Pandey, A R (2016) Heuristic decision-making model for electrical foremen when workflow is disrupted. PhD thesis, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA.
Abstract
The decision-making process used by construction foremen at a job site when the workflow is disrupted was investigated in this study. The foremen’s decision-making process was mapped and then modeled to a heuristic model. This study focuses on cognitive decision or psychological heuristic models. The study shows that construction foremen use a heuristic decision model in their decision-making. The capability of heuristic to yield fast decision is very useful in construction because it is common for a construction foreman to experience several disruptions during the course of a single workday. With heuristic decision-making, a work-around decision can be rapidly and effectively made following a construction site disruption. Understanding the ability of heuristics to facilitate rapid and effective decision-making will help the construction industry to save time and increase productivity. Research was conducted in order to map a decision process that foremen were using in their decision-making and to develop a model for a heuristic decision-making process. Interviews were conducted with 22 construction foremen in the electrical trade in 88 real disruption cases in order to understand how decisions were made after disruptions occurred. Interviews were subsequently conducted with 10 additional industry foremen in 10 real disruption cases to validate the data. Using this data, a heuristic decision-making model was developed. To validate this model, a survey was conducted with another 11 industry foremen. The findings indicate that construction foremen currently use a heuristic decision-making model known as “determinant decision attribute” (referred to as DDA) heuristics model. This DDA heuristic model was compared to the similar model with equal weighing and elimination by aspects (referred to as EW/EBA) to assess the performance of the heuristic. The DDA heuristic model correctly predicted, on average, 91% of the time what foremen’s decisions were as to which decision task to choose to assign or re-assign to crew members. Whereas, the EW/EBA model correctly predicted, on average, 82% of the time, the foremen’s decisions. A computer program was also developed for DDA heuristic model to help foremen expedite the process of their decision-making.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Arditi, D and Menches, C |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction site; productivity; heuristic; workflow; interview |
| Index terms: | decision process, decision-making process, productivity, heuristic, construction industry, determinant, computer program, survey, construction site, interview, workflow, decision-making |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, risk assessment, work location, management, software systems, industry analysis, decision analysis |
| Topics: | Risk Management, Digital Applications, Site Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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