Abstract
With increasing implementation of off-site prefabrication and modular construction technologies, the complexity of material supply chain management on construction projects has grown substantially. However, research on construction scheduling has yet to take dynamic material logistics as an explicit constraint in analytically deriving construction schedules and addressing impacts of uncertainties in material supply on project budget. This study proposes a two-step analytical approach to tackle the identified problem. First, a constraint programming-based scheduling optimization model is developed to derive project schedules subject to variable material delivery times and finite crew resource availability. The second step is to take advantage of the valid optimization model for evaluating the impact of different input settings of material logistics on project budget. An example project adapted from the literature is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization model in coping with variable material delivery times. Based on the same case, the delivery date of a particular material is singled out as the risk factor of interest in order to derive the complex relationship between material delivery date and total project cost. In addition, a case study based on a bridge girder fabrication project is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed optimization model on projects of practical size. In conclusion, this study adds to the body of knowledge by developing an analytical methodology that factors material supply constraints into the resource-constrained scheduling optimization model so as to analyze the impact of uncertainties in material deliveries on project budget.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analyzed during the study are included in the published paper. Information about the Journal’s data sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0001263.
Acknowledgments
The research was funded by National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Supreme Group through a Collaborative Research and Development grant. The authors would like particularly to acknowledge the close collaboration and generous support from Todd Collister, VP Bridge Division; Michael G. Bingham, Production Manager; and Spencer Allen, Scheduler at Supreme Group. Their invaluable input to this research study is deeply appreciated.
References
Ala-Risku, T., and M. Kärkkäinen. 2006. “Material delivery problems in construction projects: A possible solution.” Int. J. Prod. Econ. 104 (1): 19–29.
Angkiriwang, R., I. N. Pujawan, and B. Santosa. 2014. “Managing uncertainty through supply chain flexibility: Reactive vs. proactive approaches.” Prod. Manuf. Res. 2 (1): 50–70.
Arashpour, M., R. Wakefield, N. Blismas, and J. Minas. 2015. “Optimization of process integration and multi-skilled resource utilization in off-site construction.” Autom. Constr. 50 (Feb): 72–80.
Arbulu, R., and G. Ballard. 2004. Lean supply systems in construction. Elsinore, Denmark: International Group for Lean Construction.
Baptiste, P., and C. Le Pape. 1995. “A theoretical and experimental comparison of constraint propagation techniques for disjunctive scheduling.” In Vol. 1 of Proc., 14th Int. Joint Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 95), 600–606. San Francisco, CA, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc.
Baptiste, P., C. Le Pape, and W. Nuijten. 2012. Vol. 39 of Constraint-based scheduling: Applying constraint programming to scheduling problems. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Brailsford, S. C., C. N. Potts, and B. M. Smith. 1999. “Constraint satisfaction problems: Algorithms and applications.” Eur. J. Oper. Res. 119 (3): 557–581.
Caldas, C. H., J. Y. Kim, C. T. Haas, P. M. Goodrum, and D. Zhang. 2014. “Method to assess the level of implementation of productivity practices on industrial projects.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 141 (1): 04014061.
Chen, P. H., and H. Weng. 2009. “A two-phase GA model for resource-constrained project scheduling.” Autom. Constr. 18 (4): 485–498.
Chiu, C., and P.-L. Hsu. 2005. “A constraint-based genetic algorithm approach for mining classification rules.” IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Part C Appl. Rev. 35 (2): 205–220.
Choi, J., and H. Song. 2014. “Evaluation of the modular method for industrial plant construction projects.” Int. J. Constr. Manage. 14 (3): 171–180.
Elazouni, A. 2009. “Heuristic method for multi-project finance-based scheduling.” Constr. Manage. Econ. 27 (2): 199–211.
Fromherz, M. P. 2001. “Constraint-based scheduling.” In Proc., American Control Conf., 3231–3244. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.
Gosling, J., M. Pero, M. Schoenwitz, D. Towill, and R. Cigolini. 2016. “Defining and categorizing modules in building projects: An international perspective.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 142 (11): 04016062.
Haas, C. T. 2000. Prefabrication and preassembly trends and effects on the construction workforce. Austin, TX: Univ. of Texas and Center for Construction Industry Studies.
Haralick, R. M., and G. L. Elliott. 1980. “Increasing tree search efficiency for constraint satisfaction problems.” Artif. Intell. 14 (3): 263–313.
Hendrickson, C., and T. Au. 1989. Project management for construction: Fundamental concepts for owners, engineers, architects, and builders. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Hooker, J. N., G. Ottosson, E. S. Thorsteinsson, and H. J. Kim. 1999. “On integrating constraint propagation and linear programming for combinatorial optimization.” In Proc., 16th National Conf. on Artificial Intelligence, 136–141. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Horvath, A. 2004. “Construction materials and the environment.” Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 29 (1): 181–204.
Irizarry, J., E. P. Karan, and F. Jalaei. 2013. “Integrating BIM and GIS to improve the visual monitoring of construction supply chain management.” Autom. Constr. 31 (May): 241–254.
Kumar, V. 1992. “Algorithms for constraint-satisfaction problems: A survey.” AI Mag. 13 (1): 32–44.
Li, H., and H. Zhang. 2013. “Ant colony optimization-based multi-mode scheduling under renewable and nonrenewable resource constraints.” Autom. Constr. 35 (Nov): 431–438.
Liu, J., M. F. F. Siu, and M. Lu. 2016. “Modular construction system simulation incorporating off-shore fabrication and multi-mode transportation.” In Proc., Winter Simulation Conf. (WSC), 3269–3280. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.
Liu, S. S., and C. J. Wang. 2012. “Optimizing linear project scheduling with multi-skilled crews.” Autom. Constr. 24 (Jul): 16–23.
Lu, M. 2003. “Simplified discrete-event simulation approach for construction simulation.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 129 (5): 537–546.
Lu, M., M. Anson, S. Tang, and Y. Ying. 2003. “HKCONSIM: A practical simulation solution to planning concrete plant operations in Hong Kong.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 129 (5): 547–554.
Lu, M., H. C. Lam, and F. Dai. 2008. “Resource-constrained critical path analysis based on discrete event simulation and particle swarm optimization.” Autom. Constr. 17 (6): 670–681.
Lu, M., and L. C. Wong. 2005. “Comparing PROMODEL and SDESA in modeling construction operations.” In Simulation Conf. 2005 Proc., Winter, 1524–1532. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.
Menesi, W., B. Golzarpoor, and T. Hegazy. 2013. “Fast and near-optimum schedule optimization for large-scale projects.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 139 (9): 1117–1124.
Nee, K. E., J. F. Chin, W. P. Loh, and M. C.-L. Tan. 2014. “A constraint programming-based genetic algorithm for capacity output optimization.” J. Ind. Eng. Manage. 7 (5): 1222–1249.
Nuijten, W. P., and E. H. Aarts. 1996. “A computational study of constraint satisfaction for multiple capacitated job shop scheduling.” Eur. J. Oper. Res. 90 (2): 269–284.
O’Connor, J. T., W. J. O’Brien, and J. O. Choi. 2014. “Critical success factors and enablers for optimum and maximum industrial modularization.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 140 (6): 04014012.
Patil, D., A. Shrotri, and A. Dandekar. 2012. “Management of uncertainty in supply chain.” Int. J. Emerging Technol. Adv. Eng. 2 (5): 303–308.
Polat, G., D. Arditi, and U. Mungen. 2007. “Simulation-based decision support system for economical supply chain management of rebar.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 133 (1): 29–39.
Rossi, F., P. van Beek, and T. Walsh. 2006. Handbook of constraint programming. New York: Elsevier Science Inc.
Safa, M., A. Shahi, C. T. Haas, and K. W. Hipel. 2014. “Supplier selection process in an integrated construction materials management model.” Autom. Constr. 48 (Dec): 64–73.
Said, H., and K. El-Rayes. 2011. “Optimizing material procurement and storage on construction sites.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 137 (6): 421–431.
Said, H., and K. El-Rayes. 2013. “Automated system for multi-objective optimization of construction supply and site logistics.” In Annual Conf. of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 2013: Know-How—Savoir-Faire, (CSCE 2013), 204–213. Montreal: Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.
Shaw, P. 1998. “Using constraint programming and local search methods to solve vehicle routing problems.” In Proc., Int. Conf. on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming, 417–431. Berlin: Springer.
Simonis, H. 1996. “A problem classification scheme for finite domain constraint solving.” In Proc., Workshop on Constraint Applications, CP96, 1–26. Berlin: Springer.
Siu, M. F. F., M. Lu, and S. AbouRizk. 2016. “Zero-one programming approach to determine optimum resource supply under time-dependent resource constraints.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 30 (2): 04015028.
Song, L., and S. M. AbouRizk. 2008. “Measuring and modeling labor productivity using historical data.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 134 (10): 786–794.
Tang, Y., R. Liu, and Q. Sun. 2014. “Schedule control model for linear projects based on linear scheduling method and constraint programming.” Autom. Constr. 37 (Jan): 22–37.
Tatum, C. B. 2012. “Integrated construction engineering activities to satisfy challenging project objectives.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress: Construction Challenges in a Flat World, 139–148. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Thomas, H. R., D. R. Riley, and J. I. Messner. 2005. “Fundamental principles of site material management.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 131 (7): 808–815.
Thomas, H. R., and V. E. Sanvido. 2000. “Role of the fabricator in labor productivity.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 126 (5): 358–365.
Tommelein, I. D., and A. Li. 1999. “Just-in-time concrete delivery: Mapping alternatives for vertical supply chain integration.” In Vol. 7 of Proc., IGLC, 97–108. Berkeley, CA.
Tserng, H. P., S. Y. Yin, and S. Li. 2006. “Developing a resource supply chain planning system for construction projects.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 132 (4): 393–407.
Walsh, K. D., J. C. Hershauer, I. D. Tommelein, and T. A. Walsh. 2004. “Strategic positioning of inventory to match demand in a capital projects supply chain.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 130 (6): 818–826.
Xu, X., Y. Zhao, and C. Y. Chen. 2016. “Project-driven supply chains: Integrating safety-stock and crashing decisions for recurrent projects.” Ann. Oper. Res. 241 (1–2): 225–247.
Yi, W., and A. P. Chan. 2014. “Critical review of labor productivity research in construction journals.” J. Manage. Eng. 30 (2): 214–225.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144 • Issue 7 • July 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 13, 2017
Accepted: Dec 27, 2017
Published online: Apr 18, 2018
Published in print: Jul 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Sep 18, 2018
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.