Uncovering the fragility of large-scale engineering projects

Engineering projects are notoriously hard to complete on-time, with project delays often theorised to propagate across interdependent activities. Here, we use a novel dataset consisting of activity networks from 14 diverse, large-scale engineering projects to uncover network properties that impact timely project completion. We provide empirical evidence of perturbation cascades, where perturbations in the delivery of a single activity can impact the delivery of up to 4 activities downstream, leading to large perturbation cascades. We further show that perturbation clustering significantly affects project overall delays. Finally, we find that poorly performing projects have their highest perturbations in high reach nodes, which can lead to largest cascades, while well performing projects have perturbations in low reach nodes, resulting in localised cascades. Altogether, these findings pave the way for a network-science framework that can materially enhance the delivery of large-scale engineering projects.

Maturing Construction Management Up The Bim Model & Scheduling Using Primavera

Poor hazard management is among significant difficulties confronting the construction business on issues of timely project completion. Although hazard factors are various, the nature of construction projects being inclined to changes amid execution makes it hard to satisfactorily catch chance perspectives identified with scheduling and timely project completion. Conventional 2D PC based devices don't enough use digitized calculable data, along these lines constrained in capturing construction risk. Hence, derive the benefit of prominent BIM to pass over this gap is presently being noted in growth venture management. This examination researches the utilization of BIM in managing scheduling risk of construction projects. In our study, to properly minimize the risk of schedule delay in projects; construction sequencing exercises should be satisfactorily digitized and BIM offers the total chance to integrate vital aspects of project management that management enhance scheduling risk management.

The Case for Centralized IT Contract Management

n this chapter a model is developed that describes four forces that move organizations toward centralized IT contract management. Specifically, the model illustrates how centralizing IT contract management enhances organizational performance in four areas. First, centralizing IT contract management allows for a corporate level view of technology, which supports not only interoperability, but also optimizes software license inventory. Second, it combats vendor opportunism by creating a set of contract negotiators who have as much knowledge as the vendor’s contract negotiators. Third, it enhances information retrieval, but locates the physical contracts in a central location, which allows the legal department, project managers, and senior managers to quickly and reliably locate contract details. Fourth, it provides the proper motivation to project managers and contract negotiators by rewarding each job separately rather than by lumping the rewards for timely project completion together with the rewards for efficient contract negotiation.

Coquitlam Lake water tunnel upgrading—design and construction, a case history

This paper describes geotechnical and construction aspects of a water supply tunnel upgrading project, in the Coquitlam River valley, northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia. This tunnel conveys potable water from Coquitlam Lake, a major source of water for the Vancouver area, to below Coquitlam dam, into large-diameter supply mains. This project involved the enlargement of the existing tunnel in rock, and sand and gravel, and the construction of a new tunnel through a wide variety of ground conditions, including stiff silt and clay, sand and gravel with up to 12 m of groundwater head at the tunnel horizon, and granodiorite rock. These difficult ground conditions required careful evaluation of numerous costly excavation methods.The entire project was on a very tight construction schedule, as Coquitlam Lake is an essential source of water during the warm summer months. In total, 786 m of tunnel or decline was driven. To facilitate timely project completion, a decline was driven to intersect the existing tunnel about halfway between the intake and south portal outlet, providing the contractor with two additional faces to work from. Numerous types of ground support were used, including rock bolts, steel sets, and fibre-reinforced shotcrete. Construction was started in July 1986 and completed in May 1987. Key words: tunnel, soft ground, shoring, ground load, rock bolts, shotcrete, blasting.