Construction Project Buffer Management in Scheduling Planning and Control

Abstract

In construction projects, one of the main problems in the schedule planning and control is the determination of the project schedule, especially, when the resources required are limited. Project managers or schedulers have used an estimated time to assure the completion time of either an activity or a project. However, this traditional schedule estimate, often fails in optimizing the project schedule performance, resulting in unnecessary time wastage. Dr. Goldratt proposed the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Critical Chain, which provide the concepts for achieving effective activity duration control. Literatures show that the TOC and Critical Chain concepts are increasingly being accepted and applied in industries. The purpose of this study is to apply TOC and Critical Chain concepts in construction to manage buffers effectively in scheduling planning and control. Buffer management aims to generate a rigorous construction plan that protects against uncertainties and reduces the potential impact of construction changes. The usage of buffer management in construction schedule is to complete activities without wasting time. Finally, the study illustrates the application of Critical Chain and buffers, especially in construction scheduling planning and control to achieve shorter project duration.