Application of Expert Systems to Construction Management Decision-Making and Risk Analysis

Application of expert systems in the area of construction management decision-making and risk analysis are explored. Decision-making under uncertainty is one of the attributes of human intelligence. Contractors use rules of thumb and subjective evaluation to analyze a construction project's uncertainty elements. Traditional construction risk analysis models based on algorithmic programs have not fully incorporated the significance of empirical knowledge. As a result of this deficiency, the practical application of these models has been limited. A successful construction risk management system requires a significant amount of empirical input from construction experts and specialists. The main objective of this paper is to present the potential applications of knowledge based expert systems in risk management. A microcomputer rule-based expert system is introduced. Difficulties in developing the system are discussed.