Project Completion Time Research Articles

The Critical Path Method in Construction Project Rescheduling

Generally, Projects have a deadline, which means the completion of the project must be on time because the successful implementation of a project is an important goal for both the project owner. Management involvement is required for executing the project more effectively and efficiently from the beginning of the task, project completion time and cost. The program needed to project scheduling, project completion time and cost. The problem discussed in this study is the CPM calculation result using Microsoft Project, how to identify the critical path and float in each activity with the CPM. The purpose is to obtain the results of time scheduling calculations using Microsoft project-based CPM, to analyze the critical path of the CPM, and to find out activities that have a grace period. Based on shop drawing, SNI analysis is carried out which is the starter to make project schedules with duration calculated from SNI analysis. The calculation result and data input carried out in Microsoft Project create 180 workdays with 22 activities are on a critical trajectory which takes 20,635 hours. After the authors reschedule the project implementation lasted 172 working days, there were 7 activities on the critical trajectory, spending 18,339 hours.

Optimal Fuzzy Scheduling and Sequencing of Work-Intensive Multiple Projects Under Normal and Unexpected Events

This research proposed optimization models for task scheduling and sequencing in work-intensive multiple projects under normal and unexpected events. The objectives of scheduling model were minimizing the total overtime/under-time costs and maximizing satisfaction values on tasks due dates and processing standard times. Further, the sequencing model aimed to minimize the sum of tasks' start times, maximize resource utilization, and maximize satisfaction on project completion times. Illustrations of the proposed scheduling and sequencing optimization models were provided where the results showed effective scheduling and sequencing of project tasks at minimal costs and achieved the desired satisfaction levels on tasks and projects and significantly enhanced resource efficiency at minimal overtime and under-time costs. Further, optimization models were modified to deal with unexpected events. In conclusion, the proposed models may support project managers in planning project tasks in a cost-effective manner under normal and unexpected events.

Quantitative Analysis of Safety Risks and Relationship with Delayed Project Completion Times

Dynamic work environments in construction and civil infrastructure sectors remain susceptible to safety risks. Although previous research has resulted in improvements, there is currently a gap in measuring temporal impacts of safety risks quantitatively. Precise modeling of potential delays caused by safety incidents is vital for efficient management of risks and making informed decisions on project contingency. Toward this aim, the current research adopts a nondeterministic modeling method to simulate and quantify safety incidents and find correlations with project delays. Using a deductive approach, three research questions were formulated, and investigations conducted on Australian data collected from 2016 onwards. Quantitative impacts of safety risks on project completion times were numerically measured. Furthermore, safety risks were ranked based on their significance of temporal impacts on project performance. This paper contributes to the theory of safety management by developing a nondeterministic method to model impacts of safety risks at both industry and project levels. Practical contributions and outcomes can facilitate using machine learning methods to plan proportionate time buffers to address safety risks.

A study on sub-work based work package determination methodology for shipyards

ABSTRACT Shipyards face tough problems such as ineffective production control and poor planning. Identifying appropriate work packages is one of the challenges of ship production planning. Work packages consist of a group of sub-works. The activities of block production that must be completed at each work station are referred to as sub-works. This study proposes a two-stage hierarchical model for assessing work packages in a balanced way. The paper focuses on providing a predetermined completion time rather than minimising the project's completion time. Work packages are determined within the two stages. The first stage is developed to identify the boundaries of the metaheuristic search. A metaheuristic search procedure is implemented in the second stage. The simulated annealing (SA) optimisation algorithm is the foundation of this procedure. The findings reveal a link between sub-work size and work package configuration. Accordingly, smaller-sized sub-works provide a more balanced work package configuration.

Safety Personnel’s Perceptions on the Significant Factors that Affect Construction Projects Safety Performance

The Malaysian construction industry has been long categorized as one of the riskiest industries due to the high number of accidents that happened at construction sites. The poor safety performance in the construction industry has caused several drawbacks and failures in the aspects of project performance, cost, project completion time, and productivity. One of the reasons that led to this situation is due to the inadequate awareness of the project safety performance factors. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the significant factors affecting the safety performance of construction projects, based on the perceptions of safety personnel. Fifty-six (56) questionnaires were distributed among construction safety personnel who are working at construction sites in Kuala Lumpur through email and face-to-face methods. The percentage of the returned questionnaire was 100%. The questionnaire was analyzed using the Average Index (AI) analysis to attain the significant factors that affect the safety performance of construction projects. The findings revealed that among significant factors that affect safety performance on the construction project through project level and organization level were safety training, safety rules and safety induction, and performance monitoring. The outcomes of the study could assist relevant parties especially contractors to avoid accidents occur and have a systematic improvement on safety performance indicators at the construction project.

Project managers' breadth of experience, project complexity, and project performance

AbstractResearch has found that a project manager's experience is a driver of project performance. However, whether specialist or generalist project managers are more effective remains an open question to date. In this paper, we examine how project managers' breadth of experience influences project completion time under different levels of project complexity. Using longitudinal data from 9,765 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system projects executed by a software services organization, we find that managers' breadth of experience has a U‐shaped impact on project completion time. We also find that while we can identify an optimal level of breadth of experience that minimizes project completion time on the U‐curve, this optimal level becomes lower (the U‐curve shifts to the left) as project complexity increases. As project complexity decreases, the U‐curve flattens and tends to become monotonically decreasing, signifying that diseconomies from project managers' breadth of experience are less apparent in simpler projects. From a practical standpoint, these findings suggest that project managers' breadth of experience is a critical driver of project performance that should be a key consideration in the selection of managers to lead knowledge work, especially for complex projects.

Performance-Based Approach for Deciding the Age of New Concrete for Thin Epoxy Overlay Application

A thin epoxy overlay application is a capital preventive maintenance activity. Epoxy overlays reduce the rate of chloride ion ingress and extend bridge deck service life. Highway agency policies and manufacturer specifications require maintaining a 28-day curing period (7-day wet and 21-day dry curing) before the application of an epoxy overlay on bridge decks requiring new concrete for patches and repairs. Consequently, the contractors wait for 28 days to apply an epoxy overlay. Delaying application time increases project completion time and the cost of construction and mobility. The suitability of new concrete to receive epoxy overlays and the performance of overlays depend on several parameters including concrete strength, moisture, and tendency to crack. Such parameters depend on concrete mixture ingredients and wet and dry curing periods. This paper presents a performance-based procedure for evaluating the possibility of reducing the 28-day waiting period for a thin epoxy overlay application on new concrete. An experimental program was developed and executed to evaluate the impact of epoxy overlay application parameters and overlay performance using a tensile bond pull-off strength test. The results support developing a performance-based procedure for deciding on the suitable age of new concrete to receive a thin epoxy overlay. The pull-off bond strength of epoxy overlays applied at 7, 14, and 21 days, following a 7-day moist curing, shows the possibility of applying an epoxy overlay before the end of the 28-day curing period stipulated in the current specifications.

Resource levelling in projects considering different activity execution modes and splitting

PurposeThis study aims to develop a mathematical programming model for preemptive multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problems in construction with the objective of levelling resources considering renewable and non-renewable resources.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model was solved by the exact method and the genetic algorithm integrated with the solution modification procedure coded with MATLAB software. The Taguchi method was applied for setting the parameters of the genetic algorithm. Different numerical examples were used to show the validation of the proposed model and the capability of the genetic algorithm in solving large-sized problems. In addition, the sensitivity analysis of two parameters, including resource factor and order strength, was conducted to investigate their impact on computational time.FindingsThe results showed that preemptive activities obtained better results than non-preemptive activities. In addition, the validity of the genetic algorithm was evaluated by comparing its solutions to the ones of the exact methods. Although the exact method could not find the optimal solution for large-scale problems, the genetic algorithm obtained close to optimal solutions within a short computational time. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that the genetic algorithm was capable of achieving optimal solutions for small-sized problems. The proposed model assists construction project practitioners with developing a realistic project schedule to better estimate the project completion time and minimize fluctuations in resource usage during the entire project horizon.Originality/valueThere has been no study considering the interruption of multi-mode activities with fluctuations in resource usage over an entire project horizon. In this regard, fluctuations in resource consumption are an important issue that needs the attention of project planners.

Variations Order of Building Construction Project a Case from Nepal

The main objective of this study is to identify the origin and causes of variation orders and their impacts in project cost and completion time for developing preventing measures which can be beneficial in upcoming similar projects. The study is conducted in project inside the Tribhuvan University premises, Kathmandu. The primary data were collected from the questionnaire survey and field study. A questionnaire survey was conducted with construction team who are related to the project. For the case study of the project, contract documents were obtained from the related offices which were thoroughly studied to obtain the project related findings about variation orders relating to project cost and completion time. Five ranking linkert scale have been used for ranking the perception based relative importance index of respondents about causes of variation orders. Existence of variation orders inside Tribhuvan University premises, Kathmandu has been noted from the study. 9.85%, 5.99%, 10.37%, 12.32% and 21.02% cost above the contract amount has been incurred at the completion of the projects respectively. Similarly, 26.67%, 83.33%, 12.5%, 20% and 25% time for the successive contract has been increased by the extension of the contract completion time. From the study, main causes of variation orders are known to be change of plan, change of scope, defect of bill of quantities, lack of specified and appropriate competent construction manager and impediment in prompt decision making. Similarly, causes of variation orders impacting project cost are additional work, client financial problems/ delay in payment of bill and change in design. Causes of variation orders impacting project time are change in design, delay in payment and dispute between parties to the contract. The control measures for the variation orders are appointment of project manager to supervise design, preparation of bill of quantities with good estimate and adequate financial planning. The findings of this study will be beneficial for developers, designers and contractors in building projects and also to the Governmental authorities to develop preventing measures to eliminate or reduce variation orders.

Scheduling of Post-Flood Recovery Project with Flexible Project Structure

Abstract Flood events around the world result in the loss of human lives, disruption, damage to economic, infrastructural and ecological systems. Although, different frameworks to manage flood events exist; however, the complexity (i.e. adjustment and adaptation) associated with some of these approaches is often limited by constraints of time and resources. Therefore, this study attempts to apply a flexible project structure to schedule a post-flood recovery project (PFRP). Twenty-five (25) restorative activities in a PFRP were identified, categorised and scheduled as resource-constrained project scheduling problem with a flexible structure (RCPSP-FS). Monte Carlo simulation was used to reflect the uncertain characteristics of each restorative activity. PFRP completion time was 42 and 86 days under time and resource constraints assumptions, respectively. Thirty- four (34) network paths (sub-projects) were identified and grouped into 4 restorative measures as follows: (i) removal of hazardous materials (ii) evacuation of injured persons (iii) provision of flood technology warning system and technical facilities and (iv) construction of shelter, homes and bridges. Time and cost flexibility values for the network paths range from 6 to 63 days, and 14.79 to 288.77 thousand USD, respectively. Time and schedule sensitivity analysis revealed the impact of each restorative activity on simulated project completion time. Based on these results, it is concluded that a flexible project structure can respond to changing circumstances during post-flood restoration efforts which allow more degree of freedom in activity scheduling, flood events measures and cost alternatives.

A Programmed Algorithm for Resource Scheduling in Construction.(Dept.C)

If the critical path determined completion time of the construction project is constrained by the lack of resources, which are needed to carry out some of the activities, then the analysis required for scheduling the activities is much more involved. There are two major categories of procedures for solving this problem. The first involves the use of some heuristic rules in determining priorities among activities competing for available resources. The second involves some form of mathematical programming to produce the optimal schedule. Heuristic scheduling rules. computer programmed to give good feasible schedules have been the basis for all practical systems to date. In the same time, the optimal solution of the problem has not been paid enough attention in the construction management literature. The increasing availability of more powerful computer systems should see more emphasis on the development of procedures to give the optimal solution for large complex projects which occur in construction practice. In this paper a Computer program is developed for implementing an implicit enumeration algorithm to give the optimal solution of the problem for construction projects. The algorithm has been chosen to satisfy large projects and its efficiency has been established by specifying a lower bound on the length of the schedule and by sorting project activities and resources in a way such that the computation time is greatly reduced. Experience in applying the algorithm to an actual project is reported.

Group Formation Using Friendship Graph in Managing Students’ Projects in Educational Settings

In the literature, there are several group formation methods such as random, self-selected, instructor-selected, and mixed, which have been outlined on how to form groups for effective learning and project completion. There is little empirical research on which of the approaches creates the best student learning experience. In this article, we examine the use of acquaintance and friendship graphs in generating groups to manage projects in a learning environment. This work focuses on freshmen and sophomores from faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences and faculty of Medicine at “Nile university of Nigeria”. In creating the friendship graphs for each of the classes, a questionnaire is employed. The responses from the students are transformed into graph input data. The resultant graphs are then analyzed to create the project groups. The performance (measured by group grades) of students in the projects is an evidence that this method of creating groups is effective. Moreover, the project completion time and average score of the projects show improvement in comparison to previous year’s groups, which were formed by instructor-selected method. Furthermore, testing our created groups against the normal standard of group formation using a balanced distribution of GPA scores, see [1], indicates that our method passed with 83%. In fact, when each student was presented with the opportunity to choose through voting whether to be within an instructor-selected group with a balanced distribution of GPA scores or a group formed by the friendship graph approach, an overwhelming 78% chooses the latter

ANALISIS PENERAPAN SISTEM PENJADWALAN DENGAN METODE PERT PADA PROYEK KONSTRUKSI (STUDI KASUS: REHABILITASI DAN PENINGKATAN INFRASTRUKSI PASAR TRADISONAL KOTA MALANG)

PERT is a simplified software, to produce the expected project completion probability based on the duration or duration of a particular contract. In developing the PERT method a lot of research was carried out to perfect this method. The purpose of this study is to determine the overall duration of project completion, the magnitude of the project probability that can be completed in less than 170 days and more than 170 days, and the project completion time with the highest probability. Results of Analysis of Implementation of Scheduling System with PERT Method in Rehabilitation and Improvement of Traditional Market Infrastructure Projects in Malang City is the total duration of simulation results obtained 168 days faster than the 172 day plan. The probability of completing the 168 day project is 50%, while the probability of completing the 172 day project is 85.31%. The highest chance of the project being completed is 99.97%, with a duration of 181 days.

Impact of the Pandemic COVID-19 on the Implementation of Construction Contracts

The COVID 19 pandemic has affected various sectors in the world, including the construction sector in Indonesia. The biggest impact is the impact on the health sector and the economy. The government budget for the construction sector has been cut very significantly, which has a negative impact on stakeholders, especially causing financial problems for business actors in construction. In this study, the identification of the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic was carried out on the construction sector, especially in the implementation of contracts. The research method used is through a quantitative analysis with questionnaire data which is distributed to stakeholders involved in the implementation of construction contracts. The results of identification study through questionnaires show that 80% of construction projects are still running in the current COVID 19 pandemic condition. However, pandemic conditions affect project performance, especially at the time of project completion. In addition, in implementing the health protocol, assistance, additional costs, improvement of human resource capacity, and special equipment are required, so that the health protocol can be implemented properly. On the other hand, most stakeholders stated that the online coordination system during the pandemic for the implementation of construction projects tends to be less effective. Hopefully, the research results can provide direction in finding the best strategy to reduce the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the construction sector, both in terms of health and project performance.

Project Scheduling Analysis Using the Precedence Diagram Method (PDM) Case Study: Surabaya’s City Outer East Ring Road Construction Project (Segment 1)

The project acceleration by the Crash Program is one of the ways that is often used to make time and cost efficiency on an ongoing project. Acceleration of project completion time will affect the efficiency of equipment and labor productivity. In the case study of the Surabaya Outer East Ring Road Project Construction Segment 1, a project that has the potential to be accelerated is discussed in order to obtain efficiency values in terms of time and cost, Project acceleration by means of the Crash Program using the Precedence Diagram Method (PDM) method to determine the value of efficiency. This project uses resources, in this research the software used is Microsoft Project 2016. The research method used is to design network planning, find the critical path for each job, determine the work that has the potential to be accelerated, calculate the crash cost in additional working hours. and work shifts, calculating direct costs and indirect costs for each activity that changes due to changes in the duration of implementation, calculating the cost slope. Application of the Crash Program in the work of Asphalt Concrete Surface Layers (AC) thick 5 cm in the project will have an impact on increasing the time efficiency previously planned from 180 working days to 175 working days and efficiency with the difference in project costs of Rp. 18.313.935,8 with a ratio of 0,997 between the PDM method compared to the cost of the contract value calculated using the crashing project method.

Human Competency Assessment for Software Configuration Management

Late product delivery is a common problem in software projects. Late delivery can be attributed to software change especially in the development and maintenance phases, leading to more work than originally planned, thus increasing project completion time. One approach for managing software change is Software Configuration Management (SCM). SCM was first introduced in the 1970s to ensure the timely delivery of software products. To date, SCM implementation is supported by recognized standards, best practice, and countless commercial and proprietary tools. However, after more than 50 years, the issue of late software product delivery still prevails, questioning the practice of SCM in software organizations. One aspect of SCM that has received little focus in mainstream research is the human aspects. This study aims to identify how the competency of SCM practitioners can be assessed through the identification of SCM competency criteria and the development of a competency assessment framework. The framework was validated through expert reviews and case studies involving practitioners from the public sector, industry, institutes of higher learning and international organizations. Results confirmed the reliability of the SCM competency criteria and the plausibility of the competency assessment framework.

Project buffer sizing and dynamic buffer consumption algorithm in power generation construction

PurposeThe aim of this research is to propose a buffer sizing and buffer controlling algorithm (BSCA) as a heuristic algorithm for calculating project buffer and feeding buffers as well as dynamic controlling of buffer consumption in different phases of a wind power plant project in order to achieve a more realistic project duration.Design/methodology/approachThe BSCA algorithm has two main phases of planning and buffer sizing and construction and buffer consumption. Project buffer and feeding buffers are determined in the planning and buffer sizing phase, and their consumption is controlled in the construction and buffer consumption phase. The heuristic algorithm was coded and run in MATLAB software. The sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the BSCA influence on project implementation. Then, to evaluate the BSCA algorithm, inputs from this project were run through several algorithms recently presented by researchers. Finally, the data of 20 projects previously accomplished by the company were applied to compare the proposed algorithm.FindingsThe results show that BSCA heuristic algorithm outperformed the other algorithms as it shortened the projects' durations. The average project completion time using the BSCA algorithm was reduced by about 15% compared to the previous average project completion time.Originality/valueThe proposed BSCA algorithm determines both the project buffer and feeding buffers and simultaneously controls their consumption in a dynamic way.

A Cut-Off Grade Optimization Model in Open Pit Mining Considering Reclamation Cost and Revenue

In open pit mining industry, cut-off grade has an important roles in affecting the total profit that will be earned by the company. In this research, cut-off grade optimization model is developed for open pit mining industry to maximize the total profit. We consider the environmental aspect in this model which consists of reclamation cost and reclamation revenue. We also consider the revenue of sales and valuable wasted materials revenue, and also the cost of selling stage, processing cost, mining cost, waste removal/rehabilitation cost and fixed cost. The results show that the model is able to determine the optimal cut-off grade and total profit that will be earned by the company can be estimated. Besides that, we can also estimate the completion time of mining project and the value of Net Present Value (NPV) and Return on Investment (ROI). The application of the model can be illustrated using numerical example that given in this study.

Earned value concept analysis on project monitoring (Case study: Faculty of Forestry Universitas Sumatera Utara building construction phase 1)

Construction projects have a high level of project complexity. Sometimes there are some late progress or cost overruns on project construction. Monitoring is the first step to control the project so that it can be seen as a large deviation in costs and schedules that occur. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of monitoring, the earned value concept method can be used. The research began with data collection from the research location. After obtaining supportive data, it is continued with ACWP, BCWP, and BCWS data analysis. It is closing with the final results of all analyzes conducted. From the study of the concept of the value of the works reviewed until the 20th week, the BCWS value was IDR 14,816,705,720, the BCWP value was IDR 4,614,975,520, and the ACWP value was IDR 4,153,562,199. The CPI value is 1.111, while the SPI is 0.311, which means that the project is experiencing delays in terms of schedule but incurs actual costs that are less than the work already done. The final estimated project cost (EAC) is IDR 20,301,199,616, while the ECD value is 52 weeks for the project completion time.

Assessment of management strategies for residual on-site related risk factors in educational institutional building projects

The magnitude of variance between the projected and actual performance parameters could sometimes be very high, especially in projects which involve huge elements of risk. To avert this unfortunate experience, there is need for the adoption of efficient risk management strategy. This paper therefore presents the report of an investigation conducted on strategies adopted for managing site related risk factors which impact on the educational institutions’ building projects performance. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary and archival data from 52 building contracting organizations who were in involved in the tertiary education building projects in Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria. A total of 39 valid questionnaires received were used for the analysis. Data obtained were analyzed using iinferential and descriptive statistics. Expected monetary value, risk break-down model and human reliability assessment were identified to have higher efficiency for reducing project completion time overrun. Meanwhile, sensitivity analysis, risk break-down structure and brainstorming were found to provide better degree of effectiveness for curtailing cost overrun. Key lesson learnt from the study is that practitioners can gain profound insight into onsite related risk management strategies suitable for building projects. The relatively small sample adopted limits the generalization of the findings. Notwithstanding, the study highlights implications for design of formalized risk management strategies specific to site operations in building projects.