces. Such modularisation can reduce the ‘knock-on’ effects of design changes.
Chapter 7 summarises a framework for analysing project flexibility and indicates guidelines for managing flexible projects. The framework for analysis consists of project flexibility categorisations, perspectives of analysis, and flexibility drivers and enablers. Approaches for the management of project flexibility are also suggested in Chapter 7. Successful strategies for project flexibility either aim at avoiding flexibility or at enabling projects to be flexible. Projects can avoid adjustments or live with them. One key to successful flexibility management in projects lies in the transition from an initial open-minded environment to the subsequent focused phases. Based on the results in the thesis, an attempt is made to list approaches to project flexibility management.
Even though the results are based on studies of only a few projects, there are indications that the drawbacks of flexible projects are largest when projects do not prepare for future adjustments. This notion is consistent with previous works on flexibility, which highlight that flexible decisions require a structural framework of strategies and guidelines. The suggested approaches and categorisations related to project flexibility are intended as an input to such a structural framework
The Author / as Editor / as Producer. Preliminary Notes on the Aesthetic Function of the Editor
No full textIn Walter Benjamin’s ”The Author as Producer”, the writer is urged to identify with the worker in terms of a producer – i.e. not only on an ideological level, but with regards to the technological conditions of production within a given historical moment – in order to become both politically and aesthetically effective. This, in turn, must take place through an elimination of the demarcation lines between specific mediums and their affiliated competences. In this sense (at least according to Benjamin, in 1934), doing away with the ’barrier’ between text and image, for instance, would be a way of escaping a bourgeois production apparatus. One aspect of this idea of the author as producer, is that the author here assumes the figure of what is essentially an editor: someone who identifies, collects, modifies, constellates and distributes cultural artifacts – regardless of medium, regardless of publishing surface; a practice that is not medium specific, and implies an unconstrained mobility between different technologies of cultural production and distribution. One consequence of the general digitalization of contemporary culture is that the distinction between the figure of the author and the editor has become eminently uncertain. Can Benjamin’s 1934 reflection on cultural production be beneficial for developing tools to describe what one could call an recent editorial turn of artistic practice? Is this assumed ’turn’ actually a longer historical process, made visible by the emergence of digital editing (in a broader sense)? And in what ways can it help to uncover hitherto hard to discern aspects of historical art and literature
Opportunity Management in Construction Projects. How to Utilise Opportunities
Get PDFThis PhD thesis studies various ways of utilising opportunities in construction projects. Enabling the exploitation of opportunities is of interest to project practitioners, aiming to ensure that their projects are delivered on time within the budget.
Opportunity management is a proactive part of project risk management. It aims to achieve project management success with minimum negative effects on the needs of key stakeholders. Previous studies on opportunity management outline response strategies for opportunities and describe how opportunity management processes are coordinated in reallife projects. Case studies show that opportunities can be exploited by applying alternative construction execution methods and implementing scope changes. However, some construction projects still suffer from cost overruns and delays.
This thesis addresses specific knowledge gaps to enable project practitioners to exploit opportunities in construction projects. First, opportunity management literature lacks an extensive set of opportunity management enablers. Such enablers are activities and practices for identifying opportunities in projects. Second, project practitioners should avoid or mitigate negative effects that can be expected from the utilisation of opportunities. For instance, opportunities arising from scope changes that cause project delays, as well as those originating from opportunism, result in negative effects that require mitigation. However, opportunity management literature does not sufficiently address the negative effects associated with such opportunities.
The research questions (RQ) raised in this thesis are as follows:
RQ1: which opportunity management enablers do practitioners apply at various project phases?
RQ2: what effects can be expected from applying the enablers?
The research scope of this thesis is limited to the application of opportunity management enablers at the project level, spanning from the front-end phase through to the completion of the construction phase. This thesis primarily studies the identification of opportunities that can deliver cost and time benefits or add measurable value to clients and end users. The research scope covers opportunity management within construction projects in an international context. The thesis findings are to a certain extent generalisable and applicable to other construction projects worldwide.
A multiphase mixed-methods approach was selected as an overarching research approach for this thesis. The research employed a wide range of research methods, such as literature review, analysis of pre-project data, case study and machine learning (ML). Various datasets were utilised, including peer-reviewed articles and case studies, quality assurance (QA2) reports, project documentation, and project planning data.
The thesis findings suggest that project practitioners apply various opportunity management enablers throughout the project lifecycle, irrespective of the project delivery model. Value engineering (VE) studies, Building Information Modelling (BIM), and waste reduction methods have been frequently used in construction projects. However, the use of workflow improvement planning systems, constructability analysis, and stakeholder management for opportunity identification have been reported less frequently in recent case studies.
Predefining scope reductions at the front-end phase can help optimise the budget. However, an increase in project uncertainty reduces the possibility of predefining scope reductions at the early stage. The most frequent types of predefined scope reductions are associated with quality, functionality and volume.
The thesis findings indicate that contracting parties gain more information about the project’s scope during the construction phase, enabling to perform optimisations. Contractor involvement in the optimisation process facilitates the identification of opportunities. The key element of successful contractor involvement is economic incentives, such as pain/gain sharing. A case study on a railway project in Norway revealed that pain/gain sharing can be applied not only in collaborative projects but also in projects with traditional contracts.
The utilisation of opportunity management enablers typically results in positive effects that can be observed during project execution. VE studies and BIM have proven effective in achieving cost savings. Conducting VE studies can reduce project cost up to 10%. BIM can help avoid redesign efforts and the escalation of project costs in the 10–20% range. Constructability analysis is another viable approach that can reduce costs and shorten project duration. Predefining scope reductions at the front-end phase can address estimated cost uncertainty within the 32 – 69% range. Performing descoping and scope optimisations with contractor involvement through pain/gain sharing can help achieve cost savings of up to 8.63% of the initial contract price.
In addition to the positive effects of opportunities, negative effects also exist. A scope change may represent an opportunity. However, scope changes may cause delays that can compromise business goals and deprive end-users of the utility of the newly built facilities. The pilot ML models presented in this thesis suggest that ML algorithms are suitable for predicting potential project activity delays caused by variation orders (VO) associated with scope changes. The ability to detect potential delays using ML models will improve decisionmaking at the project management level.
Opportunities may arise from opportunism, leading to negative effects. While it is impossible to eradicate opportunism in construction projects, clients need to be prepared to prevent it. The early involvement of knowledgeable project members capable of flagging antecedents of opportunism is beneficial for clients.
The outcome of the PhD research presented in this thesis is a list of opportunity management enablers that have proven effective based on empirical data from large and medium-sized projects. Project practitioners should understand the project context and scope, the peculiarities of the selected project delivery model, and the end-users’ needs to choose a suitable set of opportunity management enablers. Furthermore, the thesis highlights potential negative effects that may arise during the management of opportunities and suggests measures to mitigate them. The selection of appropriate measures depends on the nature of the negative effects, contextual and internal project conditions, and the strategic preferences of the client organisation.
Finally, this thesis suggests that while successful implementation of opportunities relies on the technical expertise of project participants, mitigating the negative effects of opportunity management requires strong soft skills
Exploiting available data sources for ex-post evaluation of railway projects: Case illustrations with traffic and mobile phone data
Get PDFTechnological developments increase the amount of available data sources in all industries. This thesis focuses on how we can exploit these data sources in ex-post project evaluation to support evaluators with new insight. The focus has been on railways and railway projects.
A project should be evaluated to establish to what degree the intended effects on the users and the society are achieved. The ex-post evaluation should be carried out a few years after major infrastructure projects are completed. One matter that should be evaluated is tactical success, which is measured in terms of effectiveness. Effectiveness measures if the project achieved its goals and is typically assessed based on the change of state before and after. However, evaluators experience problems in getting hold of essential data on the pre- and post-situation. For the evaluators, data collected from the railway operations are mainly available as aggregated numbers from performance and evaluation reports.
Typical goals of railway projects are to reduce travel time and increase capacity and demand. Two measures of particular interest are therefore punctuality and traffic volume. Punctuality is whether the traffic runs according to the timetable, and statistical numbers on punctuality are well-developed measures. However, a deeper evaluation of punctuality can be provided by analysing delay propagation, and that has been more difficult to obtain a good measure on. The number of travellers is an important performance measure that has been difficult for evaluators to obtain good data on, often because train operators consider such data confidential business information. In addition, there is a challenge regarding varying quality and coverage of the available data on the number of travellers.
Data of relevance to ex-post project evaluation are generated and collected from both the construction phase and the operation phase. The data collected from railway operations are useful when evaluating the tactical and strategic success of a project. The conclusions drawn from this evaluation can provide useful insight and learning to the strategic planning and concept development of future projects. The author has provided two practical examples of how data generated and collected during railway operations can be exploited to obtain relevant information for the evaluation. This was done through thorough investigation into two measures of particular interest for ex-post evaluation of railway projects, i.e. delay propagation and number of travellers.
Delay propagation was analysed based on traffic data, and a method was developed to find cases of knock-on delay on single tracks. The tool allows an attempt at indicating the direction of knock-on effects. In addition, the method traces the propagation of delay from one train to the next to find the networks of dynamic delay propagations. Mobile phone data were investigated as an alternative source of the number of travellers. The possibility of using mobile phone data is interesting because it is independent of the railway operators. The study showed that it is possible to combine mobile phone data with railway infrastructure and train traffic data. The findings show a potential for utilising mobile phone data to collect the number of travellers on the railway.
The data collected from technologies used during the construction project are useful when evaluating the project execution. This includes the experience report, which is the internal form of knowledge sharing, and the evaluation of efficiency, which examines time, cost and quality. These evaluations are important for learning from similar projects during the construction phase and can contribute to faster decisions.
Ex-post project evaluation has traditionally been qualitative, but because of technological developments, more data from the railway operations are available. It is still a problem to get hold of data, especially when it is about private information, while other data sources have become more available. The two empirical studies are good examples of how such data can provide useful insight into the ex-post evaluation of railway projects
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Applications of AI in Construction: From ambition to practice
Get PDFThe topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in construction has sparked a lot of interest in recent years, with the emergence of new techniques, algorithms, and tools that have enhanced the way machines learn, reason, and interact with the real world. As a result, AI has moved from a largely theoretical field to a practical one, with a wide range of applications across industries.
Despite an increasing interest in AI in the construction industry, a gap remains between the potential the technology holds and its actual implementation at scale; there appears to be more hype than practical application.
Previous research has extensively explored the technical development of AI systems for specific areas of application, but more research is needed on the application of these systems in the construction context. More research on system design is necessary, and roadmaps and methodologies on how this can be done in practice are needed. This thesis explores the thematic intersection between the topics of project management, sustainability, and AI – an intersection that, until now, has remained relatively unexplored. Bridging the research gap is believed to help unlock the potential that AI holds for the construction industry.
The thesis addresses the following Research Questions (RQs):
• RQ1: What is the current state of the field, and what are the main challenges the field is facing?
• RQ2: What are the main dimensions of AI development and deployment in a construction context?
• RQ3: How can industry actors move from ambition to practice – starting today?
The work presented in this thesis is an extended summary of the research activities carried out throughout the PhD project period. The thesis is built on six studies and the resulting papers.
Paper I found that the biggest knowledge gap in the field is related to the practical implementation of AI technologies, and the implications related to the scalability and robustness of these technologies. Paper II proposed a set of effective AI-powered measures for waste reduction on construction sites and outlined relevant practical implications. The study defined a possible approach for developing a holistic implementation framework. Paper III illustrated how meaningful AI-based analyses can be conducted for low-resolution construction data. In Paper IV, the main barriers related to effective data management in the construction context were identified. Paper V explored how AI systems can be implemented as an integral part of existing processes, rather than an add-on. In Paper VI, AI proficiency and maturity among AI system developers, users, and implementers were assessed, and a system level implementation framework proposed.
Current state and main challenges
The construction industry is widely considered less digitalised compared to other industries. Still, progress is demonstrated for construction by both researchers and industry actors.
On the system level, a wide range of tools have been developed and successfully applied. However, few report on the use of AI beyond pilots and Proof of Concepts (PoCs); most research is focused on the potential use or technical development of AI models. On the project level, in-house or commercially available tools have been applied to one or more activities and processes. Findings indicate that this is generally done in isolation, meaning that next to no changes are made to how the project is planned or executed. This, in turn, means that the AI system simply becomes an add-on. On the organisational level, many actors are talking about digitalisation and utilization of AI. Yet, similarly to on the project level, required infrastructure is rarely established outside the group or department responsible for the development.
Challenges found across the system, project, and organisation levels are uneven application of resources to problems; lack of data and metadata; lack of anchoring in strategy; application work becoming too resource intensive; gaps between the academic field and the industry; limited transferability; lack of contextualisation; and fragmentation.
Main dimensions of implementation and integration
Findings and discussions uncovered seven main dimensions of implementation and integration of AI systems and tools in the construction context. The dimensions are strongly interrelated and interdependent. The dimensions are identified as data management; characteristics of the AI model; deployment; monitoring and maintenance; the human factor; organisational structures, roles, and responsibilities; and ethical considerations.
Proposed frameworks
The proposed system level framework is built to facilitate streamlined integration with existing processes and activities. The framework consists of seven steps: (S1) identifying the problem, (S2) assessment of feasibility, (S3) data collection, (S4) data pre-processing, (S5) model development, (S6) integration, and (S7) maintenance and monitoring. Fifteen sub-steps are defined, to guide the development and implementation process.
The framework for the project level is based on the NS 3467:2023 Stages and deliverables in the life cycle of construction works (Standard Norge, 2023) and outlines relevant areas of application, stakeholder management activities, and elements of infrastructure for each of the defined project phases.
On the organisation level, establishing data warehouses is identified as the most effective way to facilitate sustainable development and deployment of AI – both on the system and project level. Data fetched from the data warehouse can be used for analytics, data mining, reports, and system development.
The main contributions of the thesis can be summarised as follows:
• Bridging a gap between the fields of project management, AI, and sustainability.
• Empirical validation and detailed descriptions of practical implications as a supplement to conceptual theory.
• Providing a comprehensive and practically oriented overview of the current state of the field and identify the eight perceived main challenges to hinder effective and efficient application.
• Identifying the main dimensions of AI system development and implementation.
• Proposing standardised frameworks for the system, project, and organisation level. The frameworks are expected to contribute to increasing transparency, collaboration between stakeholders and to ultimately increase the sustainability of the process of development and implementation.
For academics, the thesis provides a well-defined starting point with many opportunities for future research. The thesis provides empirical validation of findings in a field that has previously been lacking empirical data and research on implementation and performance beyond small-scale testing and PoCs.
Practitioners can gain a deeper understanding of the potential and limitations within their own practices to take the first of many steps towards effective application of AI
Uncertainty Analyses of Time in Construction Projects
No full textThe aim of this master thesis is to investigate how uncertainty analysis on time can contribute to a better foundation for decision-making in the project planning phase, and by this reduce the total time spent in this phase. This thesis has been conducted as part of SpeedUp research project and in cooperation with OPAK.
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used in this master thesis, including a literature study and an exploratory case study. The case study further included interviews, an uncertainty analysis workshop on time, and scenario simulation using the software SimVision. The elected case study is a real life construction project in early planning phase, managed by OPAK.
An identified research gap on literature within the field of uncertainty analyses on time, and specifically literature focusing on how results from uncertainty analyses are analyzed and used, motivated the research in this thesis. Alternative methods, also explained in the theory chapter, which caught the author s interest were Thamhain (2013) s division of uncertainty into dimensions and the theory of System Dynamics presented by Jay Wright Forrester.
By conducting semi-structured interviews in OPAK the current procedure of uncertainty analyses on time were found to be in accordance with the Trinnvisprosessen and the Successive principle by Steen Lichtenberg, which were verified in the workshop. An interest for additional methods that would increase the probability of project success was also highlighted through interviews.
Among the findings in this thesis is an approach to adapt a construction project into a simulation software. Chapter 6 presents a short description of how to model projects in SimVision simulation software, with explanation of the general modelling elements and how to adjust the program functionality through various project settings. The simulation showed a relation to the system dynamics theory, combining system processes and behavioral factors as communication, formalization and centralization. Through scenario generation, the study showed that the degree of predictability within a project could increase by the usage of SimVision.
The elected framework for the simulation was early phase of a construction project, where a small amount of people conducted coordination-based activities that required high degree of communication. The findings from simulation showed that increased resources in each task would bring down the projects total duration. This may vary from reality, as more people to coordinate the coordination would delay the process. The author suggests a framework within a project phase with higher amount of resources, which does not have coordinative roles.
SimVision has been found to be a possible optimization tool towards forward scheduling, where project duration is defined by total activity duration, including several factors affecting duration, contrary to a traditional uncertainty analysis where estimates are made by people based on knowledge and experience
Uncertainty Analyses of Time in Construction Projects
Get PDFThe aim of this master thesis is to investigate how uncertainty analysis on time can contribute to a better foundation for decision-making in the project planning phase, and by this reduce the total time spent in this phase. This thesis has been conducted as part of SpeedUp research project and in cooperation with OPAK.
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used in this master thesis, including a literature study and an exploratory case study. The case study further included interviews, an uncertainty analysis workshop on time, and scenario simulation using the software SimVision. The elected case study is a real life construction project in early planning phase, managed by OPAK.
An identified research gap on literature within the field of uncertainty analyses on time, and specifically literature focusing on how results from uncertainty analyses are analyzed and used, motivated the research in this thesis. Alternative methods, also explained in the theory chapter, which caught the author s interest were Thamhain (2013) s division of uncertainty into dimensions and the theory of System Dynamics presented by Jay Wright Forrester.
By conducting semi-structured interviews in OPAK the current procedure of uncertainty analyses on time were found to be in accordance with the Trinnvisprosessen and the Successive principle by Steen Lichtenberg, which were verified in the workshop. An interest for additional methods that would increase the probability of project success was also highlighted through interviews.
Among the findings in this thesis is an approach to adapt a construction project into a simulation software. Chapter 6 presents a short description of how to model projects in SimVision simulation software, with explanation of the general modelling elements and how to adjust the program functionality through various project settings. The simulation showed a relation to the system dynamics theory, combining system processes and behavioral factors as communication, formalization and centralization. Through scenario generation, the study showed that the degree of predictability within a project could increase by the usage of SimVision.
The elected framework for the simulation was early phase of a construction project, where a small amount of people conducted coordination-based activities that required high degree of communication. The findings from simulation showed that increased resources in each task would bring down the projects total duration. This may vary from reality, as more people to coordinate the coordination would delay the process. The author suggests a framework within a project phase with higher amount of resources, which does not have coordinative roles.
SimVision has been found to be a possible optimization tool towards forward scheduling, where project duration is defined by total activity duration, including several factors affecting duration, contrary to a traditional uncertainty analysis where estimates are made by people based on knowledge and experience
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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