Integrated cost and schedule control in the Korean construction industry based on a modified work-packaging model

Abstract

As a project control technique concept that provides a quantitative measure of schedule and cost information, the earned value (EV) model can evaluate work progress by identifying the potential delay and the cost overruns in a project, which is useful for controlling projects. The construction industry in Korea does not put this concept into practice, however, because it is poorly understood and because the construction practices in Korea are different from those in other industrialized countries. Most important is the fact that almost all the construction projects in Korea are controlled in accordance with the budget breakdown structure (BBS), which is less detailed than the cost breakdown structure (CBS), while those in the USA are managed through schedule control on the basis of the work breakdown structure (WBS). This is because most of the construction projects in Korea are generally contracted at a fixed price. This being the case, once the contract is awarded, the clients are no longer concerned with the cost of the project. This current construction practice based on the BBS rather than on the WBS has brought forth a limitation in terms of the use of the existing EV model in the domestic market. In this study, the EV model, which is suitable for the domestic market, is demonstrated. An integrated model of the WBS and CBS is then developed based on the modified work-packaging model. Finally, the developed model is integrated into the project management system (PMS) to verify its suitability and efficiency.