Choi, J (2006) Quantifying the effects of interference through use of an alternative method of productivity estimation. PhD thesis, University of Florida, USA.
Abstract
In order to determine the expected completion time of the highway pavement projects, the Department of Transportation (DOT) needs to be able to estimate the durations of individual activities required for the projects. The estimation for the activities on the critical path is even more important when calculating total project duration, and the asphalt pavement operation is one of those activities in the highway construction schedule. The objectives of this research were to develop, evaluate, and verify an alternative method to estimate construction productivity of the asphalt pavement operation. The researcher measured various productivity parameters from four pavement research projects. Each project fell into a different category when classified by geographic feature and the pavement structure. The researcher identified various interference factors and categorized them by their types such as weather, management, and work content. The factors were further categorized by their causes and association with each sub-task. The likely magnitude of each sub-task was quantified by the number of loads affected by each factor. Then the alternative time durations of each sub-task from each project were estimated using the Timed Petri-net (TPN) simulation model developed. Finally, the durations were entered to an existing pavement process model and productivity of pavement operations was estimated. The results showed that the accuracy of the productivity estimation was improved in all four research projects from different category. The estimation method developed was verified through two other pavement projects. For the weather and management interference, the researcher used the same magnitude estimated from one of the research projects that belongs to the same project category. However, for the work content interference, the actual magnitude was calculated because this information is available before production begins. The accuracy of productivity prediction was 27% and 31% respectively from the actual productivity. The researcher also applied statistical distribution to a sub-task duration and daily shift effect, and the accuracy was significantly improved to 1% and 9% respectively of the actual productivity. By using the alternative method proposed by this research, DOT can estimate construction productivity for the pavement operation more accurately.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Minchin, R E and Ellis, R D |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | accuracy; duration; highway; pavement; productivity; weather; simulation |
| Index terms: | critical path, estimation, asphalt pavement, completion time, accuracy, construction productivity, estimate, highway construction, productivity, duration, weather |
| Subjects: | civil engineering, professional development, financial and cost management, infrastructure and transport systems, operations management, air quality, management, operations research, project controls |
| Topics: | Cost Management, Project Management, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Time Control, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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