ANALYSIS OF CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS USING MICROCOMPUTERS

The analysis of construction operations and processes at the project site level involves many considerations. There are different technologies available to realize construction. There is uncertainty in the duration of construction activities. Each technology has its own resource requirements. The interaction between these resources affect productivity.

Even though there are many quantitative methods available to contractors, decisions at the project site are traditionally made based on experience and intuition (management feel). Quantitative methods have the potential of improving decision making at the job site resulting in improvements in productivity and efficiency. The solution presented is the implementation of quantitative methods in microcomputers. Microcomputers have the characteristics required for job site applications.

Following this thesis, the CYCLONE method for the analysis of jobsite operations was implemented in a microcomputer. CYCLONE (Cyclic Operations Network) is a method for modeling and analyzing site level construction operations and processes. It consideres the logical relationship between activities, activity durations, resources, and the interaction between these factors in a dynamic environment. It focuses on how these factors affect productivity. It is a management tool for the analysis of site level construction operations and processes.

The CYCLONE processor produced conforms well to the CYCLONE method and contains extensions. To keep memory requirements under the capacity of microcomputers, the implementation was carried out using a stepwise methodology. These steps also provide a logical break point in the process of running a CYCLONE program which can be used to the advantage of the user. The implementation was designed to be user conscious, and friendly so that the method can be applied by non computers experts. Research was conducted resulting in improvements directed to simplify the specification of durations in CYCLONE.