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Participating in megaproject experimental tasks would significantly improve the laboratories' industry influence and future competitiveness. Thus, this paper introduces the long-term reputation effects of the incentive model of an experimental resource-sharing platform for megaprojects, which could motivate them to consider future benefits and improve their current efforts. The aim is to incentivize laboratories' resourcesharing behavior more effectively and to increase the amount of resources shared by these laboratories on the platform, thus guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of the platform. It constructs the incentive model by combining dual implicit and explicit incentive mechanisms. It analyses the incentive mechanism of a reputation effect on laboratories compared with the pure explicit mechanism so that the primary conditions for reputation incentives can be obtained to achieve Pareto improvement. Finally, the proposed method is validated in combination with data simulation. The results show that although dual implicit and explicit incentive mechanisms could reduce the information asymmetry between the two sides and increase the efforts of laboratories and the benefits of the platform, the platform should not blindly increase the intensity of these incentives and need to consider the influence of the subsidies of these laboratories' upfront inputs, the degree of sharing and their informatization capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the significance of resource levelling, project managers lack various ways to smooth resource usage fluctuation of a repetitive construction project besides changing resource usage. Tolerating interruptions is an effective way to provide flexibility for a schedule but is ignored when solving resource levelling problems. Therefore, this paper investigates the impacts of interruptions on resource usage fluctuation and develops an integrated approach that simultaneously integrates two scheduling adjusting processes: changing resource usage and tolerating interruptions. In this paper, two interruption conditions are proposed to identify which activities are suitable to be interrupted for smoothing resource usage fluctuation. The traditional resource levelling model is modified to a new scheduling model by incorporating interruptions. A two-stage GA-based scheduling algorithm is developed by integrating changing resource usage and tolerating interruptions. A commonly used pipeline project is adopted to illustrate the steps of the proposed approach and demonstrate its effectiveness and superiority through comparison with previous studies. A large-scale project further verifies the usability of the proposed approach. The results confirmed the feasibility to smooth resource usage fluctuation by interruptions, and the integrated approach can achieve a more competitive resource levelling result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design stage plays a decisive role in safety risk management of the whole life cycle for construction projects. However, existing research mostly pay attention to post-accident management and lack pre-management consciousness. Based on the concept of design for safety (DFS), this paper explains how design optimization can enhance the safety performance for construction projects. Firstly, use accident causality theory and trajectory crossing theory to clarify the logical relationship between safety accidents and design process. Then, identify risk sources of safety accidents in deep foundation pit of subway projects and form a safety management knowledge base. Thirdly, based on design and review rules in the knowledge base and improved FEC risk quantification method, quantify the design oriented subway construction safety risks. Finally, use BIM secondary development technology to realize automatic examination and visualization of safety risks. A case study was conducted to verify this research framework. This paper can be a supplement to the existing risk management theoretical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic, challenging, and complex nature of the construction projects environment often cause adversarial culture, disputed claims, and deteriorating relationships between project participants. This paper aims to study the correlation between Relationship Management (RM) and construction project success and to develop a framework that includes practical actions, tools, and strategies for managing relationships in construction projects. Literature review and interviews were used to explore and validate the RM’s relevant associated traits. Subsequently, a piloted questionnaire was used to collect the data from 264 construction experts and assess the effect of RM on the overall project success. The data were analyzed using Partial-Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), where the structural and measurement models of the higher and lower order constructed were assessed. The study findings categorized the RM-associated traits into three main pillars: Contractual Measures, Team Interactions, and Top Management Actions. The findings also confirmed that RM has a significant positive effect on the overall success of construction projects. In addition, this paper proposed an integrated framework for managing relationships in construction projects, allowing construction firms to monitor the relationships in their projects and identify key areas for strengthening the relationships throughout their projects to foster their projects’ success rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International construction projects are facing various severe risks from country, partner, company, and project. Global contractors have suffered heavy losses. Previous researches have proved that an available organizational risk repository is a reliable knowledge source that can be used to introduce experience-based solutions of how specific risks can be managed in international construction projects. The construction of the organizational risk repository calls for an effective feedback mechanism that dispels the organizational culture of unwillingness to disclose management failure and encourages proactive creation and retention of data and information on historical projects and risk-related knowledge. Hence, this paper proposes a risk causation model for international construction projects (RCM_ICP) to support such a mechanism. RCM_ICP links response measures to the chain of risks to identify management failures and conduct modifications, thereby promoting thinking on the part of the management and capturing key risk management experiences. It includes a category component for the efficient retrieval of relevant knowledge based on country-related factors. Besides, this paper proposes the risk review procedures as the instruction of RCM_ICP. Hence, this research breaks the barriers of sharing information between project and organization levels in a project-based industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analysing the oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import and consumption changing trends, the Occurrence Period (OP), Growth Period (GP) and Maturation Period (MP) of oil and LNG import and consumption in China, and studying how the oil and LNG import and consumption changing trends influence the development of China-Pakistan oil and LNG transportation corridor (CPOLTC), in this paper we apply a Growth Curve Model (GCM) based approach to solve the problems mentioned above. First, the Chinese oil and LNG import and consumption changing trends are analysed by applying the GCM. The results show that oil and LNG consumption and import belong to the GP because of the fast industrialization and urbanization development, so the oil and LNG import and consumption demand will increase fast; Then, the External Dependence (ED) is applied to describe the oil and LNG consumption dependence degree in China, the results show that import will remain high ED value, especially for the oil import (over 70%), which means the security of the energy supply chain still remains the central idea of Chin's energy policies. Finally, the challenges and key issues of CPOLTC is analysed. Challenges are: domestic political struggles and institutional defects in Pakistan make the CPOLTC projects lacking of implementation, security along the corridor, influence and competition from external forces, impacts of western project culture, the comprehensive projects establishment ability in Pakistan, etc. The key issues are: Value Engineering (VE) researches for projects, Chinese element such as project construction, management, standards and specifications, assessment of the projects' life cycle and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building information Modeling (BIM) has been applied to the whole life cycle planning of construction projects, becoming the latest "engineering brain". Currently, researches on BIM involve various stages, but most of the review fields are relatively single and lack of systematic review and analysis. In order to comprehensively analyze the research trend of BIM in the field of engineering management, this paper takes the holistic analysis method as the framework. In the first stage, 2066 research projects were quantitatively analyzed by bibliometrics to clarify their research environment. In the second stage, scientometric analysis method is adopted to identify scholars, countries, key words and journal sources that have achieved fruitful results and influence in BIM research, and to clarify the research environment. In the last stage, indepth qualitative discussion is carried out to achieve three objectives: (1) to divide the whole life cycle of the article and summarize the research hotspots in each stage; (2) identify BIM application problems; (3) determine the future research direction. This work is helpful for researchers and practitioners in this field to quickly find influential and fruitful research or journals, and to understand the current research hot spots and trends for the next research planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes construction productivity based on the construction duration per floor and per gross area over 20 years (1996-2015) and compares the results among the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan, which have similar sizes of total construction investment and market risk. Although construction labor productivity is widely used to analyze and compare construction productivity among countries, it does not consider the changed construction duration caused by levels of investment and technology. Therefore, construction duration per floor and gross area was selected analyze and compare construction productivity in this paper. Regular and non-modular buildings with a total of five or more floors and a basement are collected during the analysis period (1996-2015). The total number of collected buildings is 800 and it includes buildings in the United States (194), the United Kingdom (186), South Korea (322) and Japan (98). Construction duration, increase rate and standard deviation are then compared between each country. Finally, factors that influence construction duration are derived and additionally considered to explain and adjust the trends and changes of construction productivity related to construction duration in the four countries. The productivity of the United States is the highest, but the difference between it and other countries decreases steadily because the increase rate of the construction duration in the United stated is larger than those of other countries. Then, the factors influencing the construction duration are derived as a learning effect by the number of ground floors and gross area, as well as the rate of constructed buildings with a first basement floor for efficient productivity management. The rate of the first basement floor influences both the construction duration per floor and per gross area. This study contributes to the field by explaining the productivity change based on the construction duration and proposing the key management point of the productivity by deriving the influence factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk-informed decision-making of metro tunnel project is often faced with the problem of inadequate utilization of available information. In order to address the epistemic uncertainty problem caused by insufficient utilization of information in decision-making, this paper proposes a risk decision support approach for metro tunnel construction based on Continuous Time Bayesian Network (CTBN) technique. CTBN can factor the state space of variables in tunnel projects and perform evidence-based reasoning, which enables the diverse information of expert opinions, project-specific parameters, historical data and engineering anomalies to be the evidence to support decision-making. A concise CTBN model development method based on Dynamic Fault Trees is presented to replace the cumbersome model learning process. The proposed approach can utilize multi-source information as evidence to provide multi-form decision support both in the pre-construction stage and construction stage of the tunnel construction project, and the results can support the decisions on judging the acceptability of the risk, developing response strategies for risk factors and diagnosing the causes of the hazardous event. A case study on the water leakage risk of tunnel construction in China is presented to illustrate the feasibility of the approach. The case study shows that the approach can assist in making informed decisions, so as to improve the engineering safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalisation of the construction industry is exposing it to cybersecurity risks. All phases of construction can be affected. Particularly vulnerable are information-intensive phases such as building design and building operation. Construction is among the last industries that are discovering its cybersecurity risks and can rely on frameworks developed for other contexts. In this paper, we evaluate the cybersecurity risks of the design phase of construction using the Cyber Assessment Framework from the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) of the UK. The goal of this study is twofold. First, to examine cybersecurity risks themselves, and second, to evaluate the applicability of the NCSC framework for construction to see if and how construction is specific. The analysis shows that the cybersecurity risks follow the information impact curve that has been motivating the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM). The framework is applicable but is weak in addressing the specifics of the construction industrial ecosystem, which involves a multitude of dynamically connected actors, their overlapping authorities, and conflicting motives. It is suggested that a specialized constructionrelated framework should be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction projects are associated with a number of uncertainties due to their expanse, complex nature, uniqueness, and dynamic states. Risks in construction projects are, indeed, the events or uncertain situations that can have negative or positive consequences on the project objectives. Many of the risks inherent in construction projects affect each other. For example, the time risk in construction projects can affect the cost risk and vice versa. The intertwined relations between risk factors are ignored in the traditional construction risk assessment methods. To fulfill this gap, this paper proposes an integrated fuzzy DEMATEL-fuzzy ANP model to evaluate construction projects and their overall risks by considering intertwined relations among risk factors. Fuzzy DEMATEL is used to determine the interrelationships and interdependencies among risk factors. The network structure for implementing the fuzzy ANP method is extracted based on the results of fuzzy DEMATEL. The fuzzy ANP is applied to assess the relative importance of risk factors and alternatives and prioritize construction projects. The proposed integrated model is used to evaluate five construction projects based on risk factors in Isfahan, Iran. The results of applying the integrated model reveal that the time, cost and safety risks with the weight values of 0.056, 0.038, and 0.034 are the most important factors among construction risks, respectively. The results reveal that the proposed model can help managers to evaluate the overall risks of construction projects, and select the best project that has the lowest risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural structures are known to be the source of inspiration for numerous architectural and structural rules in the fields of aesthetics, function, and structure; therefore, the application of the principals governing them could be used for appropriate and optimal design. The present paper was conducted to model the natural structure of load transfer in order to design the structure of a pedestrian bridge with a span of 100 meters. This bridge is located in a mountain park in the tourist area of Kashan, 230 km south of Tehran. For this purpose, by examining the patterns in the nature, which provides a relevant answer to the problem, the spine of animals was identified as the bearing skeleton of the body, the best option for patterning. Inspired by it, a stable structure was designed as a skeleton of a bridge without a middle pillar. Based on a form inspired by the spine of a four-legged animal, the bridge structure was designed. To control the stability of the bridge structure against the loads, the initial design idea was analysed employing the Karamba plugin in Grasshopper software to identify its weaknesses and the final design was obtained. The final design was analysed with SAP2000 structural finite element software to ensure the stability and control of permissible deformations. Additionally, attention to the modular structure of the spine was the source of inspiration for the design of prefabricated elements of the bridge parts, which in addition to reducing the cost of execution, increases the speed of construction of the project. The final design of the pedestrian bridge, which acts similar to a suspension bridge in terms of load transfer and was inspired by the structure of a four-legged vertebrate, is a combination of truss and tensegrity structure and in addition to visual aesthetic, has optimal structural performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In practice, bridge foundations and pier columns are usually constructed with cast-in-place concrete. Precast columns are currently widely used in highway bridges in China, which can save construction time and improve concrete quality. The connection between precast bridge columns and the foundation can affect how forces transfer from one to the other. This paper investigates using external sockets to form a connection between the bridge column and foundation. This method can accelerate the bridge construction time with the additional advantages of improving the orientation and creating a large erection tolerance. Two types of connections are presented and tested to investigate the behavior of the column-foundation connections and find a more suitable way to use external socket connections. The experimental results show that the column-foundation connection design satisfies the design requirements. The results also show that roughening the column surface within the external socket is more effective at connecting the column to the foundation when using an external socket compared to attaching a steel plate on the column. The experimental results are validated with a finite element analysis, resulting in a proposal regarding the column-foundation connection behavior as well as design recommendations for the external socket connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivery of the prefabricated components may be disrupted by low productivity and various of traffic restrictions, thus delaying the prefabricated construction project. However, planning of the prefabricated component supply chain (PCSC) under disruptions has seldom been studied. This paper studies the construction schedule-dependent resilience for the PCSC plan by considering transportation costs and proposes a multi-objective optimization model. First, the PCSC planning problem regarding schedule-dependent resilience and resultant transportation cost is analyzed. Second, a quantification scheme of the schedule-dependent resilience of the PCSC plan is proposed. Third, formulation of the resilience-cost tradeoff optimization model for the PCSC planning is developed. Fourth, the multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO)-based method for solving the resilience-cost tradeoff model is presented. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate and justify the developed method. This study contributes to the knowledge and methodologies for PCSC management by addressing resilience at the planning stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic, challenging, and complex nature of the construction projects environment often cause adversarial culture, disputed claims, and deteriorating relationships between project participants. This paper aims to study the correlation between Relationship Management (RM) and construction project success and to develop a framework that includes practical actions, tools, and strategies for managing relationships in construction projects. Literature review and interviews were used to explore and validate the RM’s relevant associated traits. Subsequently, a piloted questionnaire was used to collect the data from 264 construction experts and assess the effect of RM on the overall project success. The data were analyzed using Partial-Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), where the structural and measurement models of the higher and lower order constructed were assessed. The study findings categorized the RM-associated traits into three main pillars: Contractual Measures, Team Interactions, and Top Management Actions. The findings also confirmed that RM has a significant positive effect on the overall success of construction projects. In addition, this paper proposed an integrated framework for managing relationships in construction projects, allowing construction firms to monitor the relationships in their projects and identify key areas for strengthening the relationships throughout their projects to foster their projects’ success rates.

The Egyptian construction industry suffers from severe delays and cost overruns. Rework is a prime cause of this challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study to identify the root causes of rework for Egyptian construction projects and their impact on the project duration and cost. An extensive literature review has been done to identify the most common factors affecting rework. Hence, eighty-seven factors were identified and categorised into ten groups. Structured interview technique was adopted to get the opinions of 67 Egyptian construct professionals for nineteen different construction projects. Total Importance Index of Rework Impact (T.I.I.R.I%) was used to analyse and rank rework factors. Accordingly, the most critical five rework factors are economic situation for the country, schedule compression, design changes, specifications change, and inadequate feasibility study. Based on the survey results, the project stakeholders should consider the critical rework factors during the planning stage and before the project execution, to eliminate or reduce the occurrence and impact of rework causes and to improve the performance of the projects. This paper provides state of the art for rework causes and their effects on construction projects performance, and it can be beneficial for both practitioners and researchers for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheduling plays a fundamental role in construction projects' success and thus has drawn attention from both academic researchers and industry practitioners. A large number of research articles tend to solve emerging challenges in construction project schedule (CPS). Therefore, there is a strong need of systematic review on existing studies. In this study, a total of 332 articles were retrieved from Scopus database using title, abstract and keywords with respect to CPS and filtered by document type, language type and abstract content. In particular, science mapping approach was adopted to analyse selected journal articles. These articles were examined using three sequential processes, including bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-depth qualitative discussion. It could demonstrate the most influential journals, researchers, published articles, and active countries/regions in this area. In addition, major CPS knowledge areas were identified and summarized as CPS constructability, applications of variety of CPS methods, CPS optimization models and algorithms, identification and quantification of schedule risks and uncertainties, CPS performance management, and adopting new emerging CPS technologies and methods. Furthermore, knowledge gaps and future potential research directions were also discussed in detail. Finally, a comprehensive CPS framework was proposed as a sound reference in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wastes in construction projects such as wastes in materials, time, resources and achieving customer needs can be minimized using the new philosophy of Lean Construction (LC). This paper proposed a two-level model based on fuzzy logic technique for evaluating Causes of Wastes (CWs) and lean implementation in construction projects. The probability of occurrence and importance of CWs were two input parameters in level 01 of the model, whereas the output was the level of waste. On the other hand, level 02 of the model depended on using three input parameters which were: level of waste, controllability level for CWs and lean implementation level, while the output was the lean effect. Several linguistic variables and logical rules were used for relating inputs and outputs and new indices were introduced. The model was applied and validated for data collected in two countries: Egypt and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Results demonstrated that the expected lean effect is found with a positive correlation with various levels of wastes and can be improved by increasing controllability and lean implementation levels. Regarding the comparative study between the two countries, distinct disparities in lean effect were clarified. Most measured CWs indices were different in both countries while indices values in KSA were higher than in Egypt either in waste, controllability or implementation levels. The results presented an optimum arrangement to reach an effective new lean evaluation model that could be implemented for moving the traditional construction towards LC. Finally, the model can be applied easily in most countries to help decision makers in evaluating CWs and lean implementation in their construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme has been widely adopted in infrastructure projects around the world. In PPP projects, the governments participate as a principal and the investors play the role of an agent, and therefore their behaviours and incentive strategies can be explained and designed by the principal-agent theory. As "economic men" with limited rationality, both the governments and the investors have altruistic preferences during cooperation. This paper studies how project participants' altruistic preferences affect government subsidies based on the principal-agent theory. To this end, a principal-agent model in the presence of altruism is developed. The results show that the amount of government compensation is related to the altruistic preferences, the expected revenue, costs and investors' efforts. Contrary to intuition, the governments' altruism actually undermines the investors' enthusiasm in cooperation and the risk-sharing propensity, although it increases the utilities of both parties. Moreover, when selecting the investors, governments should examine their operating capacity carefully, which has a significant impact on the sustainable development of the projects and even PPP arrangements. The findings contribute new insights into the development of incentive mechanisms between governments and private investors from the perspective of the behavioural preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complexity is very high in construction project and constrained by money and time. Change orders are commonly required during the execution of construction projects. They may increase, omit or adjust tasks in the project. Change orders affect the performance of construction job because they disturb current jobs and affect their schedule. The motive behind this study is to outline a complete assessment on change orders impacts. A review on past studies was performed to capture change order factors that affect project performance. Literature review and interviews with the industry professionals were used to finalize the factors into 16 critical factors. A questionnaire was distributed to industry specialists to capture the effect of these 16 factors on project performance. Complete answers of 102 surveys were received. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Relative Important Index (RII) were utilized to analyze the responses. This study differs from other past studies by studying change order impact factors on three different change order types namely additional, omission and substitutional works. The most important change orders impacts factors as per the analysis outcomes are increased project management efforts, increased project replanning, loss of efficiency due to work interruption, increased reworks/demolition works and delay of payments. This paper would help construction professionals to recognize change order impacts and would assist them in taking proactive actions to limit these impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an original approach to construction cost analysis and development of predictive models based on ensembles of artificial neural networks. The research was focused on the application of two alternative approaches of ensemble averaging that allow for combining a number of multilayer perceptron neural networks and developing effective models for cost predictions. The models have been developed for the purpose of forecasting construction costs of sports fields as a specific type of construction objects. The research included simulation and selection of numerous neural networks that became the members of the ensembles. The ensembles included either the networks of different types in terms of their structure and activation functions or the networks of the same type. The research also included practical implementation of the developed models for cost analysis based on a sports field BIM model. This case study examined and confirmed all of the four models' predictive capabilities and superiority over models based on single networks for the particular problem. Verification including testing and the case study enabled selection of the best ensemble-based model that combined ten networks of different types. The proposed approach is prospective for fast cost analyses and conceptual estimates in construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic inadequacies of the External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS), which occur during the construction phase, increase the financial risk for stakeholders, while reducing the long-term durability of the facade. The economic effect of on-site shortcomings can be reduced if the most significant on-site activities are recognised. The current paper develops an economic relevance assessment model for on-site construction activities of ETICS to increase economic rationality of resource allocation and emphasise the high-risk systematic shortcomings. The economic assessment model quantifies the financial risk of the on-site degradation factors with the method of modified Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA). The data collection is followed by experts' judgments and is validated with the Delphi technique. The study reveals that degradation factors in the early phases of construction have the highest relevance due to high costs of repair as well as high occurrence possibility and higher detection difficulty due to rapid coverage. Ninety percent of the shortcomings appear during the first five years of completion of the construction. The on-site failures occurring during the application of mechanical anchors and finishing layer cause the lowest financial risk. The model enables the economic effect of the on-site activities to be prioritised for better resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk assessment is critical for the construction of the subway station to improve the risk management and reduce the additional loss. According to field investigation of safe construction, the analytical network process (ANP), fuzzy set theory and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE), a fuzzy ANP comprehensive evaluation (FANPCE) model was proposed to evaluate the risk of subway station construction in this paper. Twelve key risk factors of subway station construction were identified through literature review and questionnaires. The interdependency among risk factors were illustrated through the network structure of ANP, and then a weight matrix of single risk factors was built by comments and survey results, and the interdependent weight matrix was quantified by integrating the triangular fuzzy number into the ANP. Subsequently, the total risk rank of assessed projects can be quantified though the synthesis of weight matrices with the synthetic operator of FCE. Wu Lu Kou subway station was selected as a case study. The results imply that, construction experience, underground water, and safety consciousness have a substantial influence on construction projects and that the total construction risk of Wu Lu Kou subway station is ranked at I level. Moreover, the loss analysis of the whole construction process verifies this method. This research contributes to developing a FANPCE method to identify the risk factors with high weights, assess the risk rank of projects and appropriately respond to the results. In addition, the developed fuzzy set theory-ANP-FCE integrated network provides stakeholders a consolidated model for the risk evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a model, introduced in software, namely Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model (MCDMM). The model helps decision makers selecting the most suitable alternative based on the customer requirements and preferences. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (Fuzzy TOPSIS) form a package that covers most available data types in construction projects. In MCDMM, AHP produces criteria relative weights according to their influence on the discussed problem, while Fuzzy TOPSIS is applied to rank the available alternatives. The model consists of two modules, first one uses AHP only to deal with precise, qualitative alongside quantitative data, while the other module combines AHP with Fuzzy TOPSIS due to the importance of linguistic variables to cover undocumented data. MCDMM is verified using two real case studies. The model is applied to a real case project for constructing solar power plants at Saudi Arabia. A decision required to select the most suitable surveying technique for producing Digital Terrain Model (DTM) among four alternatives (Total Station, Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, and Global Positioning Systems). This issue is studied and key points are identified for prioritizing among them. Total Station is selected based on the model results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relations between defect types and quality inspection grades of public construction projects in Taiwan. Altogether, 499 defect types (classified from 17,648 defects) were found after analyzing 990 construction projects from the Public Construction Management Information System of the public construction commission which is a government unit that administers all the public construction. The core of this research includes the following steps. (1) Data mining (DM) was used to derive 57 association rules which altogether contain 30 of the 499 defect types. (2) K-means clustering was used to regroup the 990 projects of two attributes (defect frequency and original grading score of each project) into four new quality classes, so the 990 projects can be more evenly distributed in the four new classes and the correctness and reliability of the following analyses can be ensured. (3) Finally analysis of variance (ANOVA), fuzzy logic, and correlation analysis were used to verify that the aforementioned 30 defect types are the important ones determining inspection grades. Results of this research can help stakeholders of construction projects paying more attention on the root causes of the critical defect types so to dramatically raise their management effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of multi-family building maintenance is complex and comprises numerous issues, one of which is the process of planning expenditures for residential building renovation. This task is important from the manager's point of view as their responsibility is to maintain a building in a non-deteriorated condition. To fulfil this task, the authors of this paper suggest utilising a decisionmaking model aimed at defining renovation activities making it possible to retain the maintenance standard (as regards newly commissioned residential buildings) or improve it (as regards existing buildings). The suggested model is based on a multi-criteria building assessment including seven requirements. The calculations conducted using the suggested model enable us to define the costs and scope of renovation taken to ensure the assumed building condition or, by assuming various rates paid to the renovation reserve, to define the period in which the above-mentioned goals may be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great importance to facilitate the risk assessment process in construction projects because risk assessment is a requirement in most legislation and safety standards. A great majority of construction SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are not familiar with risk assessment concepts and methods. In particular, SMEs are very likely to have dif- ficulty finding the qualified personnel or time to carry out a proper risk assessment. The method introduced in this paper has some distinct features. The method introduces a new method of risk assessment, replacing the traditional definition of probabilities with control levels because they are easier to implement and yield more accurate risk scores. The method was practically applied on 22 construction SMEs. From the practical application, it was observed that the method was found to be user friendly and the SMEs found it easy to update their risk strategies during various construction stages in their projects. The proposed risk assessment method introduces a powerful and practical control level strategy which would develop a safer, healthier and more competitive workplace for construction SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify a comprehensive list of critical success factors for construction projects in Lithuania. Based on the available literature review, this paper identified 71 success factors under 7 broad groups. Based on the survey results, ten factors including project manager competence, project management team members' competence, project manager coordinating skills, client clear and precise goals/objectives, project value, project management team members' relevant past experience, project manager organising skills, project manager effective and timely conflict resolution, client ability to make timely decision, and project manager experience were determined as the most important success factors for construction projects. These critical success factors are of great significance both to researchers and industry practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Resources selection and allocation at the project planning stage is an important issue for reducing project cost, duration and risk. Existing planning and scheduling methods overlook aspects of limited production capacity of construction companies (contractors) due to the fact that they are simultaneously engaged in realization of some projects. This paper presents a new methodology for project scheduling with repetitive processes using Petri nets based approach. The paper starts with an overview of current developments in the Petri nets theory. We then propose an efficient computational method based on simulation of Petri net model for construction project planning and subcontractor agreement analysis. An example of construction project simulation research is presented to illustrate the method of project planning and resources allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Surpassing of the planned budget and delivery time is a common feature during the implementation of building investments in Poland. Only a small number of companies use effective methods of project monitoring during investment performance. One of the popular tools used to control projects with regard to cost and time is the earned value method (EVM). There is, however, no detailed guidance how to deploy the method to the specific characteristics and conditions during the execution of building investments. This fact has contributed to this paper, which presents the results of application and adaptation of the earned value method (EVM) and its further extensions in the control of building projects during their execution (with regard to cost and time), prediction of the final duration and costs, and presentation of the effects resulting from calculations. The analyses were performed in terms of the contractor for 5 selected completed and ongoing building projects in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negotiation is the popular collaborative decision-making behavior in interorganization systems, especially in the collaborative working in construction projects (CWCP). However, negotiation has long been recognized as a critical but timeand energyconsuming process. The lack of an effective framework to improve the efficiency (performance) of negotiation is a major problem for those seeking to enhance the efficiencyand effectiveness of collaborative working in construction projects. This paper aims to develop a cognitive mapping-based application framework for improving collaborative working in construction project from negotiation perspective (CF-CWCP). This frameworkincludes two-fold: (1) mapping negotiation process in construction projects using cognitive mapping technique; (2) developing CF-CWCP by integrating intelligent agent and cognitive mapping techniques. This research will benefit the partners in construction projects to improve construction negotiation performance. A prototype of CF-CWCP is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although there has been important research on construction management's life cycle, stakeholders, micro and macroenvironment, there has not been a model defined that can link the above. This while the need to integrate construction management's life cycle, stakeholders, micro and macroenvironment into both theory and practice is essential. The Model for integrated project management, described in this paper, consists of six stages. The purpose of this study is also to examine micro and macroenvironment impact on efficiency of project managers and project performance, based on the proposed Model. We conclude that the proposed Model offers a promising research toward improving construction management efficiency through giving construction managers method for enhancing a project's efficient micro and macroenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Civil Engineering & Management is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In construction projects, managers make multiple decisions every day. Most of these decisions are relatively unimportant; some of them are critical and could lead to the success or failure of a construction project. To ensure construction companies make effective managerial decisions, decision making requires performing an initial technical and economic analysis, comparing different decision-making solutions, using a planning system, and ensuring project implementation based on the provided plans. Therefore, the use of powerful systems such as business intelligence (BI), which play a central role in management and decision-making, is essential in project-based companies. The current study aims to determine and evaluate the main managerial opportunities in the application of BI in project-based construction companies using a descriptive survey approach. An empirical research questionnaire consisting of 60 factors and 7 categories was adopted. The questionnaire, after confirming its validity and reliability, was distributed to 100 experts engaged in 5 active project-based construction companies who were familiar with BI topics. To analyse the data, a one-sample t-test and the Friedman test were performed using the SPSS software. The findings indicated that the importance of the identified opportunities for the use of BI in project-based construction companies is above average and that, in the case of using BI in such companies, these opportunities can be used to improve project performance. The results of the current study can help managers and other stakeholders as an effective decision-making tool to better implement BI in project-based companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction projects' performance is not self-regulating. Therefore, a continuous progress tracking and monitoring process is highly demanded to avoid potential deviations or misalignments. The current practice for the progress tracking and monitoring process suffers from heavily intermediated workflows, human errors, transfer latencies, inaccuracies, and/or information holes. Such issues could gradually lead to severe delays or even complete project failure. This research introduces a novel Peer-to-Peer (P2P) system that relies on Blockchain Technology (BT) and Inter-Planetary File System (IPFS) for managing progress information and as-built digital assets or files. The system is developed based on a three-step approach. First, two chaincodes are formulated for mapping and governing the data operations. Second, a private blockchain network is configured based on Hyperledger Fabric as a hosting platform, including the relevant stakeholders. Third, a private IPFS network is configured and coupled with a cluster service to manage and distribute the off-chain visuals and as-built digital assets. A case study for a non-residential construction project is utilized to test and verify the system's practicability and assess its performance. The research significance is anticipated in diverse practical areas, including but not limited to; boosting coordination and trust among stakeholders, tracing progressive elaboration of As-built digital assets, accelerating incremental payments processing, assessing overall project performance and on-site productivity, supporting delay analysis and claim/dispute management, and streamlining data flow between the construction phase and the operation and maintenance phase. Further, the system's future is mapped by evolving it as a sub-unit in a more advanced data model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of projects, firms are facing challenges in planning and controlling complex multiple construction projects. This research, therefore, aims at developing blockchain of optimal scheduling and sequencing of multiple construction projects under probabilistic arrival and stochastic durations. Each project task was considered as a block. Then, a framework for electronic project recording (EPR) system was developed. The EPRs are records for project tasks that make information available directly and securely to authorized users. In this framework, two optimization models were developed for scheduling and sequencing project blocks. The scheduling model aims to assign project tasks to available resources at minimal total cost and maximal the number of assigned project tasks. On the other hand, the sequencing model seeks to determine the start time of block execution while minimizing delay costs and minimizing the sum of task's start times. The project arrival date and the task's execution duration were assumed probabilistic and stochastic (normally distributed), respectively. The developed EPR system was implemented on a real case study of five projects with total of 121 tasks. Further, the system was developed when the task's execution duration follows the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) model with four replications. The project costs (idle time and overtime costs) at optimal plan were then compared between the task's execution duration normally distributed and PERT modelled. The results revealed negligible differences between project costs and slight changes in the sequence of project activities. Consequently, both distributions can be used interchangeably to model the task's execution duration. Furthermore, the project costs were also compared between four solution replications and were found very close, which indicates the robustness of model solutions to random generation of task's execution duration at both models. In conclusion, the developed EPR framework including the optimization models provided an effective planning and monitoring of construction projects that can be used to make decisions through project progress and efficient sharing of project resources at minimal idle and overtime costs. Future research considers developing a Blockchain of optimal maintenance planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies demonstrate that rework can lead to more safety incidents. However, there is an inadequate understanding of how construction rework reduction measures may significantly decrease the likelihood of safety incidents in developing countries. To explore how construction organisations can integrate rework minimisation and safety management in practice, this study examines the effectiveness of the management strategies that can reduce rework and improve safety. Based on a two-stage detailed literature review of both rework- and safety-related studies, 13 managerial measures are recognised that are capable of jointly reducing rework and safety incidents for construction projects. A field survey involving construction professionals in Malaysia was used to analyse and rank these measures according to effectiveness indices for rework, safety and joint rework-safety management. Factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution comprising (1) project management best practices and (2) proactive competency management. It is suggested that the construction industry would benefit from simultaneously ameliorating the quality and safety performance of projects by adopting effective joint measures that are predominantly guided by process (best practices) and people (competency management) components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of any construction project is highly influenced by the efficient planning of materials among construction supply chain players. The improper planning for the construction project has been discussed recently in the literature, with a special focus on the logistic and material aspects. Completing a construction project within time and cost constraints is highly affected by the inventory management system. Such evidence proves the big impact of the inventory management system on construction performance. Derived from these arguments, the critical impact of the inventory and procurement system used at the construction site is definite. This research aims to examine the main factors that need to be considered when developing an inventory and procurement management system and classify the most influential and impactful factors. This research adopted a two-steps methodology, which started with an interview with construction experts then followed by a questionnaire survey targeting project managers and engineers from MRT Line 2 Tunneling infrastructure project in Malaysia. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used for data analysis as well as the scatter plot of the mean and standard deviation analysis. The most critical factors affecting the inventory and procurement handling are related to the operation and management aspects. The top five impactful factors are communication between labor and management, information sharing, software usage on material tracking, purchasing plan, and construction progress. The research outcomes can be used to develop further mitigation plans in the early stages of infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to identify economically feasible alternatives to reduce the duration of construction, as many important factors are present in any given construction project, such as increased construction costs and incentives and decreased delay liquidated damages. Most importantly, thousands of activities are interconnected in a complicated manner. This study proposes a method for analyzing the priority of activities for the reallocation of resources in order to reduce construction delay duration. The proposed method is composed of two steps: the prioritization of activities that can reduce construction duration and a reallocation of resources based upon that prioritization. First, in order to analyze priority, combinations of the lowest-cost activities for reducing per day are derived. Then, the importance of influence factors is analyzed, using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy inference, and priority is derived based on the importance level. Next, the resources are reallocated based on the objective functions of maximizing the importance of the selected activities, reducing the duration, and minimizing the reducing cost. Decision-makers can compare between the reduction duration and available cost, and compare between results of the proposed method and the existing cost-slope method. Then, decision-makers can use the proposed method differently based on their own preferences toward economic and qualitative importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction projects that involve repetitive operations are often referred to as repetitive construction projects. Scheduling them proves a task more demanding than in the case of projects in other industries. Typical objectives of optimization, a characteristic set of constraints, as well as the schedule's susceptibility to the propagation of disruptions caused by materializing risks, call for specific scheduling methods. The authors review the literature to summarize the existing repetitive scheduling methods and put forward their classification to identify the method's aspects needing refinement. This is done to point to directions of further research. The authors hope that this study will contribute to better identification of existing problems in planning repetitive construction projects and faster development of decision support systems, eagerly anticipated by the construction practitioners. Though the focus is on applications to construction projects, the repetitive scheduling methods that account for volatile operating conditions may be of interest to researchers who develop planning techniques for other industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developers of the construction project assess the economic feasibility of the project at the early stages of project development and analyse possible alternative solutions. This research focuses on the assessment of property attractiveness and building location problems at an early stage of project development and proposes the original method for visibility analysis based on the utilization of Building Information Modelling (BIM), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Web environments. The proposed Quantitative View Assessment (QUVIAS) method allows to assess the view mathematically and presents it as a quantitative parameter. The proposed method considers the mathematical shape of the view as a sphere and utilizes spherical coordinates that remove distortions and increase the accuracy of the analysis. The presented approach determines quantitative view coefficients for alternatives of windows, premises and buildings, including their comparison. The way of determining the view proposed in the QUVIAS method can help decision-makers to make more accurate decisions during the selection of a project development strategy. The experimental analysis proved the usefulness of the proposed QUVIAS method in the assessment of the rational building location and prediction of project revenues as well as potential usefulness in the estimation of property attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) faces many challenges throughout the project's lifecycle; on top of these challenges is poor communication which occasionally results in project failure or at least time and cost overruns. A range of steps and methods must be taken to minimize the causes and effects of poor communication to enhance communication. The main aim of the study is to exploring poor communication in MENA construction industry and defining the causes and effects of poor communication from the perspective of consultants, clients, and contractors in small and medium enterprises in a developed region like MENA. Construction professionals from different project parties were asked to complete a questionnaire listing 32 causes and 21 effects of poor communication identified from the literature. The model was validated by Structural Equation Modelling SEM in terms of convergent and discriminant validities. The results revealed, that out of 54 cause and effect factors of poor communication, only 18 factors were retained. These causes and effects were ranked using the relative importance index RII. Results showed that all causes and effects are highly important, with RII above 0.6. The most important causes of poor communication are lack of communication procedure and training, followed by lack of adequate representation for project stakeholders. However, the least important cause of poor communication is a lack of understanding among the construction parties. Conversely, the most acute effects of poor communication are misinterpretation, followed by conflict among construction parties. However, the least important effect of poor communication is a late response to the disaster. Results and recommendations derived from this study represent the vital need of the MENA construction industry to focus on enhancing the current status of communication. The commitment of all project stakeholders to the drawn recommendations regarding the causes of poor communication will undoubtedly limit or reduce the effects of poor communication. Construction firms looking to improve their performance may benefit from the developed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify a comprehensive list of critical success factors for construction projects in Lithuania. Based on the available literature review, this paper identified 71 success factors under 7 broad groups. Based on the survey results, ten factors including project manager competence, project management team members' competence, project manager coordinating skills, client clear and precise goals/objectives, project value, project management team members' relevant past experience, project manager organising skills, project manager effective and timely conflict resolution, client ability to make timely decision, and project manager experience were determined as the most important success factors for construction projects. These critical success factors are of great significance both to researchers and industry practitioners.

Construction project managers (CPMs) play a crucial role in project management. Using nearly 250,000 online resumes, this study aims to identify the major aspects and explore the prevalence trend of competences required by CPMs in real work. A data mining approach, Dynamic Topic Model (DTM), was adopted and ten aspects of CPMs' competences are disclosed. The results of Mann-Kendall tests suggest that among technical skills, work experience and the ability of information technology application are gaining increasing attention rather than professional skill. Moreover, human skills, key managerial competences (i.e., procurement management, risk management and site management) and organizational skill are highlighted. Theoretically, the results provide a systematic review on the real-world competence requirements and their changing trends for CPMs. In practice, these findings can not only be utilized to help students in relevant major and practitioners benchmark their own competences with real-world requirements, but also assist construction firms in formulating more informed talent strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]