Identification and Quantification of Non-Value-Adding Effort from Errors and Changes in Design and Construction Projects
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 138, Issue 1
Abstract
In a design and construction project, non-value-adding effort (NVAE; also called non-value-adding activities) is wasted effort that could have been avoided if the project had been more carefully planned, executed, monitored, and controlled. NVAE is considered the main contributor to schedule delays and cost overruns in design and construction projects. Microlevel analyses such as work sampling and resource balance charts have been applied extensively to identify and minimize NVAE. These methods can pinpoint unnecessary steps in a highly repetitive construction activity and are most effective when analyzing activities with low performance variation in each cycle. However, microlevel analyses lack the capabilities to deal with errors and changes that usually result in significant performance variations, although they are a major trigger of NVAE in design and construction projects. To address this deficiency, this paper outlines the development of a system dynamics-based model for analysis on a macrolevel. The model’s application to a bridge project in Massachusetts revealed that it can effectively identify and quantify NVAE particularly triggered by errors and changes, and can capture the propagation of NVAE between interrelated activities. On the basis of results, this paper concluded that the developed model can be utilized as a management tool to bring a more comprehensive understanding of NVAE in design and construction projects, which in turn can lead to a greater reduction in NVAE.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to acknowledge the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments on this paper. The writers would also like to acknowledge contributions to this paper by Moonseo Park, Associate Professor at Seoul National Univ., who worked on previous parts of this research project. In addition, we would like to thank those who assisted with data gathering and analysis, including Joe Peck, formerly Corporate Planning and Scheduling Manager and currently an independent consultant; Bill Lemoine, Vice President; John Foster, Senior Project Manager at the Modern Continental Company; Philip Helmes, Vice President; and Margaret Fulenwider, Senior Consultant, formerly at InteCap Inc. and currently at Charles River Associates. Finally, the authors would also like to acknowledge the financial support for this research project received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER and PECASE Award NSFCMS-9875557, the NSF Award NSFCMS-0324501, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Discovery Grant RGPIN NSERC355481-08, and the Collaborative Research and Development Grant (UNSPECIFIEDCRDPJ 335345-05). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSFNSF, NSERCNSERC, or any of the individuals acknowledged in this section.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 138 • Issue 1 • January 2012
Pages: 98 - 109
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 19, 2009
Accepted: Apr 6, 2011
Published online: Apr 8, 2011
Published in print: Jan 1, 2012
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