A Novel Method of Developing Construction Projects Schedule under Rework Scenarios

Guofeng Ma,Shan Jiang,Tiancheng Zhu,Jianyao Jia

doi:10.3390/su11205710

Abstract

Construction projects have faced serious schedule delays caused by rework risks. However, it appears that traditional methods are of limited value in developing applicable project schedules. This study presents an analysis on construction projects schedule development under rework scenarios by a novel method named the improved critical chain design structure matrix (CCDSM). Research data are collected from a real estate development project in China. As a result, predictions of project completion duration and probability have been made. A reliable schedule considering information interactions has been developed and visualized. Rework impact areas of activities have been examined to quantitatively record the impact on project duration. To meet different demands, the method generates two more schedules setting different rework buffers. Furthermore, these activities have the potential of causing rework and have been quantified based on the calculation of two criticalities, providing an identification of rework-intensive works that should be payed close importance to, which have not be realized by previous methods. The results proved the feasibility and effectiveness of this method in developing a schedule for construction projects disturbed by rework, helping practitioners adopt measures to avoid rework-caused schedule delays and achieve sustainable development of such projects.

Highlights

Schedule performance is a vital indicator measuring project performance, but schedule delays are a long-standing challenge for practical application in project management [1]
This research focuses on project rework management which is a crucial strategy for achieving anticipated scheduling performance
Taking the preceding literature review on methods for project rework-related issues as the start point, this paper briefly introduces and explains the operation mechanism of the improved critical chain design structure matrix (CCDSM) method

Summary

Introduction

Schedule performance is a vital indicator measuring project performance, but schedule delays are a long-standing challenge for practical application in project management [1]. The direct costs of rework in poorly managed projects can amount to as much as 5% of a project’s contract value [11,12]. When it comes to taking indirect costs into account, rework costs can be surprising, even up to 16% and 23% of the contract value [13]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion