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Article
Publication date: 17 March 2021

Shakib Zohrehvandi, Mohammad Khalilzadeh, Maghsoud Amiri and Shahram Shadrokh

The aim of this research is to propose a buffer sizing and buffer controlling algorithm (BSCA) as a heuristic algorithm for calculating project buffer and feeding buffers as well…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research is to propose a buffer sizing and buffer controlling algorithm (BSCA) as a heuristic algorithm for calculating project buffer and feeding buffers as well as dynamic controlling of buffer consumption in different phases of a wind power plant project in order to achieve a more realistic project duration.

Design/methodology/approach

The BSCA algorithm has two main phases of planning and buffer sizing and construction and buffer consumption. Project buffer and feeding buffers are determined in the planning and buffer sizing phase, and their consumption is controlled in the construction and buffer consumption phase. The heuristic algorithm was coded and run in MATLAB software. The sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the BSCA influence on project implementation. Then, to evaluate the BSCA algorithm, inputs from this project were run through several algorithms recently presented by researchers. Finally, the data of 20 projects previously accomplished by the company were applied to compare the proposed algorithm.

Findings

The results show that BSCA heuristic algorithm outperformed the other algorithms as it shortened the projects' durations. The average project completion time using the BSCA algorithm was reduced by about 15% compared to the previous average project completion time.

Originality/value

The proposed BSCA algorithm determines both the project buffer and feeding buffers and simultaneously controls their consumption in a dynamic way.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2022

Daniele Binci, Corrado Cerruti, Giorgia Masili and Cristina Paternoster

The purpose of this study is to explore the agile project management (APM) approach through the contextual ambidextrous lens by overcoming the traditional perspective that…

1998

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the agile project management (APM) approach through the contextual ambidextrous lens by overcoming the traditional perspective that separates projects within the opposite planned-exploitation- and emergent-exploration-oriented forms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a grounded approach to five different agile-oriented companies for discovering how agile adoption shows both emergent (exploration-oriented) and planned (exploitation-oriented) tensions in a perspective that connects, rather than separates, them.

Findings

This study discovers five main categories, namely, approach, objectives, boundaries, leadership and feedback, that capture the tensions between planned and emergent issues of agile projects. The identified variables interact with different intervening conditions of the APM attributes (i.e. road map, product backlog, team backlog and solution delivery), activating different response actions (“exploitation embedded in exploration” and vice-versa), requiring, as a consequence, the need for contextual ambidexterity.

Research limitations/implications

This study identifies different implications based on real project contexts, as the importance of a more complete picture of the APM approach, which also considers the combination of planned and emergent aspects of projects and, as consequence, the needs for dual capacities (T-shaped skills) both at project management and team levels.

Practical implications

This study identifies, in real project contexts, the relevance of integration between the corporate level and the agile project team. This implies the search for constant dialogue, with feedback exchange spread across all levels, also enabled by an integrated leadership approach.

Originality/value

This study highlights agile tensions in a real-world project context by describing how APM connects both explorative and exploitative aspects of change within the same APM initiative, in order to manage such tensions, which differs from previous studies that consider APM in alternation with a linear project management approach as stage-gate.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 35 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 10 October 2017

Hans Mikkelsen and Jens O. Riis

Abstract

Details

Project Management
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-830-7

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2013

Morgan Andersson, Christer Svennerlind, Inga Malmqvist and Henrik Anckarsäter

The purpose of this paper is to map significant features of the physical design of nine recently planned facilities for forensic psychiatric care in Sweden. The present paper is…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to map significant features of the physical design of nine recently planned facilities for forensic psychiatric care in Sweden. The present paper is focused on differences in the physical design, static security adaptations, visions and goals for the projects, economy and steering processes.

Design/methodology/approach

In June 2008, records concerning major forensic psychiatric construction projects, planned or carried out between 1970 and 2008, were requested from all 21 regions in Sweden. The documents were collected, organized, critically examined, and analyzed in their contexts. Extensive data have also been retrieved from the internet.

Findings

In spite of the common national legislation governing forensic psychiatric care, the projects show great diversity in the physical design and, after 2006, increasing emphasis on static security. The collected material indicates different visions and goals and little coordination between them. It also suggests that the decisions rarely have been preceded by scientific studies or, as it appears, systematic needs assessments. There were also considerable variations in the interpretation of the legislation stipulating public access to official documentation and the time‐frame allowed for such requests.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the project especially relate to the incompleteness of the documents received.

Originality/value

This mainly descriptive paper provides an overview of contemporary Swedish forensic psychiatric construction projects, planned for or realized after 2000. This paper points out structural and physical differences between these projects. The systematised documents are made available for research purposes within different disciplines.

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2013

Hervé Leblanc, Craig Thomson, Iain Cameron and Pollaphat Nitithamyong

Improving process management within construction projects has been the source of academic and policy research for decades, and continues to be today. This paper seeks to focuses…

Abstract

Purpose

Improving process management within construction projects has been the source of academic and policy research for decades, and continues to be today. This paper seeks to focuses on the relatively under investigated management of Housing Association (HA) planned works and aims to improve this often ill‐defined process by developing a Planned Work Process Model (PWPM) that aids the definition of the phases and activities.

Design/methodology/approach

First step in developing the process model was through semi‐structured interviews with 11 HA practitioners allowing for the identification of 20 planned works activities. Second step considered the responses of 7 HA practitioners to a set of questions about the 20 activities leading to the development of an initial Process Model (PM). Third step contextualises the PM within four case studies with HAs of different sizes from which the PWPM emerged. Finally, the PWPM was validated by a panel of HA practitioners.

Findings

The PWPM is a process model specific to the practices of HAs in the UK. It represents the first step for process management improvement for planned works by providing a structure to facilitate project planning and performance monitoring.

Research limitations/implications

A panel of HA practitioners recognised the uniqueness and value of the PWPM especially in the context of new staff induction and progress monitoring. Further refinement of the PWPM would be possible through a large survey to help improve its practical applicability and refining the activities description and vocabulary.

Originality/value

This research will be of interest to those responsible for planning and delivering HA planned works since it presents a tailored interpretation of the project process that currently does not exist.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 April 2021

Sepehr Alizadehsalehi and Ibrahim Yitmen

The purpose of this research is to develop a generic framework of a digital twin (DT)-based automated construction progress monitoring through reality capture to extended reality…

9037

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to develop a generic framework of a digital twin (DT)-based automated construction progress monitoring through reality capture to extended reality (RC-to-XR).

Design/methodology/approach

IDEF0 data modeling method has been designed to establish an integration of reality capturing technologies by using BIM, DTs and XR for automated construction progress monitoring. Structural equation modeling (SEM) method has been used to test the proposed hypotheses and develop the skill model to examine the reliability, validity and contribution of the framework to understand the DRX model's effectiveness if implemented in real practice.

Findings

The research findings validate the positive impact and importance of utilizing technology integration in a logical framework such as DRX, which provides trustable, real-time, transparent and digital construction progress monitoring.

Practical implications

DRX system captures accurate, real-time and comprehensive data at construction stage, analyses data and information precisely and quickly, visualizes information and reports in a real scale environment, facilitates information flows and communication, learns from itself, historical data and accessible online data to predict future actions, provides semantic and digitalize construction information with analytical capabilities and optimizes decision-making process.

Originality/value

The research presents a framework of an automated construction progress monitoring system that integrates BIM, various reality capturing technologies, DT and XR technologies (VR, AR and MR), arraying the steps on how these technologies work collaboratively to create, capture, generate, analyze, manage and visualize construction progress data, information and reports.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2019

Gabriele Hofinger Jünge, Erlend Alfnes, Kristina Kjersem and Bjorn Andersen

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate an effective project management practice focusing on planning and control. By doing so, it contributes to the debate on…

2217

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate an effective project management practice focusing on planning and control. By doing so, it contributes to the debate on rethinking traditional project management practices and accentuates the need for adjustments based on the project context.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper extends the project management theory by proposing a lean project planning (LPP) and control framework, developed and tested in collaboration with ten engineer-to-order (ETO) companies. By following a design science research approach, elements from lean thinking and current project planning and control practices are combined into a maturity model (MM).

Findings

ETO project characteristics are identified, and their implications for planning and control are discussed. Nine enablers that transform current project planning and control approaches into a lean approach are defined, allowing the analysis of the underlying complexity of planning and controlling ETO projects and thus facilitating the determination of the actions required to improve project performance.

Research limitations/implications

Once fully embedded in an organization, the presented MM can provide a safe framework for self-criticism and can be used to conduct self-assessments without the need for an external facilitator. Thus, this paper is of particular interest to practicing project managers who aim to implement LPP and control.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, this paper is the first to empirically examine the journey toward LPP and control from a MM perspective. This research attempts to describe the enablers of LPP and control.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2018

Azlan Shah Ali, Nur Farhana Azmi and Timothy Kurannen Baaki

Refurbishment is inherently more sustainable than building new. However, planned and actual costs of refurbishment projects are bound to vary due to the complex nature of most…

1059

Abstract

Purpose

Refurbishment is inherently more sustainable than building new. However, planned and actual costs of refurbishment projects are bound to vary due to the complex nature of most such projects. This can affect the performance of refurbishment work. The purpose of this paper is to examine factors responsible for elemental cost variations between the actual and planned costs of refurbishment projects. The study also examines factors that contribute to differences in actual and planned cost between refurbishment and new build projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was adopted for this study. A literature review identified factors responsible for elemental cost variations in refurbishment projects, as well as factors responsible for differences in actual and planned cost of new build and refurbishment projects. This was followed by a questionnaire survey of refurbishment projects across Malaysia. A total of 55 respondents provided input through a questionnaire survey to identify these factors.

Findings

This study demonstrates that procurement strategy (PS), inappropriate contractors (IC), poor project management (PPM), availability of funding, materials and equipment, and force majeure (FM) significantly affect refurbishment cost performance. Electrical installations, firefighting equipment, and painting were the building elements most affected by cost variations. A regression model for refurbishment cost prediction indicates that PS, IC, PPM, availability of funding, materials and equipment, and FM were significant predictors of building refurbishment cost performance.

Originality/value

This paper provides insight into the major factors affecting elemental cost variation of refurbishment works, as well as building elements most affected by cost variations and provides a model for predicting refurbishment cost performance.

Details

International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4708

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2012

Premaratne Samaranayake and Senevi Kiridena

The purpose of this paper is to examine how certain limitations of the current approaches to planning and scheduling of aircraft heavy maintenance can be addressed using a single…

3781

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how certain limitations of the current approaches to planning and scheduling of aircraft heavy maintenance can be addressed using a single integrated framework supported by unified data structures.

Design/methodology/approach

The “unitary structuring technique”, originally developed within the context of manufacturing planning and control, is further enhanced for aircraft heavy maintenance applications, taking into account the uncertainty associated with condition‐based maintenance. The proposed framework delivers the advanced functionalities required for simultaneous and dynamic forward planning of maintenance operations, as well as finite loading of resources, towards optimising the overall maintenance performance.

Findings

Execution of maintenance operations under uncertainty involves materials changes, rectification and re‐assembly. It is shown that re‐scheduling of materials (spare‐parts), resources and operations can be taken care of by simultaneous and dynamic forward planning of materials and operations with finite loading of resources, using the integrated framework.

Research limitations/implications

As part of adopting the proposed framework in practice, it needs to be guided by an overall methodology appropriate for application‐specific contexts.

Practical implications

The potential direct benefits of adopting the proposed framework include on‐time project completion, reduced inventory levels of spare‐parts and reduced overtime costs.

Originality/value

Existing approaches to aircraft maintenance planning and scheduling are limited in their capacity to deal with contingencies arising out of inspections carried out during the execution phase of large maintenance projects. The proposed integrated approach is, capable of handling uncertainty associated with condition‐based maintenance, due to the added functionalities referred to above.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 February 2019

Ming Fung Francis Siu

The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel analytical approach for workface planning practice in industrial-construction sector such that the construction work package (CWP…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel analytical approach for workface planning practice in industrial-construction sector such that the construction work package (CWP) resource budget can be sufficiently planned for delivering possible field installation work package (FIWP) schedules with work uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationship between CWP resource budget and FIWP schedules is first elucidated based on workface planning practice. The literature of work packaging, workface planning and project scheduling is reviewed. A novel analytical approach is then developed to quantify CWP resource budget based on a probability theory, in consideration of the probability of occurrence of feasible FIWP schedules formulated based on a resource scheduling approach. The results of case studies given by the new approach are cross validated by using simulation and optimization techniques.

Findings

The new analytical approach can assist workface planning by quantifying the expected CWP resource budget to deliver the FIWP work scope with certain activities that are planned at project level and with uncertain activities that are found at workface level.

Practical implications

The new analytical approach helps project and workface planners to reliably deploy CWP resource budget for delivering FIWP schedules instead of guessing the budget based on experience. An industrial-construction project for upgrading oil-sands refinery facility is used to show the practical implications.

Originality/value

This research develops a new analytical approach for workface planning practice to determine sufficient CWP resource budget for delivering feasible FIWP schedules with work uncertainty.

Details

Facilities, vol. 37 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

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