Information Flow Integrated Process Modeling

In recent years, construction management has paid considerable attention to lean production, a philosophy that attaches great importance to flow issues and emphasizes the need to balance flow and conversion improvements. This paper presents the Information Flow Integrated Process Modeling (IFIPM) technique, which implements four procedures: (1) establishing information dependencies by using IDEF0 modeling method, (2) identifying information loops and conflicts in process relationships, (3) resolving information loops/conflicts, and (4) improving and re-computing the CPM schedule. This technique is capable of making information flows more explicit. As a result, the implicit information dependencies between construction activities can be made more obvious to all project participants and can be taken into consideration during process planning and scheduling. In this way, both the project process schedule and coordination among specialty subcontractors can be improved.