Empowering Users as a Principle of Construction Project Management.

This article systematically reviews four main user-empowering participative approaches in construction project management—stakeholder engagement, user involvement, codesign, and Lean-led design—comparing them by actors involved, project types, project stages, and whether they are supplier- or user-driven. It highlights that traditional construction practices often underrepresent users, whose diverse and evolving needs are critical to delivering buildings fit for use and maximizing long-term value. The study proposes adopting user-empowering approaches as a guiding principle, especially during the planning stage, to better align design solutions with user needs and enhance project success. It also discusses challenges such as user legitimacy, resource constraints, and professional resistance, emphasizing the need for new skills and organizational maturity to implement participative methods effectively. The article contributes a contingency model illustrating a continuum of user involvement levels and calls for further research and education to support this shift in construction project management.