The concurrent design and construction method has been widely used in the construction industry in recent years because of its potential to shorten project delivery time. The application of this method, however, leads to increased levels of uncertainty and complexity in project execution. This can be attributed to the highly dynamic nature of this method, which among other things requires construction to start prior to the completion of design and which inevitably leads to iterative quality improvement actions and change cycles. These frequent iterative cycles create dynamic and significant impacts on project performance that are hard to quantify and model using available planning theories. In order to address these serious and urgent challenges, a Dynamic Planning and control Methodology (DPM) will be developed to facilitate the development of robust and dynamic construction plans for large-scale concurrent design and construction projects.
This research aims to provide project managers with insight into the dynamics of concurrent design and construction processes by identifying and quantifying the impact of the iterative cycles of errors and changes, and developing a comprehensive quality and change management framework. This framework will be utilized to develop dynamic buffering strategies for reducing sensitivity to iterative cycles of errors and changes. Finally, a comprehensive agent-based dynamic project model is being implemented in order to enhance learning in the design and construction industry, and to extend the applicability of simulation methodologies to overall project management. These developments in DPM are expected to benefit the entire life cycle of concurrent design and construction projects by reducing costs, avoiding delays, increasing quality, eliminating counterproductive disputes, and improving project management in general.
To broaden research impacts and enhance dissemination of the research results, the project team plans to integrate educational strategies that provide a well-grounded balance between theory and practice. A laboratory-based problem-driven collaborative learning studio, a comprehensive two semester's Master of Engineering project, and field-based internships are being developed to provide students and practitioners with the ability to contextualize and utilize DPM research findings in a real-world environment.
