This grant provides funding for investigating fundamental issues relating to construction enterprise resource planning systems (Construct-ERP). The major research tasks include exploring suitable architectures for Construct-ERP systems, identifying basic features needed, developing methods for modeling and standardizing construction resources, adopting algorithms for modeling construction products, developing advanced construction resource planning techniques, exploring techniques for modeling functional decisions in construction, and representing human intelligence in decision-making process. The developed techniques will lead to the prototype of an internet-based construction enterprise-wide business automation system. The system developed under this research will assist construction enterprises in optimizing the utilization of their internal and external resources to support maximizing the achievement of business objectives. Specifically, the system will enable a construction enterprise to best utilize available information to make timely business decisions on: 1) how to allocate the enterprise resources (manpower, equipment, materials, and money) to the projects on hand? 2) whether or not and how to compete for additional resources in the market? and 3) establishment of a strategy for bidding projects and planning for these potential projects. Traditionally construction management research efforts have focused predominantly on process/project-level activities because of the project-oriented nature of the construction business. The results of this research will help open up new research directions supporting construction business automation with integrated back- and front-office functions.
