Javanmardi, A (2019) Strategies and predictive models for reducing workflow variability in construction production systems. PhD thesis, North Carolina State University, USA.
Abstract
In this research, workflow reliability is defined as the extent to which a construction plan is an accurate forecast of future events. In other words, the difference between what was planned to get accomplished and what is actually completed. Because construction projects consist of a large number of interdependent tasks, having a highly-reliable workflow is important not only for the productivity of an individual task, but also for entire project performance. The primary goals for this research are to develop methods and predictive models to identify and measure information exchange effectiveness in planning meetings, to quantify and analyze the benefit and cost trade-off for developing a highly-reliable plan, and to develop recommendations to guide site managers on making-do decisions. Information theory was utilized to measure the amount of uncertainty reduction in the workflow reliability due to information gained in planning meetings. Game theory was used to develop a framework to quantify and demonstrate the benefit of subcontractors’ extra effort for highly-reliable planning. Factor analysis was used to compare the underlying structure of the causes for task starting time and duration delay in China and the U.S. The Mann-Whitey U test, Random Forest machine learning, and entropy-based decision tree were used to identify the most important factors influencing making-do decisions. This research fills in gaps in the body of knowledge pertaining to workflow reliability improvement in construction projects. There has been limited research on quantifying the benefit of subcontractors’ horizontal partnering in increasing their planning reliability. Little effort has been made to investigate the importance of constraints removal discussions with respect to the existing workflow reliability. It is still unclear whether delaying start time of activities that lack precondition readiness will result in less duration delay. In addition to addressing gaps in the body of knowledge, this research has a broader impact on the construction community. It provides a framework and repeatable analytical methods to identify, prioritize, and direct management’s effort for increasing workflow reliability in construction projects.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Hsiang, S; Leming, M; Jaselskis, E; Havner, K and Liu, M |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | duration; effectiveness; liability; reliability; uncertainty; game theory; construction project; learning; partnering; productivity; site manager; subcontractor; China; factor analysis; project performance; workflow; machine learning |
| Index terms: | China, body of knowledge, machine learning, workflow, subcontractor, construction project, information theory, strategy, game theory, information exchange, forest, entropy, liability, duration, variability, construction production, site manager, effectiveness, decision tree, factor analysis, project performance, construction community, productivity, partnering |
| Subjects: | decision models, knowledge organization and systems, data science, artificial intelligence, thermal systems, statistical analysis, decision analysis, project controls, partnership management, project management theory and practice, professional development, performance management, management, knowledge management, environmental science, operations management, practitioner, liability law, Geography, production management |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Site Management, Time Control, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Quality Management, Legal Issues, Project Management, Geographical Context, Sustainability, Risk Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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