Prioritizing the Operation and Maintenance Complexity of Mega Transportation Projects Based on Systems Thinking
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148, Issue 2
Abstract
Complexity creates both challenges and opportunities for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of mega transportation projects (MTPs), making it imperative to explore the O&M complexity. Traditional approaches to the analysis of project complexity followed reductionist thinking and failed to address the relationships between system elements. Therefore, this study proposes a systems thinking–based framework that captures the relationships to prioritize the O&M complexity of MTPs using social network analysis (SNA). First, 47 complexity indicators were identified through a literature review, semistructured interviews, and a Delphi survey. These indicators were applied to map the O&M complexity network of the Chengdu–Chongqing Highway, with the structural characteristics analyzed using SNA. The results reveal that the availability of technologies, skills, methods, and tools is most closely related to other indicators and that the sharing level of operational information most strongly controls other indicators. Furthermore, the management strategies for this case were formulated according to the centrality of network nodes, and a complexity management process that can be applied to prioritize and manage the O&M complexity of any MTP was designed.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2020CDJSK03YJ06 and 2020CDJ-LHSS-007) and the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (cstc2020jcyj-msxmX010).
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148 • Issue 2 • February 2022
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 27, 2021
Accepted: Sep 28, 2021
Published online: Nov 24, 2021
Published in print: Feb 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Apr 24, 2022
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