Du, J; Jing, H; Castro-Lacouture, D and Sugumaran, V (2020) Multi-agent simulation for managing design changes in prefabricated construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 27(1), pp. 270-295. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi-agent-based model for quantitatively measuring how the design change management strategies improve project performance. Design/methodology/approach: Based on questionnaires and interviews, this paper investigates the coordination mechanism of risks due to design changes in prefabricated construction (PC) projects. Combined with all the variables related with design change risks, a multi-agent-based simulation model is proposed to evaluate the design change management effect. Findings: The coordination mechanism between design change factors, design change events, risk consequence and management strategy in PC projects is described and then the simulation-based design change management mechanism in PC projects is used to assess the effect of management strategies under dynamic scenarios. Originality/value: PC projects have rapidly increased in recent years due to the advantages of fast construction, high quality and labor savings. Different from traditional on-site construction, the impact and risk from design changes are likely to be greater due to the prefabricated project being multi-stage, highly interactive and complex. The simulations presented in this paper make it possible to test different design change management strategies in order to study their effectiveness and support managerial decision making.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | decision support systems; risk management; simulation |
| Index terms: | management strategy, savings, effectiveness, management mechanism, project performance, risk management, coordination, decision support, interview, design change, questionnaire, decision-making, methodology, construction project, agent |
| Subjects: | decision analysis, management, performance management, research methods, production management, project management theory and practice, contractual arrangements, economic analysis, risk assessment, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Procurement, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Project Management, Organizational Design, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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