A robust planning and control methodology for design-build fast-track civil engineering and architectural projects

Abstract

A robust planning and control methodology is developed by integrating the applications of axiomatic design concept, concurrent engineering, graphical evaluation and review technique (GERT), and the system dynamics modeling technique. The goal of the proposed methodology is to help create a robust project plan for design-build fast-track civil engineering projects where unforeseen changes can be absorbed in the project schedule without creating major interruptions. The axiomatic design concept is applied to formulate and evaluate various work methodologies, and to compose the project plan based on the selected work methodology. The concept of concurrent engineering is adapted to develop a fast-tracking framework based on the task production rate, the upstream task reliability and downstream task sensitivity to upstream error. The duration of the project can be shortened by applying the recommended fast-tracking strategy. The GERT diagramming scheme is used to calculate the project duration probabilistically by incorporating the possible branches and loops in the project. The system dynamics modeling technique is applied to analyze the causality links of relevant factors in the construction system, and further identifies the important variables that determine the success of a particular overlapping strategy.