Synthesis of Decision-Making Research in Construction

Abstract

AbstractDecision making has always been a major topic of research in the field of construction engineering and management. Recent trends (such as the push for sustainability, the increased desire for public engagement, and the globalization in construction) have influenced the environment under which decision makers work. Consequently, the models of how decisions are formed and made should adapt to that change. This paper reviews the research literature in this regard to provide a perspective on the evolution of decision models and tools in the filed through analyzing a representative set of papers published in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management (J. Constr. Eng. M.) over the last 50 years. Decision-making problems are studied in terms of three major components: decision makers, decision tools, and techniques for selecting the best alternative. Decision tools are analyzed in more detail in terms of epistemology of the work, the way decision parameters are modeled, the analysis approach ...