Optimizing time–cost in generalized construction projects using multiple-objective social group optimization and multi-criteria decision-making methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 2287-2313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duc Hoc Tran
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Multiple Objective ◽  
Cost Curve ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Group Optimization

PurposeProject managers work to ensure successful project completion within the shortest period and at the lowest cost. One of the main tasks of a project manager in the planning phase is to generate the project time–cost curve, and furthermore, to determine the most appropriate schedule for the construction process. Numerous existing time–cost tradeoff analysis models have focused on solving a simple project representation without regarding for typical activity and project characteristics. This study aims to present a novel approach called “multiple-objective social group optimization” (MOSGO) for optimizing time–cost decisions in generalized construction projects.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a novel MOGSO to mimic the time–cost tradeoff problem in generalized construction projects is proposed. The MOSGO has slightly modified the mechanism operation from the original algorithm to be a free-parameter algorithm and to enhance the exploring and exploiting balance in an optimization algorithm. The evidential reasoning technique is used to rank the global optimal obtained non-dominated solutions to help decision makers reach a single compromise solution.FindingsTwo case studies of real construction projects were investigated and the performance of MOSGO was compared to those of widely considered multiple-objective evolutionary algorithms. The comparison results indicated that the MOSGO approach is a powerful, efficient and effective tool in finding the time–cost curve. In addition, the multi-criteria decision-making approaches were applied to identify the best schedule for project implementation.Research limitations/implicationsAccordingly, the first major practical contribution of the present research is that it provides a tool for handling real-world construction projects by considering all types of construction project. The second important implication of this study derives from research finding on the hybridization multiple-objective and multi-criteria techniques to help project managers in facilitating the time–cost tradeoff (TCT) problems easily. The third implication stems from the wide-range application of the proposed model TCT.Practical implicationsThe model can be used in early stages of the construction process to help project managers in selecting an appropriate plan for whole project lifecycle.Social implicationsThe proposal model can be applied to multi-objective contexts in diversified fields. Moreover, the model is also a useful reference for future research.Originality/valueThis paper makes contributions to extant literature by: introducing a method for making TCT models applicable to actual projects by considering general activity precedence relations; developing a novel MOSGO algorithm to solving TCT problems in multi-objective context by a single simulation; and facilitating the TCT problems to project managers by using multi-criteria decision-making approaches.

Overall multiobjective optimization of construction projects scheduling using particle swarm

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad Elbeltagi ◽  
Mohammed Ammar ◽  
Haytham Sanad ◽  
Moustafa Kassab
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Particle Swarm ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Swarm Optimization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Optimized Schedule

Purpose – Developing an optimized project schedule that considers all decision criteria represents a challenge for project managers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a multi-objectives overall optimization model for project scheduling considering time, cost, resources, and cash flow. This development aims to overcome the limitations of optimizing each objective at once resulting of non-overall optimized schedule. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, a multi-objectives overall optimization model for project scheduling is developed using particle swarm optimization with a new evolutionary strategy based on the compromise solution of the Pareto-front. This model optimizes the most important decisions that affect a given project including: time, cost, resources, and cash flow. The study assumes each activity has different execution methods accompanied by different time, cost, cost distribution pattern, and multiple resource utilization schemes. Findings – Applying the developed model to schedule a real-life case study project proves that the proposed model is valid in modeling real-life construction projects and gives important results for schedulers and project managers. The proposed model is expected to help construction managers and decision makers in successfully completing the project on time and reduced budget by utilizing the available information and resources. Originality/value – The paper presented a novel model that has four main characteristics: it produces an optimized schedule considering time, cost, resources, and cash flow simultaneously; it incorporates a powerful particle swarm optimization technique to search for the optimum schedule; it applies multi-objectives optimization rather than single-objective and it uses a unique Pareto-compromise solution to drive the fitness calculations of the evolutionary process.

A novel model for risk management of outsourced construction projects using decision-making methods: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Mahmoudi ◽  
Mehdi Abbasi ◽  
Xiaopeng Deng ◽  
Muhammad Ikram ◽  
Salman Yeganeh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Cost ◽  
First Time

PurposeSelecting a suitable contract to outsource construction projects is an ongoing concern for project managers and organizational directors. This study aims to propose a comprehensive model to manage the risks of outsourced construction project contracts.Design/methodology/approachTo employ the proposed model, firstly, the types of contracts and risks in the organization should be identified, then, to prioritize the contracts, the identified risks are considered as criteria. After receiving the experts' opinions, the best–worst method (BWM) integrated with grey relation analysis (GRA) method was used to prioritize the contracts. BWM and GRA are multi-criteria decision-making methods with different approaches and applications. In the current study, BWM has been employed to calculate the weights of criteria because it has better performance than other methods such as the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). After calculating the weights of criteria, the GRA method has been utilized for ranking the alternatives.FindingsAccording to the results obtained from the case study, the cost plus award fee contract is the most suitable alternative for outsourcing construction projects. The proposed methodology can be practically applied through different types of the projects such as construction or “engineering, procurement and construction”.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a conceptual model has been proposed to select an appropriate contract for construction projects. Also, for the first time, the BWM integrated with GRA method has been used to prioritize project contracts based on the potential risks. The proposed model can contribute to project managers for selecting a suitable contract with the least risk in construction projects.

A novel multi criteria decision making model for optimizing time–cost–quality trade-off problems in construction projects

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 3089-3104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahryar Monghasemi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Nikoo ◽  
Mohammad Ali Khaksar Fasaee ◽  
Jan Adamowski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Decision Making Model

Project scheduling with time, cost and risk trade-off using adaptive multiple objective differential evolution

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 623-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duc Hoc Tran ◽  
Luong Duc Long
Keyword(s):  
Differential Evolution ◽  
Project Scheduling ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Adaptive Mutation ◽  
Multiple Objective ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Mutation Strategy

PurposeAs often in project scheduling, when the project duration is shortened to reduce total cost, the total float is lost resulting in more critical or nearly critical activities. This, in turn, results in reducing the probability of completing the project on time and increases the risk of schedule delays. The objective of project management is to complete the scope of work on time, within budget in a safe fashion of risk to maximize overall project success. The purpose of this paper is to present an effective algorithm, named as adaptive multiple objective differential evolution (DE) for project scheduling with time, cost and risk trade-off (AMODE-TCR).Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a multi-objective optimization model for project scheduling is developed using DE algorithm. The AMODE modifies a population-based search procedure by using adaptive mutation strategy to prevent the optimization process from becoming a purely random or a purely greedy search. An elite archiving scheme is adopted to store elite solutions and by aptly using members of the archive to direct further search.FindingsA numerical construction project case study demonstrates the ability of AMODE in generating non-dominated solutions to assist project managers to select an appropriate plan to optimize TCR problem, which is an operation that is typically difficult and time-consuming. Comparisons between the AMODE and currently widely used multiple objective algorithms verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the developed algorithm. The proposed model is expected to help project managers and decision makers in successfully completing the project on time and reduced risk by utilizing the available information and resources.Originality/valueThe paper presented a novel model that has three main contributions: First, this paper presents an effective and efficient adaptive multiple objective algorithms named as AMODE for producing optimized schedules considering time, cost and risk simultaneously. Second, the study introduces the effect of total float loss and resource control in order to enhance the schedule flexibility and reduce the risk of project delays. Third, the proposed model is capable of operating automatically without any human intervention.

scholarly journals Investigating the Environmental Impacts of Construction Projects in Time-Cost Trade-Off Project Scheduling Problems with CoCoSo Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10922
Author(s):  
Sayyid Ali Banihashemi ◽  
Mohammad Khalilzadeh ◽  
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas ◽  
Jurgita Antucheviciene
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Project Scheduling ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Scheduling Problems ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Project Activity

Currently, construction projects have a significant share in environmental pollution. Usually, the employers and managers of construction projects pay attention to the project implementation with the shortest duration and the lowest cost, whereas less attention is paid to the environmental effects of the implementation of projects. Sustainable development requires the planning and implementation of construction projects, taking environmental impacts, along with other factors, into account. Few studies have investigated the balancing time, cost, and environmental effects. Although the selection of an execution method for the project activity requires the use of decision-making methods, these methods have not been used in the project scheduling problems. This study seeks to simultaneously minimize the project time, cost, and environmental impacts. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental impact of project activities in three physical, biological, and social aspects throughout the construction projects, and to attempt to minimize them as measurable values. In this paper, the environmental effects of an urban water supply construction project as a real case study are assessed in different activity execution modes by the Leopold matrix and the best execution mode of each project activity is selected using the CoCoSo (combined compromise solution) multi-criteria decision-making method, considering the time–cost-environmental impact trade-off. The CoCoSo method is employed because of its high flexibility compared to other multi-criteria decision-making methods. The results of this study will direct managers and stakeholders of construction projects to pay more attention to the environmental effects of construction project activities, together with the other conventional project goals and objectives, such as the time and cost.

The framework of data-driven and multi-criteria decision-making for detecting unbalanced bidding

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huimin Li ◽  
Limin Su ◽  
Jian Zuo ◽  
Xiaowei An ◽  
Guanghua Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Distance Measure ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Relative Distance ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Ideal Solution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

PurposeUnbalanced bidding can seriously imposed the government from obtaining the best value for the taxpayers' money in public procurement since it increases the owner's cost and decreases the fairness of the competitive bidding process. How to detect an unbalanced bid is a challenging task faced by theoretical researchers and practical actors. This study aims to develop an identification method of unbalanced bidding in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThe identification of unbalanced bidding is considered as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. A data-driven unit price database from the historical bidding document is built to present the reference unit prices as benchmarks. According to the proposed extended TOPSIS method, the data-driven unit price is chosen as the positive ideal solution, and the unit price that has the furthest absolute distance measure as the negative ideal solution. The concept of relative distance is introduced to measure the distances between positive and negative ideal solutions and each bidding unit price. The unbalanced bidding degree is ranked by means of relative distance.FindingsThe proposed model can be used for the quantitative evaluation of unbalanced bidding from a decision-making perspective. The identification process is developed according to the decision-making process. The finding shows that the model will support owners to efficiently and effectively identify unbalanced bidding in the bid evaluation stage.Originality/valueThe data-driven reference unit prices improve the accuracy of the benchmark to evaluate the unbalanced bidding. The extended TOPSIS model is applied to identify unbalanced bidding; the owners can undertake objective decision-making to identify and prevent unbalanced bidding at the stage of procurement.

Factors affecting the delivery of optimum health and safety on construction projects during the covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benviolent Chigara ◽  
Tirivavi Moyo
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Monitoring And Enforcement

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of construction professionals relative to factors that affect the delivery of optimum health and safety (H&S) on construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative design which entailed the distribution of a web-based questionnaire among construction professionals, namely, architects, construction/project managers, engineers, H&S managers and quantity surveyors working for contractors and construction consultants in Zimbabwe. The data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Factor analysis was used to reveal interrelated significant sets of factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S. Findings Factor analysis revealed nine components/factors: change and innovation-related, monitoring and enforcement-related, production-related, access to information and health service-related, on-site facilities and welfare-related, risk assessment and mitigation-related, job security and funding-related, cost-related and COVID-19 risk perception-related factors as the significant factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. Research limitations/implications The results highlighted the need for social dialogue among construction stakeholders to support initiatives that will enhance the delivery of H&S on construction projects. Construction stakeholders may find the results useful in highlighting the areas that need improvement to protect workers’ H&S during the pandemic. However, the small sample limits the generalisability of the results to construction sectors in other regions. Originality/value The study investigated factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 to inform interventions to enhance H&S.

Enhancing the Effect on Project Success through Information Presentation

2015 ◽  
Vol 764-765 ◽  
pp. 895-899
Author(s):  
Shiow Luan Wang ◽  
Thi Hoa Vu
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Information Presentation ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Project Participants ◽  
Project Data

Construction projects are becoming ever more complex and time driven, especially as the amount of project data and active project participants’ increase. For achieving a project success, project management not only must to meet time, cost, quality objectives, but also satisfies the project stakeholders needs related to the project management process. Project managers were difficult to effectively seizing, collecting and handling information which are generated from different systems. The elements of information presentation in web-based was contributed an important role to project management success. The purpose of this study is to provide a background to denote the enhancing project management via information presentation based on effective information technology/information systems which are emphasized in web-based.

Happiness at work: a multi-criteria decision-making approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinki Dahiya ◽  
Juhi Raghuvanshi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Causal Relation ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Causal Framework

Purpose Researchers have strived to identify the factors enhancing happiness at work (HAW), and the causal relations among the enablers of happiness remained underexplored. Therefore, this study aims to map and prioritize the causal relation structures of enablers of HAW. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from key representatives of information technology (IT) firms located in India. A framework based on the cause and effect relationship among enablers of HAW is proposed, and to establish this causality, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique was applied. Findings The findings indicate five out of 12 enablers as causal, namely, transformational leadership, authentizotic work climate, person–organization work fit, organizational virtuousness and meaningfulness in work. Originality/value Human resource managers, organizational policymakers and scholars will gain greater understanding through this causal framework of enablers of HAW. Knowledge and facilitation of these enablers will aid in nurturing a happy workplace.

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