Integrating critical chain project management with last planner system for linear scheduling of modular construction

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Salama ◽  
Ahmad Salah ◽  
Osama Moselhi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for project tracking and control of integrated offsite and onsite activities in modular construction considering practical characteristics associated with this type of construction. Design/methodology/approach The design embraces building information modelling and integrates last planner system (LPS), linear scheduling method (LSM) and critical chain project management (CCPM) to develop tracking and control procedures for modular construction projects. The developed method accounts for constraints of resources continuity and uncertainties associated with activity duration. Features of proposed method are illustrated in a case example for tracking and control of modular projects. Findings Comparison between developed schedule and Monte Carlo simulation showed that baseline duration generated from simulation exceeds that produced by developed method by 12% and 10% for schedules with 50% and 90% confidence level, respectively. These percentages decrease based on interventions of members of project team in the LPS sessions. The case example results indicate that project is delayed 5% and experienced cost overrun of 2.5%. Originality/value Developed method integrated LPS, LSM and CCPM while using metrics for reliability assessment of linear schedules, namely, critical percent plan complete (PPCcr) and buffer index (BI). PPCcr and BI measure percentage of plan completion for critical activities and buffer consumption, respectively. The developed method provides a systematic procedure for forecasting look-ahead schedules using forecasting correction factor Δt and a newly developed tracking and control procedure that uses PPCcr and BI. Quantitative cost analysis is also provided to forecast and monitor project costs to prove the robustness of proposed framework.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuoc Luong Le ◽  
Nguyen Thi Duc Nguyen

Purpose To deal with the present situation and recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, construction firms are required to recognise the trends in construction supply chain management (CSCM) for the upcoming years and determine the appropriate practices towards the trends for the improvement of construction activities in terms of strategy, tactic and operations. This paper aims to recognise key trends in CSCM and uses these trends as strategic criteria for the evaluation and prioritisation of lean construction (LC) tools at different project phases including design and architectural engineering, planning and control, on-site construction and safety management. Design/methodology/approach The integrated analytic hierarchy process–Delphi method is used to collect and analyse the data from construction experts to evaluate the importance levels of the CSCM trends and recommend the appropriate tools for LC practices to improve project performances. Findings Seven key CSCM trends are identified: lean supply chain management (SCM), supply chain (SC) integration, SC standardisation, SC problem-solving, SC information-sharing, SC flexibility and SC sustainability. Based on these trends, a set of prioritised lean tools are suggested for LC practices, in which “virtual design construction” (VDC) and “last planner system” are considered as the central tools. These two LC practices can be integrated with other effective tools to support the strategic, tactical and operational targets in construction supply chain (CSC) projects. Research limitations/implications This study gives the managerial implications by developing an application framework of LC practices for CSC projects. The framework promotes “VDC” as a strategic tool for the phase of design and architectural engineering and considers “last planner system” as the central LC practice for the phase of project planning and control. The framework also focuses on the improvement of efficiency in construction operations by taking into account the aspects of on-site collaboration, problem-solving, improvement and safety. Originality/value Up to date, there is still a lack of researches in classifying and prioritising the significant LC tools for each project phase to deal with CSC issues in both breadth and depth. Thus, this study is performed to provide construction managers with the awareness of CSCM trends on which they can focus to have strategic criteria for selecting LC practices to improve CSC performances.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Octaviano Rojas Luiz ◽  
Fernando Bernardi de Souza ◽  
João Victor Rojas Luiz ◽  
Daniel Jugend

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the state of the art in Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), outlining the CCPM literature to date, in an effort to guide future studies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a bibliometric analysis using Scopus and Web of Science databases. The authors identified the principal journals, articles and authors regarding the research theme, as well as the authors elaborated co-citation and co-occurrence network maps to support the analysis.FindingsThe authors described five co-citation clusters: Fundamentals of Critical Chain, Scheduling, Operations Research, Multi-project and Network, and General Project Management. The most frequently occurring keywords were: “project management,” “critical chain,” “scheduling” and “theory of constraints.” Observing the distribution, the expression “project management” occupied a central position, connecting two other clusters, represented by the keywords “scheduling” and “critical chain.” The authors proposed an evolutive framework for the CCPM state of the art in three stages, according to the most frequent topics identified: Conceptual, Deepening of Applications and Methodological Maturity.Originality/valueThis research adopts a systematic approach based on bibliometric tools, which allows a more rigorous organization of the literature. Co-citation and keyword co-occurrence maps provide evidence of how the main themes in CCPM relate. Besides, the presented historical framework allows new research in CCPM to be directed to the most recent topics of interest that have gaps to be explored.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1692-1705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Octaviano Rojas Luiz ◽  
Fernando Bernardi de Souza ◽  
João Victor Rojas Luiz ◽  
Daniel Jugend ◽  
Manoel Henrique Salgado ◽  
...  

Purpose This study aims to analyze the relationship between the adherence to critical chain project management (CCPM) practices and the new product development performance, in terms of the results of product development programs and product portfolio management (PPM). Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 79 innovative companies operating in Brazil. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and non-parametric tests. Findings Significant and positive correlations were found between CCPM adoption and the performance factors proposed. The adoption of CCPM offered stronger correlation with PPM performance than with the adoption of traditional methods. The results further indicate a possible indirect contribution of CCPM practices to the product development program by means of PPM improvement. Originality/value This study deepens the knowledge of the joint study between project management and new product development, by bringing empirical evidence that the adoption of specific practices suggested by CCPM is used by organizations with superior performance. Moreover, the results broaden CCPM literature by attesting that companies do not necessarily have to apply the CCPM approach in a formal and explicit way to obtain the performance results given. The analyses still have practical value when indicating which CCPM practices should be prioritized by managers seeking high performance in PPM.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Salama ◽  
Ahmad Salah ◽  
Osama Moselhi

Integration of repetitive and non-repetitive scheduling methods utilizes the merits and unique features of those methods. This paper presents a new scheduling method for repetitive projects that integrates linear scheduling (LSM) and critical chain project management (CCPM) methods. The proposed method introduces a framework for scheduling of repetitive projects; accounting for constraints of resources continuity and uncertainties associated with activity durations. It introduces a new buffer, named resource conflict buffer (RCB) to account for delays that may occur due to conflict in controlling resources among successor and predecessor activities. The developed method provides a systematic procedure for identifying several critical chains to replace the visual identification method that is currently used in linear scheduling. The features of the proposed method are illustrated in a case example for scheduling of repetitive projects using an integration of LSM and CCPM scheduling techniques. A discussion of results is performed and conclusions are drawn to highlight the features and capabilities of the proposed method.


2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 879-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand Kulkarni ◽  
Devinder Kumar Yadav ◽  
Hamid Nikraz

Purpose Aircraft operators incur significant costs when an aircraft is taken out of service for maintenance. The purpose of this paper is to present a method for reducing time duration of aircraft maintenance checks using critical chain project management (CCPM) principle. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a typical heavy maintenance check performed on an Airbus 320 aircraft is undertaken for the analysis. The critical chain method is applied to develop a plan with a reduced duration and a survey and field observations to validate the findings have also been carried out as a part of this paper. Findings The paper compares the traditional project management method with CCPM in view of reducing the aircraft down time duration for maintenance. This paper repositions buffers and other techniques to shorten the chain path and a reduction in the total duration of the project by five days is achieved. Research limitations/implications It is argued that the application of CCPM principle can reduce the duration of an aircraft maintenance check, but this paper is done in a single project situation focusing on project planning and execution. Therefore, additional study may be required to examine other issues. Originality/value Cost of the maintenance is second highest expenditure factor for an airline operator. Therefore, it is necessary to drive the maintenance cost down. The paper demonstrates that the duration of a maintenance check can be reduced by 8.9 per cent using the method suggested in this paper.


Author(s):  
Jose Finocchio Junior ◽  
Marcelo Ramos Martins

The present study discusses the adequacy of the Critical Chain Project Management Method (CCPM) — also known as the Critical Chain Method — for scheduling projects involving shutdowns on oil platforms, as such projects involve decision-making processes under risk conditions. The CCPM is based on the Theory of Constraints and aims at providing more precise and more clearly focused control instruments than those traditionally used in the Critical Path Method (CPM). The CCPM also indicates the best moments to act and where and how the action should be directed. The hypothesis underlying the research is that the CCPM portrays, more adequately than the CPM, the uncertainty that exists in a platform shutdown. This characteristic also makes it possible to draw up a schedule that is both more realistic and more challenging, as it addresses the goal of causing less interruption of production. On the basis of this hypothesis, the two main questions that oriented the entire investigation were: 1) Is the CCPM suitable for scheduling the shutdown of an offshore oil platform and, 2) What advantages might it have over the traditional methods in use? To answer these questions the authors reviewed the existing bibliography on the topic and made direct on-site observations during an actual shutdown. In addition, interviews were held with a number of specialists in the area using qualitative approaches, namely, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and action research.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanderson César Macêdo Barbalho ◽  
Gladston Luiz Silva

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how new product development (NPD)-based project management offices (PMOs) work, their drivers to deliver performance and their project success impact.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a survey of 35 Brazilian and multi-national companies that identified the effort to perform a list of PMO functions, some PMO drivers in the company and five project performance perception indicators. The authors apply a specific set of statistics to uncover the relations between these dimensions of interest.FindingsThe factorial analysis allows us to find the main functions influencing each other. The project teams’ perception of project management (PM) performance is suggested as a success factor that drives PMOs when working on portfolio management issues, managing project files and promoting PM over the company.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes to a contingency approach for designing a project machine involving PMOs to support NPD projects. Managers can set the most suitable PMO functions avoiding mimicry when structuring their NPD efforts.Originality/valuePMOs have impacted team satisfaction and control of project data but not indicators related to triple constraints.


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