Oztas, A (1995) The mitigation of the effects of delays in construction projects: A knowledge based system approach. PhD thesis, University of Manchester, UK.
Abstract
The work presented in this thesis investigates the problems faced by site managers, construction managers or contractors in mitigating the effects of delays in construction projects. The mitigation is a mechanism for recovering the adverse time and cost consequences of delay in the best possible way to remain on the construction programme. This is a part of management decision making by using the factors of time and cost effects on the contract. This thesis offers construction practitioners a decision support system during their managerial decision-making process to overcome delay problems. Fundamental criteria and characteristics used have been identified during the selection of suitable activity(ies) for acceleration. This knowledge and experience were acquired from experienced construction managers by interviewing technique. The use of computers on linking of project management software with knowledge-based expert system technology is also investigated. In particular, any system should allow managers to view alternative actions and their priorities in the form of both a time-cost curve, and a tabular format, and simulate the consequences of a particular action. A prototype knowledge based expert system, called MICD, is proposed to formulate and capture the expertise into the computer and assist construction managers in managing construction delays occurring during the construction process. A hybrid knowledge representation is used for the development of the MICD system. It combines frame-based programming, which represents factual knowledge, and rule-based programming which represents inferential knowledge. The system was implemented using Golden Common Lisp programming environment and Goldworks III, a development tool for knowledge based expert systems. The system is validated on a fully detailed UK-based construction contract, which is an admeasurement bridge project.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction project; decision making; expert system; programming; site manager; contractor; decision support; prototype development; interview; UK |
| Index terms: | construction process, construction delay, decision-making, project management software, construction project, management decision, expert system, construction manager, mitigation, programming, manager, interview, decision support, prototype, programme, construction practitioner, site manager, construction contract, bridge project, acceleration, knowledge-based system, decision-making process |
| Subjects: | modelling and simulation, digital technology, artificial intelligence, contract type, profession, data collection methods, practitioner, programming, decision analysis, building construction, data management, project controls, infrastructure and transport systems, decision-making and reasoning, financial risk, professional development, production management |
| Topics: | Time Control, Site Management, Digital Applications, Procurement, Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Project Management, Cost Management |
| 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