Reza Dehghan

Activity Overlapping Assessment in Construction, Oil and Gas Projects

Increasing demand for project completion in a shorter duration has led to various methods of schedule compression techniques, that a well known among them is fast tracking that refers to overlapping activities that normally would be done in sequence. Fast tracking (overlapping) can reduce the execution time of a project while at the same time can result in rework, extra costs and increased risks as evident by many construction projects. In order to limit the risks of fast tracking and to gain maximum advantage, a tradeoff between benefits and losses of activity overlapping is required. Such a tradeoff requires a systematic and practical approach. For this purpose an analysis has been conducted over the inherent nature of overlapping to develop a new framework for optimizing activity overlapping in construction projects. The main objective of this paper is to introduce such a framework and the hypothesis behind it. The paper will also include the theoretical justification of the suggested framework to verify that the framework can be both reliable and practical to be used by project managers to find the optimum overlapping between activities to reduce the negative risks including sources of cost overruns and time delays.

A Framework for Evaluating the Effect of Fast-Tracking Techniques on Project Performance

Reducing project duration is rewarding for both owners and contractors in any competitive industry. Fast-tracking strategies are the most practical way to achieve shorter project duration, although these strategies invariably impose additional risks and may negatively impact project performance. Despite all negative impacts, if the effect of applying fast tracking techniques on project performance can be theoretically and practically identified, monitored and controlled throughout the project, the fast tracking can result in better outcomes. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate a theoretical framework for evaluating and quantifying the impact of fast-tracking techniques on project duration and cost. The ultimate outcome of the research presented in the paper is to provide project managers with benchmarked fast-tracking techniques which assist them in effective and efficient utilization of fast-tracking techniques from the preplanning phase of the projects.

Defining background tasks in SimFC

Process simulation in construction has proven to be a promising alternative for estimating project costs, driving initial schedules and estimating resource requirements. Different platforms have been developed which allow users to model various construction processes with different constraints. This paper introduces Simulator For Construction (SimFC) as a new construction-related simulator currently in development. Special emphasis is placed on defining and modeling background tasks within given processes. The validity and simplicity of SimFC is illustrated further in a case study where a pipe-rack construction process is modeled. The findings are of interest to construction planners, schedulers, estimators, project managers and researchers who are interested in using and promoting simulation in construction.