David Arditi, PhD

1.  Different prediction models including ant theory based genetic algorithms and tabu-based genetic algorithms are used to predict the outcome of construction claims. Court records will be used to validate these models.

2. Subcontracting is one of the most neglected subjects in construction management research although a large chunk of the construction activity is performed by specialty contractors. This research aims at identifying the critical issues in subcontracting and recommending feasible solutions. The use of software agents will be investigated in decision making relative to subcontractor selection processes.

3. The construction industry is a rather conservative industry when compared to the electronics industry. The rate of innovation is rather slow. A study is conducted to analyze innovation in construction management and its effects on the construction activity.

4. Given the cyclic nature of the construction business, construction companies are forced to make aggressive expansion decisions in times of slump. A model is being developed that will allow construction executives to make informed decisions concerning the short-term and long-term expansion policy of a company.

5. A major problem with scheduling systems is that they all lack proper visual appeal. In other words, it is difficult to visualize the level of progress by just looking at a CPM or bar chart. A visual scheduling and progress system is being developed by using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) that will allow the manager to view progress simultaneously on the CPM network (or its bar chart representation) and the 3D drawings of the project.

6. A system was developed in previous research to link a CPM schedule to digital movies of the construction site. A method is now being developed to measure progress automatically from digitized movies by means of image recognition techniques. The proposed system will be able to automatically generate interim schedules based on percent complete information obtained automatically from the new tool.

7. Project peer review is a process that is used by very few construction companies. The effectiveness of an internal pre-tender project peer review is investigated by means of an industry wide study.

8. Delays occur commonly in construction projects. Assessing the impact of delay is sometimes a contentious issue. Several delay analysis methods are available but no one method can be universally used over another in all situations. This study investigates the factors that affect the selection of the most appropriate delay analysis method.

9. Construction management services have been formalized in the last 20 years. However, there is still confusion as to the expectations of the different parties involved in construction. This is a comparative study that investigates the expectations of the different parties and that tries to reconcile the differences.

10. Construction projects are temporary organizations that are dismantled when the project is completed. Construction contractors move from job to job often not using the lessons learned in previous projects because of this discontinuity in their organization. This project attempts to lay the foundations of a formal post-mortem analysis that will lead to a “lessons learned database” for use in future projects.

11. The diffusion of information technologies is investigated in the context of the construction industry. The size of construction companies appears to play a significant role in this process. Hypotheses are tested and are expected to provide generalized insights into the diffusion of innovation in general.

12. Just-in-time inventory management has been used in the construction industry with mixed success by trying to minimize buffers. This study aims to prove that minimizing buffers is not always the best solution. A simulation model is being used to prove that total project cost is minimized by not minimizing buffers under special circumstances such as fluctuating cash flows, inflation, various discount schemes, etc.

13. Estimating the cost of a low-rise reinforced concrete structure at the early stages of design is important for the owner who wants to make financial plans for the future. Different prediction tools such as artificial neural networks, case based reasoning, and boosted decision trees will be used to predict this early cost estimate.

14. Cases of bribery and kickbacks are all too common in the construction industry. This research identified 96 such cases that took place in different parts of the world and identified the common features in these cases. Guidelines are developed to prevent the occurrence of such events.    

15. Hand drawn construction drawings were replaced in the 1980s with plans generated by computerized systems. The diffusion of this technology has been relatively slow. This research uses different innovation diffusion models to explain the speed with which these technologies are spreading in the construction industry.