Stochastic Project Network Scheduling Technique for Construction Projects Using GERT

Abstract

AbstractAn extensive application of project network analysis in construction project management has been observed in the last few decades. The scheduling of construction projects is generally carried out using the conventional project scheduling methodologies such as Critical Path Method (CPM), Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM), Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), and so on. However, construction processes are highly repetitive in functionality. This characteristic makes construction projects more robust and stochastic, and thus requires a neoteric scheduling method rather than the conventional project scheduling techniques thereof. Consequently, an intriguing stochastic project network technique known as Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT), which is generally used in the industrial scheduling, is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of conventional construction scheduling. The nature of GERT includes probabilistic branching, feedback looping, multiple sink nodes, and multiple node realizations which cannot be achieved in the conventional construction scheduling methodologies. These remarkable features permit the construction personnel to model and analyse projects and systems of a very repetitive nature and high complexities. GERT is the solution with paragon to many real-life projects that face problems like probabilistic occurrences of events, false-starts, activity repetition and multiple outcomes. This research tries to provide a comprehensive implication of GERT for a real-time construction project.KeywordsStochastic project networkCPMPERTConstruction schedulingGERT