Banihashemi, S A and Khalilzadeh, M (2021) Time-cost-quality-environmental impact trade-off resource-constrained project scheduling problem with DEA approach. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 28(7), pp. 1979-2004. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate project activities' efficiency in different execution modes for the optimization of time–cost-quality and environmental impacts trade-off problem. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a parallel Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method for evaluation of project activities with different execution modes to select the best execution mode and find a trade-off between objectives. Also, according to the nature of the project activities, outputs are categorized into desirable (quality) and undesirable (time, cost and environmental impacts) and analyzed based on the DEA model. In order to rank efficient execution modes, the ideal and anti-ideal virtual units method is used. The proposed model is implemented on a real case of a rural water supply construction project to demonstrate its validity. Findings: The findings show that the use of the efficient execution mode in each activity leads to an optimal trade-off between the four project objectives (time, cost, quality and environmental impacts). Practical implications: This study help project managers and practitioners with choosing the most efficient execution modes of project activities taking time–cost-quality-environmental impacts into account. Originality/value: In this paper, in addition to time and cost optimization of construction projects, quality factors and environmental impacts are considered. Further to the authors' knowledge, there is no method for evaluating project activities' efficiency. The efficiency of different activity modes is also evaluated for the first time to select the most efficient modes. This research can assist project managers with choosing the most appropriate execution modes for the activities to ultimately accomplish the project with the lowest time, cost and environmental impacts along with the highest quality.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction project; data envelopment analysis; mathematical programming model; multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem; time-cost-quality-environment |
| Index terms: | project scheduling, cost optimization, water supply infrastructure construction, environmental impact, mathematical programming, practitioner, construction project, methodology, validity, project manager, efficiency, data envelopment analysis |
| Subjects: | data analysis and analytics, practitioner, environmental impact, evaluation and assessment methods, profession, project controls, production management, research methods, algorithms, performance management, economics, civil engineering |
| Topics: | Cost Management, Research Practice, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Digital Applications, Quality Management, Time Control |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here