S. Alireza Abbasian-Hosseini

This research aims to determine the appropriate level of effort required for each step of the Observe–Plan–Do–Check–React (OPDCA) cycle to improve the workflow reliability of a construction project. Empirical data on detailed weekly meeting minutes over 18 weeks and the planned and actual starting and finish times of 475 activities were collected from a bridge construction case project. The information theory approach was utilized to measure the information gained from discussions pertaining to the OPDCA cycle during weekly planning meetings. Cooperative game theory and the Shapley notation of fairness were used to compute the contribution of each OPDCA step to workflow reliability. Results showed that “Observe”, “Plan”, “Do”, “Check”, and “reAct”, contributed 18%, 23%, 23%, 24%, and 12% to observed variations in workflow reliability measured by the percent plan complete (PPC). Also, findings revealed that synergy exists between the “Check” step and other steps in the OPDCA cycle. The methodology developed in this paper has potential implications for engineering managers. The method can be generalized to help project managers find the balance between planning and control efforts to improve workflow. It also provides proven techniques for continuous improvement during project execution to facilitate project success. Furthermore, at the organizational level, the developed method can help higher-level managers make informed investment decisions for employees’ training and development to improve performance in future projects.

In construction projects, an unreliable work plan causes unstable workflow, which often results in task completion delay, system throughput decrease, and waste increase. Such a workflow can be managed effectively by promoting work-plan reliability through better planning strategies. The Parade Game is a construction management educational tool that demonstrates the impact of production capacity variability (influencing work-plan reliability) on the construction project performance. Previous studies on Parade Game simulation assumed the same amount of variability across the board for all trades due to the interest of simplicity in simulation. However, in reality, the level of variability differs from one trade to another, depending on the complexity level of the work and effort in planning. Furthermore, the allocation of crews with different variability and its impact on project performance has not been studied in previous research. This paper further developed Parade Game simulation as an education tool by proposing a new simulation model that uses different variability levels and the corresponding costs at different work stations. The objectives of this research were to (1) identify the consequence of having higher or lower variability levels at early, middle, or late stations, and (2) demonstrate the benefits of reliability improvement from the cost and production standpoints. The contribution to the body of knowledge is that this research analyzed the cost and benefit trade-off between investment in planning reliability and productivity improvement in different scenarios of a construction production system.

As construction projects get larger and more complex, subcontractors can benefit from cooperation and by forming an alliance, such as partnering. Previous studies have discussed the benefit of cooperation or partnering among subcontractors and between them and other project stakeholders. However, there has been limited research to quantify the benefit of cooperation among subcontractors in performing high-reliable planning (HRP). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to quantify the benefit of cooperation among subcontractors in increasing their planning reliability at an operational level. Although HRP reduces the variability in a production system that significantly benefits the downstream subcontractors, it requires every subcontractor to put more time, cost, and effort into the planning stage, which may not be cost-effective for upstream subcontractors. To model the described situation, a simulation model (built by simulation software) was integrated with a cost model that identifies the relationship between cost and work-plan reliability (WPR) level. By utilizing different benefit-allocation models and evaluating their solutions, the paper demonstrates that a contribution-based benefit-allocation (CBBA) model using a game theory framework can provide the most acceptable and incentivizing solutions for the benefit-allocation problem. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in lean construction by quantifying the benefit of subcontractors’ cooperation in increasing their planning reliability.

Adequate planning is essential to successfully deliver a project. Construction site managers’ “planning” efforts include various levels: (1) identifying the sequence and timing of activities; (2) scheduling and organizing the wherewithal to perform the job; (3) planning with other project teams to coordinate for shared resources and/or interaction; and (4) designing the production system. Although there are several studies on construction project planning and its outcomes, the research pertaining to the effect of the on-site planning during construction on the performance is very limited. This research, via a questionnaire-based survey, identifies the relationship between the site manager’s effort on the 2nd and 3rd levels of planning and the work plan reliability (WPR), measured by the plan percent complete (PPC). The survey was distributed to site managers of general contractors and subcontractors in North Carolina, US. Eighty three useable survey responses were collected and classified based on management level, type of work, and project characteristics. Correlation analysis results show that there is a significant correlation between the efforts at the 3rd level of planning and the PPC average for the subcontractors. Results also show that the PPC variation decreases when more efforts are devoted on the 3rd level of planning.

Construction vehicles and equipment contribute to air pollution. To reduce pollution, numerous state and local jurisdictions limit the amount of time diesel engine vehicles or equipment can run at idle without shutting down. These restrictions vary widely indicating a need for improved understanding of the relationships between pollutant emissions and regulations establishing a maximum idle time in a construction setting. Previous studies have found that a reduction in operational efficiency will increase the amount of excess pollution, that is, the amount of pollution created in excess of that emitted by a construction operation under ideal conditions. Shutting down an engine can create a delay in re-entering the work stream and, therefore, reduce operational efficiency. In another study, the authors found that excess pollution would be minimal with a reasonably well-balanced, minimum or near minimum cost, construction equipment fleet composed of a single wheel loader (WL) working with different ...

It is widely accepted in the construction industry that contract documents, specifying the responsibility and risk of each participant, are the basis for project managers’ and superintendents’ decision making (DM). However, in practice strict adherence to the formal procedures and chains of command would not always be possible without an unacceptable expenditure of time and money. Although much attention is given to the decisions at the project manager and superintendent level, the underlying rules and mechanisms for the moment-to-moment DM at the site management level has not been documented. In this paper, a social network (SN)–based data envelopment analysis (DEA) benchmarking procedure (SDBP), which combines DEA (assessing the relative efficiency of DM units) and SN (concentrating on the relationships amongst DM units) to identify the benchmarks for the inefficient specialty trades (STs). This paper also uses a case study to illustrate how to implement the SDBP. This research contributes to the body of knowledge because it combines the DEA and SN analysis for the first time to propose a new method of identifying the improvement direction (benchmarks) for STs of a project. This technique is beneficial to project managers because it (1) untangles the role and effectiveness of the existing interactions and interdependencies among the STs, (2) evaluates the STs’ potential for being benchmarks, and (3) outlines how an inefficient ST can improve its performance through learning from the practices of other good performers (social learning).