The conceptual model presented here ties together system elements, system topology, objectives, design variables, and constraints. It makes it possible for managers to comprehend the complexity of construction by an understanding of the interactions of these elements. Potential benefits are the following: 1. The system gives us an understanding of basic modeling philosophy. 2. It provides us a template to model each situation in a construction production system. 3. It offers a graphical language to visually communicate how a production system works. 4. It helps us to prepare proper information for further modeling phases. 5. It is also a foundation of building a proper data structure for a construction production system. The scheme described in this paper can help managers explicitly model objectives, design variables, and constraints of a construction system. Discrete-event simulation/meta-heuristic will play an essential role for designing this comprehensive system. Coupling modeling capability with the analytical capability of discrete event simulation will allow researchers to design, model and optimize construction production systems. Our research will continue by modeling and optimizing several construction operations. Our goal is to understand how one should be design and optimize construction processes. The framework presented in this paper is a first building block for developing an understanding of construction complexity. Perhaps in the future it will evolve into a comprehensive theory for construction production.
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