Editor’s Note

I would like to welcome Dr. Aminah Robinson as an assistant specialty editor in the Quantitative Methods area who will be working with a team consisting of Dr. Simaan Abourizk (specialty editor) and Dr. Brenda McCabe (assistant specialty editor). Dr. Robinson is a Professor at the University of Alberta in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hole School of Construction Engineering. I welcome her as part of the editorial team.

We have made some significant changes to the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management from which we have obtained a lot of positive feedback from our subscribers.

Authors who have recently submitted papers for review in ASCE journals are aware that the rating system has changed. There are essentially three main ratings (paper approved, rereview required, or declined). Of these, the new “rereview” rating has caused a lot of questions. ASCE views this rating as tentatively approved and final decision depends on how carefully the authors respond to all the reviewers’ comments. It is up to the discretion of the specialty editor to accept the resubmitted manuscript or elect to have the revised paper sent out for new reviews.

Over the past several years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of papers submitted to the Journal. This increase interest in publishing in our Journal provides an opportunity to add new reviewers to our review team. If you are interested, please send an e-mail expressing your interest to Dr. Edward J. Jaselskis at [email protected] and a “new reviewer” form will be e-mailed to you.

This issue contains a variety of technical papers covering several different areas: Contracting (2), Case Studies (2), Construction Materials and Methods (1), Quantitative Methods (2), Project Planning and Design (1), Information Technologies (2), and Robotics and Automation (1).

“Daily Windows Delay Analysis”: CPM delay analysis techniques are widely applied in the construction industry, with the windows method being regarded as technologically advantageous. Hegazy and Zhang point out that, although beneficial, the windows technique is computationally intensive. The authors introduce a modified windows approach with computerized daily analysis of delays so that accurate and repeatable results are produced. This approach is coupled with a new representation of progress information and is readily usable by professionals and researchers to evaluate project delays.

“Keeping Better Site Records Using Intelligent Bar Charts”: Daily recording of the actions done by all parties on a construction site is necessary not only for confirming that work is done according to specifications but also for analyzing any claims for additional time∕cost. Site records, however, are often incomplete and inaccurate, and commercial scheduling software provides little support in this regard. Hegazy, Elbeltagi, and Zhang introduce a simplified approach for site-data recording and “as-built” schedules through the use of intelligent bar charts. The proposed bar chart guides the user though progress reporting by observing any conflict with the planned logic of the work.

“Evaluation of the Resource-Constrained Critical Path Method Algorithms”: This study evaluates the resource-constrained critical path method (RCPM), which the authors, Kim and de la Garza, have recently proposed. RCPM establishes a CPM-like, resource-constrained schedule by resource-dependent activity relationships (or resource links) that the 5-step RCPM technique identifies. The paper evaluates RCPM’s performance by comparing it with five related previous studies. This comparison shows that RCPM performs well in identifying resource links and alternative schedules when compared to other methods.

“Paradigm Shift in Construction Education is Vital for the Future of Our Profession”: Bernold studies and comments on a survey which found that 87% of engineering professors in the United States spend the entire class time lecturing to a passive group of students, teaching material that is copied down and never looked at again. The author proposes that engineering education needs to reform itself and draws upon research that supports his position. Bernold notes that learning as a process needs to be put at the heart of education, moving us away from the traditional educational enterprise.

“Surface Heave Mechanisms in Horizontal Directional Drilling”: Damage resulting from directionally drilled crossing has become a concern for municipalities and contractors due to the increased popularity of this trenchless installation method. Surface heave is one mechanism through which directionally drilled installations may damage existing surface structures such as pavements and foundations. Lueke and Ariaratnam present and discuss results of a detailed field experiment that monitored surface heave under various installation characteristics.

“Prediction of Engineering Performance: Neurofuzzy Approach”: Although the industry has been active in addressing the performance of construction labor and methods to estimate or predict the performance of engineers and design professionals, relatively fewer efforts have been conducted for the engineering profession. In an attempt to fill the gap, Georgy, Chang, and Zhang present a study to utilize neurofuzzy intelligent systems for predicting the engineering performance in a construction project. The development of the system, composed primarily of fuzzy neural networks, is based on actual project data that were collected through questionnaire surveys.

“Utility-Function Model for Engineering Performance Assessment”: In conventional industry practices, the measurement of engineering performance is usually tied to the production of design documents during the detailed design phase of the project. Realizing the far-reaching impacts of engineering activities, researchers in the past have investigated other comprehensive measures of engineering performance that address the entire project life cycle. Georgy, Chang, and, Zhang explore these studies, and, after further exploration of the topic, the authors show the development of the utility function model for the industrial construction sector through expert opinion and real project data.

“Assessing State Transportation Agency Constructability Implementation”: Nationwide implementation of constructability review processes (CRP) has been slow due in part to a lack of clarity regarding related costs and benefits and the perception that CRPs are resource intensive. A study has revealed certain obstacles that have frequently either hindered or haltered progress, as well as showing four elements that appear to be essential for the successful implementation and continuance of a CRP. Dunston, Gambatese, and McManus show a benefit-cost model, founded on the proposition that CRP implementation provides efficiencies that result in significant cost and schedule reductions, and demonstrate it using case studies.

“Optimization Algorithm for Selection and On-Site Location of Mobile Cranes”: Although mobile crane manufacturers provide operators and practitioners with tabulated lift-capacity charts, practitioners are often required to lift on a partially extended hydraulic section and∕or lifting radius other than those listed in the manufacturer’s lift capacity charts. Al-Hussein, Alkas, and Moselhi present a newly developed optimization algorithm for selecting and locating mobile cranes on construction sites. The algorithm includes an optimum procedure that avoids lifting capacity violations and is incorporated into a computer system that integrates a selection module and database.

“Distributed Ontology Architecture for Knowledge Management in Highway Construction”: El-Diraby and Kashif explain that in order to meet the needs of increased planning and integration during design and construction of infrastructure rehabilitation there is a need for developing and using semantic (ontology-based) mechanisms for the exchange of development knowledge among all project stakeholders. Their paper presents a distributed ontology architecture for knowledge management in highway construction. It models highway topics using six major root concepts, developed using rigorous knowledge acquisition and ontology development techniques.

“Feasibility of Automated Monitoring of Lifting Equipment in Support of Project Control”: One of the differences between industrial manufacturing or processing plants and construction sites is the temporary nature of the construction site. Monitoring of production progress, cost, and quality is manually performed almost exclusively. The results are expensive and approximate, and commonly delivered with a time lag that does not allow for an effectively closed control loop. Sacks, Navon, Brodetskaia, and Shapira develop a system concept, employing a “black box” monitor and an electronic building information model, to automatically monitor construction lifting equipment in order to provide useful feedback information for project management.