The Construction Decision Support System for Delay Analysis (DAS - Delay Analysis System) for use on personal computers was developed to integrate existing project control systems and scheduling programs by adding the capability of determining possible causes for delays and suggesting alternative courses of action to prevent further delays. The DAS was designed to demonstrate the importance of providing an interactive environment for knowledge acquisition to improve project controls and analysis processes. The development of the interactive system enhances information processing and decision-making capabilities. The ability to monitor the progress of a project, and to determine possible causes of delays and suggest corrective actions with the aid of a personal computer provides consistent evaluation of project performance. The objective of the second phase of the DAS research is to include additional knowledge bases related to contract and project parameters such as different types of projects, different locations of projects, and different types of firms to increase its usefulness to the diverse segments of the construction industry. The data collected will be analyzed using hypothesis testing to determine whether there are correlations between the different parameters and types of delays. The results of this analysis will be used to refine the DA system submodels. Additional research objectives include conducting research in the area of international delays, including cultural factors, and creating new submodels that will contain knowledge on delays related to international construction. Research will also be conducted into resolution upon completion of construction projects.
