An investigation of the use of simulation networks for modeling construction operations

[Extracts from Introduction] The basic problem of construction management is the application or dynamic commitment of a variety of resources to a given project throughout its life. This application of resources over time consists of the movement or management of entities which can be considered as project flows. These management or project entities may be resources such as money and materials or they may be production units such as labor crews and pieces of equipment. The complexity of construction generates a variety of interrelated flow types so that management can be viewed as the manipulation of interacting resource flows. Flows are inherent in operations at the micro and macro levels of construction. Flow modeling concepts may thus be classified at a variety of levels based on the hierarchy of the observer and the nature of the resource type being considered. At the micro or project activity level, these flows evidence themselves as flows of discrete units such as trucks, loaders, masons, and brick pallets. As these discrete flows are viewed from higher levels of the decision hierarchy, they tend to integrate with the resultant effect being continuous flows of men, material, and resources of various types. This dissertation will consider the nature of discrete construction flows and the problem of effectively modeling and investigating such flows… The graphical modelling system developed in this study and the supporting computer implementation will be referred to … as the CYCLONE modeling system. The name CYCLONE system is an acronym for CYClic Operations Network system.