Dynamic Planning for Fast-Tracking Building Construction Projects

Abstract

The fast-tracking delivery method has received considerable attention over the last decade, and its time saving feature has placed it as a possible alternative to the traditional more sequential method. Along with its benefits, however, fast-tracking also has greater potential to impact the project development process than the traditional method. In the literature, this is usually attributed to the increased level of uncertainty and research on fast-tracking has mainly focused on uncertainty reduction but without explicit study of the feedback processes involved in fast-tracking. However, closer observations of the project development process suggest that to effectively handle uncertainty and minimize the negative impact of fast-tracking, the feedback processes involved in fast-tracking need to be identified, and the dynamic behavior of construction resulting from those feedback processes needs to be dealt with in a systematic manner. As an effort to meet these needs, this paper presents the Dynamic Planning Methodology, a planning methodology based on system dynamics. Focusing on the dynamic behavior of fast-tracking construction, the Dynamic Planning Methodology aims to improve the planning and management of fast-tracking building construction projects by providing overlapping strategies, workforce control policies, and schedule adjustments that will minimize the negative impact of fast-tracking.