Scheduling system with focus on practical concerns in repetitive projects

The line of balance (LOB) method has long been used to model construction projects with repetitive units. Critics, however, indicate two major shortcomings of applying LOB in the construction industry: (1) it has not yet been adapted to numerical computation as readily as network methods; and (2) it relies on restrictive assumptions and therefore cannot treat the practical concerns concluded in this paper. To treat all the practical concerns and provide necessary calculation power, a new scheduling system is proposed: the Repetitive Scheduling Method (RSM) and its computerized implementation, Repetitive Project Planner (RP2). RSM includes necessary modelling elements (i.e. activity and relationship types) and a set of computational algorithm to calculate the start time of every activity as well as the minimum project duration. RP2 automatically calculates and generates RSM diagrams that are particularly useful in serving as a test‐bed for project managers to perform what‐if analyses for different crew utilization strategies. A real‐life pipeline project is used to demonstrate the application of RP2 and to compare that with the critical path method (CPM) and traditional LOB models.

[1]  James J. O'Brien.  VPM Scheduling for High-Rise Buildings , 1975 .

[2]  C J Khisty.  THE APPLICATION OF THE "LINE OF BALANCE" TECHNIQUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY , 1970 .

[3]  Robert I. Carr,et al.  Planning Construction of Repetitive Building Units , 1974 .

[4]  Henry G. Irwig,et al.  Disturbance Scheduling Technique for Managing Renovation Work , 1988 .

[5]  David W. Johnston.  LINEAR SCHEDULING METHOD FOR HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION , 1981 .

[6]  Boyd C. Paulson,et al.  Professional Construction Management , 1978 .

[7]  David B. Ashley.  Simulation of Repetitive-Unit Construction , 1980 .

[8]  James David Lutz.  Planning of linear construction projects using *simulation and line of balance , 1990 .

[9]  Photios G. Ioannou,et al.  Scheduling projects with repeating activities , 1998 .

[10]  Alan D. Russell,et al.  New Generation of Planning Structures , 1993 .

[11]  David W. Johnston,et al.  Application of Linear Scheduling , 1986 .

[12]  George S. Birrell.  Construction Planning—Beyond the Critical Path , 1980 .

[13]  David Arditi,et al.  Line‐of‐Balance Scheduling in Pavement Construction , 1986 .

[14]  David R. Riley,et al.  Space Planning for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection Trades in Multi-story Building Construction , 1997 .

[15]  Oldrich Stradal,et al.  Time Space Scheduling Method , 1982 .

[16]  Shlomo Peer.  Network Analysis and Construction Planning , 1974 .

[17]  Hojjat Adeli,et al.  Scheduling/Cost Optimization and Neural Dynamics Model for Construction , 1997 .

[18]  Photios G. Ioannou,et al.  Resource-Driven Scheduling for Repetitive Projects: A Pull-System Approach , 2001 .

[19]  Michael C. Vorster,et al.  LINEAR SCHEDULING AND VISUALIZATION , 1992 .

[20]  James E. Rowings,et al.  Linear Scheduling Model: Development of Controlling Activity Path , 1998 .

[21]  Alan D. Russell,et al.  Extensions to Linear Scheduling Optimization , 1988 .

[22]  I-Tung Yang,et al.  Repetitive project planner: Resource -driven scheduling for repetitive *construction projects. , 2002 .

[23]  Robert Blynn Harris,et al.  Precedence and Arrow Networking Techniques for Construction , 1980 .

[24]  Richard Neale,et al.  CPM/LOB: New Methodology to Integrate CPM and Line of Balance , 1994 .

[25]  Joachim Dressler.  Construction Management in West Germany , 1980 .

[26]  Al Sarraj,et al.  Formal Development of Line‐of‐Balance Technique , 1990 .

[27]  James E. Rowings,et al.  USE OF LINEAR SCHEDULING IN TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS , 1992 .

[28]  Means,et al.  Building construction cost data , 1943 .

[29]  Emad Elbeltagi,et al.  Closure of "Algorithm for Determining Controlling Path Considering Resource Continuity" , 2001 .