Project management of constructive acceleration in building multinational factories

Abstract

In recent years, the construction industry has been faced with several issues such as mass migration across national borders, increasingly complex environments with respect to safety/environmentally friendly designs and intense competition for projects. Stipulated completion periods filled with uncertainties and factories being built in foreign countries require the mobilisation of personnel, equipment transportation and in addition capital turnover challenges. Operational delays are also major challenges for decision makers. Therefore, professional decision-making tools play a significant role in assisting decision makers to manage uncertainty. This study applies decision trees to analyse the practice of construction acceleration to overcome delays in the building of multinational factories. The shadow price obtained from linear programming optimisation and the float time computed by the scheduling-path method are integrated and analysed using decision trees. The results indicate the most effective alternatives for acceleration and provide references for decision makers. In a specific case study, the target project value was fixed at 8490·8 RMB (Renminbi) ($1241·06), and it was therefore important to find a delivery method to keep costs below this sum and within the programme timelines.