Development of a BIM-based production planning and control system for Lean Construction through advancement and integration of existing management techniques

Abstract

As part of general construction management, production planning and control is vital for successful project delivery. Numerous approaches supporting production planning and control exist in practice and research. However, the different approaches focus on distinct areas such as workflow stabilization or cost control, and no single system combines all the requirements of a holistic production management system. Varying production management systems can be explained by the unique characteristics of many construction projects. As an approach for the digital twinning in the construction industry, building information modeling (BIM) can help standardize production management through shifting the management system design toward the digital prototype. Previous scientific work has acknowledged this approach, thereby generating numerous concepts for using building information models within construction management approaches. However, BIM is often merely used as a parallel support rather than as an integral part of production management systems. To address this gap and in terms of research methodology, we follow a Design Science Research approach. Thus, we propose a new BIM-based production management system, which is characterized by a theoretical integration model for BIM and existing construction management techniques, and a methodology for applying these concepts in practice.