Echeverry, D (1991) Factors for generating initial construction schedules. PhD thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Abstract
Schedule generation is a vital construction planning tool which is founded on experiential knowledge and on engineering and management procedures. In this dissertation a Knowledge-based Systems (KBS) approach is followed for acquiring, formalizing and representing construction scheduling knowledge. The knowledge acquisition process is based principally on the interviewing of experienced construction schedulers from five different construction firms. This process results in the formalization of key factors utilized by experienced schedulers for developing initial construction schedules. A primary focus of this dissertation is the identification of the factors used to determine a logical sequencing of construction activities. Four major factors that govern activity sequencing are formalized in this dissertation: (1) physical relationships among building components, like supported-by, embedded-in, etc. ; (2) interaction among crews, equipment, materials, etc. ; (3) requirement of an interference-free path for components and their installation; and (4) code regulations to insure the safety of construction operations and the ability to supervise and inspect installed components. This dissertation also includes the development of a KBS prototype named CASCH, Computer-assisted $\underline{\rm Sch\/}$eduling, that incorporates a subset of the acquired knowledge. The function of the prototype is to serve as an aid to formalize and represent the acquired knowledge, and to demonstrate the feasibility of delivering scheduling knowledge in a way that enables user interaction. CASCH takes advantage of the object-oriented and rule-based knowledge representation tools offered by KEE$\rm\sp{\sc TM}$, the Knowledge Engineering Environment distributed by Intellicorp. The prototype does not address the knowledge of precise detail about components, nor detailed task ordering. It focuses on the typical sequencing rules to aid in the generation of macro-level schedules. This research work focuses on the scheduling of typical mid-rise commercial building construction. Typical mid-rise commercial building construction is defined here as the construction of building features that are common to most residential and office buildings.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Ibbs, C W |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | residential; construction firms; equipment; commercial building; construction planning; regulation; safety; scheduling; knowledge-based system; interview |
| Index terms: | construction activity, knowledge-based system, construction operation, office building, construction scheduling, commercial building construction, interaction, dissertation, construction planning, knowledge acquisition, prototype, construction firm, interview, scheduler, scheduling, building component, commercial building, regulation |
| Subjects: | project controls, building construction, student development, behavioral psychology, political science, architectural elements, modelling and simulation, operations research, artificial intelligence, construction operations, construction planning, data collection methods, research dissemination and communication, construction type, organization, practitioner |
| Topics: | Site Management, Education, Time Control, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Governance, Construction Technology, Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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