Lee, D E (2005) Probability of project completion using stochastic project scheduling simulation. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 131(3), pp. 310-318. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
This paper introduces a software, Stochastic Project Scheduling Simulation (SPSS), developed to measure the probability to complete a project in a certain time specified by the user. To deliver a project by a completion date committed to in a contract, a number of activities need to be carried out. The time that an entire project takes to complete and the activities that determine total project duration are always questionable because of the randomness and stochastic nature of the activities' durations. Predicting a project completion probability is valuable, particularly at the time of bidding. The SPSS finds the longest path in a network and runs the network a number of times specified by the user and calculates the stochastic probability to complete the project in the specified time. The SPSS can be used by a contractor: (1) to predict the probability to deliver the project in a given time frame and (2) to assess its capabilities to meet the contractual requirement before bidding. The SPSS can also be used by a construction owner to quantify and analyze the risks involved in the schedule. The benefits of the tool to researchers are: (1) to solve program evaluation and review technique problems; (2) to complement Monte Carlo simulation by applying the concept of project network modeling and scheduling with probabilistic and stochastic activities via a web based Java Simulation which is operateable over the Internet, and (3) to open a way to compare a project network having different distribution functions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | critical path method; monte carlo method; probability; risk analysis; scheduling; simulation; stochastic models |
| Index terms: | programme evaluation and review technique, Monte Carlo simulation, owner, modelling, internet, duration, project network, project scheduling, scheduling, critical path method, bidding, risk analysis, distribution function |
| Subjects: | probability and distributions, environmental hazards, sociology, project controls, computing systems, analytical methods, project planning, bidding, modelling and simulation, operations research |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Time Control, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Project Management, Sustainability, Procurement, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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