Development and Application of Linear Scheduling Techniques to Highway Construction Projects

摘要

Crucial to the successful outcome of major highway construction and reconstruction projects today is the ability to accurately plan, predict and control the construction process. Evermore sensitive to budget control, schedule control, resource allocation and impacts on the motoring public, highway constructors today require sophisticated project management tools to achieve project goals. One of the tools recently being used across the country is project scheduling. The use of scheduling techniques on highway projects has grown out of the successful application of these methods to building construction for the past 20 to 30 years. Unfortunately, the effective application of traditional scheduling techniques to highway construction has been limited because major highway construction project activities are fundamentally different than those typically found on a building project. Major work activities on typical highway construction/rehabilitation projects are linear activities. Unfortunately, currently accepted scheduling techniques (Critical Path Method and bar charts) are unable to accurately model projects consisting primarily of linear work. Contractors and transportation officials are increasingly frustrated with CPM’s inability to provide relevant planning and project management information. A recently rediscovered technique called Linear Scheduling coupled with advances in computer technology and software has the potential to provide significant advancement to highway construction project scheduling and management. Further research is necessary however, to advance the underdeveloped Linear Scheduling technique to the point of actual implementation. A method of producing linear schedules for use in planning and managing suitable highway construction projects, is provided. The ultimate product of this research is a Linear Scheduling Tool (PULSS – Purdue University Linear Scheduling Software) comprised of methods, procedures and software tools that allow for implementation of the Linear Scheduling Method. Furthermore, this software is able to: o Allow schedulers to visually plan highway construction projects o Calculate the controlling activity path of such schedules o Be able to print reports of the status of the schedule