Simulation of Real-Time Decision-Making on Resource Allocation on Construction Sites

A construction site manager frequently makes real-time decisions on allocating resources (e.g., equipment) based on the dynamic status of the process on the field. Modeling and simulating these decisions are crucial to ensure a valid simulation of the process. This paper presents two methods based on the dynamic status of a simulation, addressed as objective function-based and control variable-based rules. The objective function-based rule defines an objective function for each activity which is competing for the resource. An activity is then selected if it has the optimum (either minimal or maximal) objective function value. On the other hand, a control variable is used as an indicator of the status of the process. Through structured conditional rules, it can be used to control which activity should or should not be allocated with the resource according to the updated value of the variable at the time when the decision is made. The algorithms are implemented in the ABC simulation system. A case study is presented to illustrate the usage and advantages of the presented methods. The results show an improved production, and more stable and balanced operational behavior of the process after human decisions are incorporated in the simulation. Through the animation function, a user can visualize on the screen that decisions are dynamically made corresponding to the status of the process and the decisions are similar to what a site manager would make on the field.