Fast Track Project Research Articles

Adoption of Lean Approach to Enhance Performance of Fast-Track Construction Projects

Adoption of Lean Approach to Enhance Performance of Fast-Track Construction Projects

A Decision-Making Model for Fast-Track High-Rise Buildings Using Structural Equation Modelling

Fast-track is a project management technique used to address time constraints and schedule overrun on construction projects. One of the major impediments in the application of fast-track technique in Pakistan’s construction industry is the lack of a comprehensive decision-making model. The aim of this research is to develop a comprehensive decision-making model for fast-track high-rise buildings which can highlight the impact of each decision-making aspect on its relevant project success indicator i.e., time variance(TV), cost variance(CV), quality variance(QV) or scope variance(SV) and the impact of cost, quality, and scope variances on time variance. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to develop this model. Questionnaire based on 5-point Likert’s scale was used to collect data from 159 construction industry professionals. Data was analysed using smart PLS-4 software. Results showed that on fast-track projects, scope variance has the greatest impact on time variance whereas quality variance has the least impact. Early scope freeze, early involvement of the contractor in design phase and early procurement of long-lead-time items are the most important decisions on fast-track projects whereas quality optimization decisions have an adverse impact on project duration. The proposed model has high out-of-sample predictive ability making it a universally applicable decision-making model. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/pst.434

Adoption of Lean Approach to Enhance Performance of Fast-Track World Bank Funded Projects in Kenya  <br>

Adoption of Lean Approach to Enhance Performance of Fast-Track World Bank Funded Projects in Kenya  <br>

Fast-Tracking Projects for New Zealand's COVID-19 Recovery: The Role of Economic Analysis

Fast-Tracking Projects for New Zealand's COVID-19 Recovery: The Role of Economic Analysis

Identification and Prioritization of Decision-Making Aspects on High-Rise Fast-track Buildings – A Pilot Study

For decades, the construction industry has been facing time overrun challenges on almost all mega projects. Rarely there are no schedule slippages. Schedule compression is an approach, applied to meet the tight project deadlines and overcome time overrun issues. Fast-track and crashing are the two techniques used for schedule compression. Worldwide, fast-track has been used on projects for more than 50 years, but Pakistan is yet to adapt it as a construction norm in a scientific way. This reluctance on behalf of the client, the contractor and the consultant is primarily due to the inherently uncertain and risky nature of fast-track projects which requires dynamic decision-making. Moreover, these dynamic decision-making aspects have never been identified and parameterized to develop a decision-making model which can lead to project success in relation to time, cost, and quality. The aim of this research is to identify and parameterize the decision-making aspects into a research questionnaire which can further be used to develop a comprehensive decision-making model for high-rise construction in Pakistan. After an extensive literature review, initially 41 fast-track decision-making aspects were identified which were reduced to 37 after consultation with research community. The refined questionnaire containing 37 decision-making aspects was used for pilot survey in Pakistan’s construction industry to check its validity. Based on the input from the respondents, 19 most important decision-making aspects were discussed. The questionnaire consisted of a 5-point Likert scale, used to study the impact of each identified decision-making aspect on time variance, cost variance, scope variance and quality variance. This questionnaire will act as a stepping-stone for further development of a 3C’s (client, contractor, and consultant) decision-making model for fast-track high-rise projects in Pakistan using structural equation modelling (SEM).

Optimized variable resource allocation framework for scheduling of fast-track industrial construction projects

Efficient scheduling and resource allocation for large-scale industrial projects is challenging due to their size and complexity, especially with fast-track contracts, which often lack detailed information during the early planning phase. This paper introduces a data-driven workface planning framework to enhance scheduling and resource allocation while accommodating uncertainties and constraints (e.g., minimum and maximum resource allocation curves, dynamic predecessor relationships, congestion limits). This framework employs an integrated approach, combining time-stepped simulation with graph-based optimization. By leveraging historical data and expert knowledge, the data-driven framework mitigates certain subjective assumptions, including durations and resource allocations. In practical application, the framework generates near-optimal schedules, even with limited information. Applying the framework to a fast-track industrial construction project case study demonstrated enhanced resource allocation. These findings offer practical benefits to industrial projects regarding time and cost savings and serve as a foundation for future research in data-driven project planning approaches.

Analysis of Critical Project Success Factors—Sustainable Management of the Fast-Track Construction Industry

Fast-track construction has recently become the prevailing construction approach globally. It enables owners and developers to make rapid returns on investment through shortened construction periods. This strategy has many effects on the industry; therefore, four groups of factors were studied in this project: (1) financial, (2) logistics and finance, (3) management, and (4) legal. A 22-question survey was distributed to 155 professionals in the construction industry, who evaluated the impact of the stated factors on a 5-point scale. The results revealed a high level of consistency determined through Cronbach’s alpha, and a positive correlation was found by Spearman’s rank coefficient. The Relative Importance Index was used to rank the factors based the evaluation by the professionals, resulting in the following impact ranking: (1) poor communication among design and construction teams, (2) large amounts of rework, (3) low quality of work by the contractor, (4) design errors, (5) late or insufficient payment according to terms agreed with the client, and (6) unavailability of materials in the market. By providing a quantitative RII model to evaluate fast-track project management performance with the use of corresponding performance indicators, this study will benefit industry practitioners and researchers as it identifies the most significant factors that impact fast-tract project management performance.

Perceptions of Construction Risks Due to Fast-Track Activity Overlapping

Concurrent engineering through overlapping of activities (i.e., fast-tracking) has been used as a schedule acceleration technique. Fast-track construction projects are generally recognized as riskier and subject to risks arising due to the concurrency of work. This work reports the risk perception of construction professionals to three different degrees of overlapping. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data, and the analysis applied data transformation and descriptive statistics. The risks were mainly perceived in the middle degree of overlapping and in activities occurring earlier in the schedule. The low and high degrees of overlapping were mainly perceived as having no risk or not being feasible, respectively. The four risk types accounted for most of the perceived threats: construction error, design change, crew interference, and poor construction productivity. The findings of this study suggest that construction professionals perceive risks differently based on the amount of activity overlapping. It is consistent with previous studies that found that risks decrease as the project advances and that fast-track projects face additional risks.

Off-Site Manufacturing: Determining Decision-Making Factors

New technologies like modular construction are expected to increase the market share in developing countries with a high annual growth rate such as in Egypt. Modular construction solutions that have content depending on the process of off-site construction and on-site transportation gained prominence over recent years due to several benefits, especially their positive impact on the environment. Off-site manufacturing (OSM) and traditional technologies like on-site ones differ in many aspects of design, requirements, logistics, engineering, and others. Many researchers studied modular construction and they fall short of investigating modular construction processes comprehensively and completely. In this paper, the barriers and benefits of using off-site manufacturing (OSM) are collected from the previous studies (that focused on mega projects, high quality, and fast-track projects) to be analyzed using a social network analysis (SNA) to promote the implementation of this new technology mainly in high-annual-growth-rate countries. A survey was used to solicit the opinions of construction practitioners to identify the most significant barriers and obstacles, as well as the benefits of using OSM. Also, due to the capabilities of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to manage shared information and increase the cooperation among project parties, the integration of OSM and BIM is investigated as a promising approach to overcome OSM barriers and enhance its utilization. Analyzing the main barriers’ density and finding out the main solution are involved. Applying this case to a real project in Egypt to study the impact of using (OSM) on-site and exporting the data are also involved. With some results related to the other results and disadvantages that were deduced, the most important advantages and most disadvantages emerged, as well as finding ways to solve them and practical application on the ground.

Advancements in Nipah virus treatment: Analysis of current progress in vaccines, antivirals, and therapeutics.

Nipah virus (NiV) causes severe encephalitis in humans. Three NiV strains NiV-Malaysia (NiVM ), NiV Bangladesh (NiVB ), and NiV India (NiVI reported in 2019) have been circulating in South-Asian nations. Sporadic outbreak observed in South-East Asian countries but human to human transmission raises the concern about its pandemic potential. The presence of the viral genome in reservoir bats has further confirmed that NiV has spread to the African and Australian continents. NiV research activities have gained momentum to achieve specific preparedness goals to meet any future emergency-as a result, several potential vaccine candidates have been developed and tested in a variety of animal models. Some of these candidate vaccines have entered further clinical trials. Research activities related to the discovery of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have resulted in the identification of a handful of candidates capable of neutralizing the virion. However, progress in discovering potential antiviral drugs has been limited. Thus, considering NiV's pandemic potential, it is crucial to fast-track ongoing projects related to vaccine clinical trials, anti-NiV therapeutics. Here, we discuss the current progress in NiV-vaccine research and therapeutic options, including mAbs and antiviral medications.

Reimagining Power and Micro-politics in Project Organisations

The empirically investigated problem of our paper is what impact do micropolitics and power have on project management in an organization? Informal power and micropolitics played a massive role in the projects, and personal and relational knowledge appeared in all projects to achieve the expected results. The project manager uses personal networks, personal relations, and mentor's network with cognitive, affective, and emotional influence as power and politics if needed to achieve expected results. Power and micropolitics were necessary skills and tools for a successful project manager. The findings relate to the manager's intentions. The informal power and micro-politics process are reused in every project because informal power and micropolitics are a part of project work. Power accumulation and wise handling are essential leadership tools for every manager. Employees work for managers who have power over those who do not. The former can get them what they want: visibility, upwards mobility, and resources. Micropolitics and power represent a unique competence (i.e., knowledge, experiences, and attitudes) and tool for handling any project. Power is significantly underrated as a tool to control and govern projects. Micropolitics is a part of that tool to get the decisions the project leader wants, maybe with future promises. A democratic and consensus-oriented decision process opens for power games and micropolitics rather than hedging them in more hierarchical organizations. A complex matrix organization involving employees in many projects is also open to micropolitics and power. Micropolitics and power might prolong and complicate decision-making processes in ordinary projects and improve processes in fast-track projects. Micropolitics and power both increase and reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization. The higher complexity, the higher returns on using power and micro-politics to get the expected project results.

The Importance of Fast-Track Projects for the Outcome of Elderly Patients with Femur and Hip Fractures in the Decrease of all Evaluated Parameters

Background: Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon, and there are 37.7 million elderly people in Brazil. In the period between 2008-2012, showed that more than 181 thousand cases occurred, of hip and femur fractures in elderly patients.

The Importance of Fast-Track Projects for the Outcome of Elderly Patients with Femur and Hip Fractures in the Decrease of all Evaluated Parameters

Background: Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon, and there are 37.7 million elderly people in Brazil. In the period between 2008-2012, showed that more than 181 thousand cases occurred, of hip and femur fractures in elderly patients. Through an Excel spreadsheet, designed in 2010, the objective of this study was to compare the results after the implementation of a fast-track project after femoral surgery in patients aged over 60 years, with predicted routine SUS Hospital. Methods: Patients were observed during two distinct periods: before implantation and after the implementation of the new project. Data evaluation was carried out in four stages of the study in both groups: before arrival to the operating room, during surgery, PACU and on the ward in the morning of day 1 postoperatively. The tests used for statistical analysis were the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. For all tests considered, the significance level is 0.05. Results: The implementation of the project significantly reduces from 8% to 99% of all parameters evaluated in the four stages of the study and increases the quality of postoperative analgesia by 30%. These data resulted in greater patient and family satisfaction, and probably lower cost. Conclusions: The Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) project has as its primordial objective the humanization of any medical treatment, and this study decreasing practically all the studied parameters and increasing analgesia (time and quality), should be the objective of the implantation of all SUS hospitals. Despite not having calculated the cost, these results probably contributed to its decrease.

Scenario Planning in Selecting Contract Strategy Scheme to Achieve OTOBOSOROR (On Time, On Budget, On Specification, On Regulation, and On Return) Target in PT Kilang Pertamina International

Indonesia as developing countries, continues to implement various strategic action to increase economic activities through infrastructure development named National Strategic Project (PSN) that are deemed to be strategically important and must be completed quickly. To fulfill the PSN, PT KPI has ultimate goal namely OTOBOSOROR (On Time, On Budget, On Schedule, On Regulation, On Return) where there are still many project delays, cost overrun or under specification. Therefore, one of the main goals of the project is a fast-tracking strategy in developing projects to achieve earlier project completion with lower Capex and meet owner specification. However, in fast-track projects, starting an activity without comprehensive data and knowledge entails additional risks and uncertainties than in typical project. Therefore, the author will assess appropriate scenario planning for future contract strategy scheme to achieve OTOBOSOROR target by exploring the internal organization as well as the external environment using McKinsey’s 7S and PESTEL. Then, scenario planning analysis will be conducted where’s ten driving forces are identified and analyzed. Four scenarios are created from crucial uncertainties by combining the important variables of project scheduling and project cost. Implications and options are arranged for the respective scenario. At the end this study proposes Design Build Competition (DBC) contract strategy concept to complete the fast-tracking strategy, reduce project costs and maintain owner specification. However before initiating an activity, PT KPI should manage all risks and uncertainties in fast-track initiatives to avoid potential events that are not beneficial for future PT KPI projects.

Controlling fast-track construction method variables (time, cost and quality)

Fast-track construction projects that begin with inadequate design information have become more common in response to a rising construction industry demand. Fast-tracking shortens project duration while increasing rework. To meet project deadlines while minimising rework, specialists must select the best fast-tracking strategy. As a result, a questionnaire was developed to assess the success characteristics of fast-track construction and to provide constraints for these features and variables in national construction projects. National construction projects address specific government needs or investments to maximise the national return. The survey limited these factors by specifying maximum and minimum percentages. These percentages were chosen to expedite project building. The period in national projects varies from that of the typical construction approach to the shortest time that can be achieved with a plan. Cost and quality are within 20 and 10% of those of national project traditional construction methods, respectively. The best setting for various construction projects is determined by these proportions. It is preferable to use these percentages as a reference to complete construction projects within the shortest time, with the highest quality and at the lowest cost. This questionnaire was completed by 211 building experts.

Upscaling CCUS in Asia Pacific – a look at upstream synergy projects and potential for multi-user hubs

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Sequestration (CCUS) has sustained its momentum as a key technology requirement for Asia Pacific countries to achieve reduced emissions and net-zero targets in the long term. Looking at the upstream E&P (Exploration & Production) industry and with gas being an integral part of the region’s energy mix, we are seeing companies assess integration of CCUS in key gas developments and take initial steps in creating multi-user storage hubs. Moving towards realising these projects however remains the main uncertainty with key legal, regulatory and fiscal incentive drivers required. International Oil Companies (IOCs), National Oil Companies (NOCs), independents and local companies are all participating, initiating partnerships and collaboration with other industries (for potential CO2 sources) towards integrated feasibility assessments and fast-track pilot projects. Focus CCUS projects between countries are also different, with a few leaning towards utilisation of CO2 through Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR). Others look to establish more storage-related projects and hub creation. How each country has moved towards providing a solid regulatory framework and incentives to enable more commercial-scale CCUS projects is also different. This presentation will aim to: Compare CCUS projects, regulatory and incentive trends in Australia with those in key producing countries in Asia Pacific. Look at emissions reduction and economic impact of CCUS in gas projects and what factors will drive further implementation and upscaling. Provide perspective on hub potential for Australia and South East Asia. Compare and identify early successes, challenges and drivers in upcoming multi-user hub projects in Europe which we could learn from.

Quantitative Risk Assessment Model and Optimization in Infrastructure Fast-Track Construction Projects

The construction industry has extensively applied the fast-tracking approach to the demanding need for the fast delivery of infrastructure projects. However, the fast-track strategy might be threatened by distinctive risks or changes in risk characteristics that emerge when activities are overlapped (overlapping risks). This article proposes a risk assessment simulation model to quantify the economic impact of overlapping risks on fast-track infrastructure projects. The model uses Monte Carlo simulation and a proprietary engine solution for the optimization procedure. It quantifies the overlapping risk impacts in the project duration and cost that could originate in three different overlapping degrees and evaluates the optimal overlapping degree to reduce the impact of the overlapping risks. The model demonstration used a commercial renovation project. The results suggest that overlapping risks have a high potential impact on the total cost, although with a high probability of attaining the target duration. Eight top risks affected the total duration, cost, or both. The optimum overlapping to reduce the economic impact and achieve the target project duration combines different overlapping degrees. This study contribution is a model for fast-track projects considering overlapping risks, their impact characteristic as a distribution, and the potential relationship between these risks.

Identification of key Risks in Fast-Track Construction projects: A Literature Review

Fast-track construction projects have become more common in recent yearsas a response to increased demand. The sector was known for its high-risk and highcomplexity features. Regardless of the degree of difficulty in construction projects,the construction industry has responded to requirements for faster project deliverydeadlines to meet standards, emergency/disaster preservation, and time-to-marketconstraints. The purpose of this study was to clarify risk management's role in fasttrack construction projects, evaluate how fast-track construction projects impact theconstruction time of such projects, and investigate risks that might occur fromdifferent levels of overlap. To achieve this, the paper undergone a comprehensiveliterature review on several 43 papers that have been published in Scopus. Theresearcher reviewed the literature for several studies, such as papers and books inthis field from 2000 to 2021. The results were: identifying accelerated techniquesand their classification; clarifying risks; risk management processes and theirclassification; and clarifying risks in fast-track construction projects because of anunfair risk distribution between the contractual parties because of specific or incorrect contract terms. This has led to a careful assessment of the scope of thework and how the project will be executed.

Ecological and Economic Assessment of the Reuse of Steel Halls in Terms of LCA

In engineering practice, investment activities related to the construction of a building are still limited to the idea of a linear cradle to grave (C2G) economy. The aim of the study is to determine the ecological and economic benefits inherent in the reuse of structural elements of a hall building using the idea of a Cradle to Cradle (C2C) looped circular economy and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). As a rule, a multiple circulation of materials from which model buildings are made was assumed through successive life cycles: creation, use, demolition and then further use of the elements. This approach is distinguished by minimizing negative impacts as a result of optimizing the mass of the structure—striving to relieve the environment, thus improving economic efficiency and leaving a positive ecological footprint. The assessment of cumulative ecological, economic and technical parameters (EET) methodology of generalized ecological indicator (WE) for quick and practical assessment of the ecological effect of multi-use steel halls, based on LCA, was proposed. The authors of the work attempted to assess the usefulness of such a structure with the example of four types of halls commonly used in the construction industry. The linear stream of C2G (cradle to grave) and then C2C (cradle to cradle) flows was calculated by introducing ecological parameters for comparative assessment. Finally, a methodology for calculating the ecological amortization of buildings (EAB) was proposed. The authors hope that the proposed integrated assessment of technical, economic and ecological parameters, which are components of the design process, will contribute to a new approach, the so-called fast-track pro-environmental project.

Two Models for Increasing the Scope and Activities of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Partner Services Programs: Preliminary Findings From the Fast Track Project.

We sought to develop a novel strategy for expanding an existing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) partner services (PS) model to provide comprehensive sexual health services, including sexually transmitted infection testing, a virtual telemedicine visit, and access to immediate start medication (antiretroviral treatment, preexposure or postexposure prophylaxis). Fast Track was a National Institutes of Health-funded implementation science trial in New York City to pilot and refine the new strategy, and examine its feasibility, acceptability, and impact. Over the course of 1 year, health department staff collaborated with the academic research team to develop Fast Track protocols and workflows, create a cloud-based database to interview and track patients, and train disease intervention specialists to deliver the new program. The initial field-based program (Fast Track 1.0) was piloted March to December 2019. A modified telephone-based program (Fast Track 2.0) was developed in response to COVID-19 pandemic constraints and was piloted August 2020 to March 2021. These 2 pilots demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of integrating comprehensive sexual health services into HIV PS programs. Disease intervention specialists were successfully trained to conduct comprehensive sexual health visits, and clients reported that the availability of comprehensive sexual health services made them more willing to engage with PS. Key lessons for scale-up include managing collaboration with a licensed provider, navigating technical and technological issues, and challenges in client engagement and retention. The success of this integrated strategy suggests that telehealth visits may be a critical gateway to care engagement for PS clients. This model is an innovative strategy for increasing engagement with HIV testing, prevention, and treatment for underserved populations.