Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

A construction company’s decision to expand into international markets must be based on a good understanding of the opportunities and threats associated with international business, as well as the development of company strengths relative to international activities. These factors were evaluated in this study by surveying the executives in charge of international construction of large United States based contractors. The information was collected by means of two rounds of a Delphi survey, the results of which were used as input in an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The findings indicate that track record, specialist expertise, project management capability are the most important company strengths; loss of key personnel, shortage of financial resources, and inflation and currency fluctuations are the most important threats relative to international markets; and increased long term profitability, the ability to maintain shareholders’ returns, and the globalization and openness of the markets are the most important opportunities available in international works. This study is of relevance to practitioners as it systematically highlights the factors that affect international construction for the benefit of executives of medium-to-large size construction companies who are considering expanding into overseas markets. It is of relevance to researchers too as it demonstrates the successful use of the combined Delphi and AHP.

International construction involves all of the uncertainties common to domestic construction projects as well as risks specific to international transactions. Consequently, despite the worldwide trend toward globalization, a very small portion of contractors actively seek international contracts due to concerns of probable failures. This paper describes findings from experiments done to investigate the risk attitude and bid decision behavior in the selection of international projects. The participants demonstrated either weak risk seeking in profit situations or strong risk seeking toward loss situations when choosing between conflicting options of risky opportunities and sure payoffs. On the other hand, another experimental test attempting to investigate bid behavior when making a realistic bid or no-bid decision in a complicated international construction project reveals the prevailing risk aversion. Further, this paper finds the experimental supports for some of the errors and biases due to risk attitude that commonly exist in bid decisions in this area. Finally, we present lessons learned and guidelines to make a qualified bid decision through feedback with the participants.

Formwork for cast-in-place concrete in high-clearance construction is commonly based on multitier shoring towers. The market has responded to the demand for shoring towers by offering numerous proprietary models, from which the constructor can choose. Thus, there is a need for comparative data and selection criteria that are comprehensive, objective, uniformly processed, and systematically organized. This paper presents methodology, formatted data, and findings that purport to assist constructors in rationally selecting the appropriate shoring towers for their projects. For the benefit of industry practitioners, the paper offers an overview of tower configuration and classification, a formatted list of selection criteria generated on the basis of input from formwork manufacturers, and interviews with representatives of formwork service companies, examples of comparative data on selected tower models, and quantitative comparisons based on the introduction of normalized parameters and on formwork solutions for typical cases. This information is particularly vital given the high cost of tower-based formwork relative to the overall construction cost of the supported concrete element, while published erection and dismantling work input data are largely still unavailable for most models and heights of shoring towers.

Currently, construction professionals can easily determine the amount of cut and fill on a mass excavation project, but can only make an educated and intuitive guess as to the required minimum haul distances and the directions to move the earth. This paper develops a mathematical optimization model for the determination of these minimum haul distances and directions. The two-dimensional model presented uses linear programming. An example of how this generic model works is detailed in this paper. Necessary inputs are the cut and fill quantities and the location of these on the site. With this mathematical model, the quantity of earth hauled, the minimum haul distances, and the locations to haul the material are determined. The solution is then made into a vector diagram detailing the quantity and direction to move material that can be used by nontechnical personnel in the field. The formulation presented in this paper will assist construction professionals by providing a method to find an optimal solution to the mass earthmoving problem. A pilot user interface is tested to investigate the possible use of an automated input system to reduce input error.

This paper introduces a software, Stochastic Project Scheduling Simulation (SPSS), developed to measure the probability to complete a project in a certain time specified by the user. To deliver a project by a completion date committed to in a contract, a number of activities need to be carried out. The time that an entire project takes to complete and the activities that determine total project duration are always questionable because of the randomness and stochastic nature of the activities’ durations. Predicting a project completion probability is valuable, particularly at the time of bidding. The SPSS finds the longest path in a network and runs the network a number of times specified by the user and calculates the stochastic probability to complete the project in the specified time. The SPSS can be used by a contractor: (1) to predict the probability to deliver the project in a given time frame and (2) to assess its capabilities to meet the contractual requirement before bidding. The SPSS can also be used by a construction owner to quantify and analyze the risks involved in the schedule. The benefits of the tool to researchers are: (1) to solve program evaluation and review technique problems; (2) to complement Monte Carlo simulation by applying the concept of project network modeling and scheduling with probabilistic and stochastic activities via a web based Java Simulation which is operateable over the Internet, and (3) to open a way to compare a project network having different distribution functions.

The traditional construction education model based on precise well-defined problems and formal definitions is not satisfactorily fulfilling its mission of educating the decision makers of tomorrow. This realization has moved several researchers to explore alternatives where problem solving is carried out in conjunction with the environment, and concepts are embedded in the context promoting learning within the nexus of the activity. Several efforts have been undertaken to develop these environments resulting in a variety of special-purpose situational simulations. However, special-purpose situational simulations exhibit inherent limitations related to their application breadth, flexibility, and promotion of collaborations. These limitations cannot be resolved within the framework of special-purpose learning environments. A general-purpose environment is required to overcome these shortcomings and take full advantage of the situational learning paradigm. This paper describes the conceptual framework and pilot implementation of such an environment called the Virtual Coach.

This paper presents the critical path method forward and backward passes with multiple calendars. Multiple calendars are required in many construction projects to effectively represent various project conditions such as work properties, resource availabilities, weather conditions, etc. For this reason, major project management software packages such as P3 and MS-Project provide functions to handle multiple calendars. However, the background theory of handling multiple calendars has not been disclosed, so users of those software packages simply assume without clear knowledge that the time data generated by them are correct. This paper provides how multiple calendars should be handled in scheduling. Applying the theory presented herein, it has been noticed that the P3 operations with two calendars may generate a wrong answer for a start-to-finish with zero lag and inconsistent results in all negative lags when nonworking days are involved. The theory covers all four relationships in the precedence diagramming method with lags of zero, positive, and negative values. This study should be of considerable benefit to the construction industry and academics because it details and advances the theory for scheduling with multiple calendars, which is real scheduling in practice.

Highway megaprojects (construction projects over $100 million) are fraught with uncertainty. These projects have historically experienced increases in project costs from the time that a project is first proposed or programmed until the time that they are completed. Persistent cost underestimation reflects poorly on the industry in general but more specifically on engineers. Traditional methods take a deterministic, conservative approach to project cost estimating and then add a contingency factor that varies depending on the stage of project definition, experience, and other factors. This approach falls short, and no industry standard stochastic estimating practice is currently available. This paper presents a methodology developed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for its Cost Estimating Validation Process. Nine case studies, with a mean cumulative value of over $22 billion, are presented and analyzed. Programmatic risks are summarized as economic, environmental, third party, right-of-way, program management, geotechnical, design process, construction, and other minor risks. WSDOT is successfully using the range cost output from this procedure to convey project costs to management and the public.

This paper describes a study conducted to investigate the impact of change orders on construction productivity and introduces a new neural network model for quantifying this impact. The study is based on a comprehensive literature review and a field investigation of projects constructed in Canada and the USA. The field investigation was carried out over a $6\text{-}\text{month}$ period and encompassed 33 actual cases of work packages and contracts. Factors contributing to the adverse effects of change orders on labor productivity are identified and a model presented earlier is expanded to account primarily for the timing of change orders, among other factors. The developed model, as well as four models developed by others, have been incorporated in a prototype software system to estimate the loss of labor productivity due to change orders. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the use of the developed model, and illustrate its capabilities.

A poor scope definition in an engineering design project disrupts project rhythm, causes rework, increases project time and cost, and lowers the productivity and morale of the workforce. A quantitative measurement of the project scope is the basis for productivity modeling that involves the measurement, estimation, control, and evaluation of productivity. This paper proposes a conceptual model, the quantitative engineering project scope definition (QEPSD), to standardize the measurement of engineering project scope in construction projects, within a computer aided design environment. The QEPSD quantitatively measures engineering project scope, in terms of the complexity of design items by defining design categories and complexity functions appropriate to the particular discipline. The proposed method was originally verified and implemented specifically for steel drafting projects. Actual data was analyzed and used to demonstrate the benefits of historical data prepared using QEPSD for project scope definition. It was found that the new method led to increased utilization of previously untapped values in historical data, improving the accuracy of project scope definition, and productivity modeling. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential benefits of adopting the QEPSD method, and its implications upon various project management functions.

Human behavior varies with each individual and situation, but there are certain fundamental consistencies underlying the behavior of all individuals that can be identified. The goal of this research was to identify consistencies in the behavior of motivated, satisfied, committed, and loyal employees in the construction field since these are important characteristics in the workplace. A survey was developed and distributed within the construction industry and the results were used to generate key behavioral indicators for identifying motivated, satisfied, committed, and loyal construction workers. These behavioral indicators may be used by construction industry practitioners to better address employee performance. This will better enable managers to assess the outcomes of their human resource management decisions. In addition, this study provides evidence of successful qualitative research methodology and analysis within the construction industry. The statistically significant findings of this research further substantiate several previous behavioral studies and provide insight into several areas for future investigations.

This paper describes a case study investigating the use of laser scanning to acquire design and construction data. It is intended for both industry practitioners and academics who are interested in this relatively new technology. Included is a brief description of the technology, discussion of the case study, lessons learned, and results. Projects in the case study included an intersection, highway, pair of bridges, new pavement, bridge beams, a stockpile, and a borrow pit so that different perspectives (elevation, smoothness, camber, and volume) of the application were tested. The study proved that laser scanning is ideally suited for measuring the volume of soil and rock, determining road surface elevations and bridge beam camber, and assisting in the creation of as-built drawings in a three-dimensional environment. It was discovered that this technique can be used quite effectively for safer and more accurate construction measurement. Time requirements, cost comparisons to photogrammetry, and limitations are also discussed.