Integrate human and engineering aspects to facilitate construction scheduling under uncertainty

Construction project scheduling is essential to the reliability and productivity of the construction process because it determines the time, resources, and sequence to yield project deliverables. Construction schedule optimization is complex due to the uncertainty of the work environment The interdependencies between human and engineering aspects can impact the optimization policy and project performance. Several scheduling approaches have been developed to facilitate a collaborative and informative scheduling environment. However, the following questions are yet known: (1) what are the exact barriers affecting collaborative scheduling, how to convey high-dimensional space-time-workforce scheduling information to project managers, and (2) how to express and balance subjective preferences in scheduling decision-making are yet known from past research. This research aims to integrate management effort from the human aspect with production optimization from the engineering aspect to facilitate the effectiveness and efficiency of construction scheduling. The three primary goals are to (1) identify the practices that impact collaborative scheduling in construction projects; (2) develop new scheduling tools to convey dynamic space-time-workforce information aligning with specific scheduling scenarios under uncertainty; and (3) propose a construction engineering accounting system to elucidate, express, and echo preferences during scheduling decision-making. First, the research conducted a survey in the United States pertaining to collaborative scheduling practices and project performance. Using an information theory-based approach to measure the uncertainty and impact of each practice implementation, the research established a set of Chow-Liu tree models to identify the most efficient sequence of actions to improve collaborative scheduling. Next, this research selected a high-rise office building project to collect 889 productivity data samples of various specialty trades. The research built a simulation model to investigate productivity and project performance under 267 scenarios of different combinations of the space-time-workforce resources. A dynamic tool was then developed to visualize workspace, time, and workforce interaction. A Choquet Integral-based evaluation and decision tool was developed to evaluate planning strategies according to project preferences. Finally, using the same case project, this research developed a resource-oriented 3D visualization tool to facilitate project managers monitoring project schedules. The research established a risk control framework using Value at Risk (VaR) and Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) approaches to associate extreme outcomes with their occurrence probability. The survey study results show that meeting owner’s expectations, using the schedule to support a strong project culture, and an effective communication plan were the top levers for overall project performance improvement. Results from the case studies revealed the superiority of Takt-time planning over the critical path method in monitoring, representing, and managing space-time-workforce utilization. An intelligent three-way resource dynamic visualization and prediction tool was also proposed in this research to instantiate intangible resource utilization to 3D models for the first time. The Choquet Integral and the VaR/CVaR approaches associated subjective human preferences with engineering system capacity to facilitate scheduling decisionmaking. This PhD research provides an innovative method based on information theory to help construction project managers discover the value of collaboration in the scheduling phase. It provides an unprecedented perspective on integrating space-time-workforce resource interaction ensemble to facilitate scheduling efforts.