Integrated construction coordination change response system

The main objective of this research is to develop a methodology for construction coordination. This methodology is named the Integrated Construction Coordination Change Response System (ICCCRS). The specific focus of the research in coordination is response to change situations. The response to change is a great challenge to effective construction coordination. ICCCRS employs an expert system to represent the empirical knowledge of a construction coordinator. A group of project databases is controlled by part of this expert system. Through this arrangement, the coordinator can access information regarding the construction project. The information is used in making decisions about the response to a change situation. The expert system uses an object orientation for its representation. The knowledge is represented as a class hierarchy. The hierarchy is built upon the view that the construction effort is based on resource use. Resources are the basic building blocks for the activities in a construction project. The methodology is able to detect changes in the status of the project resources. The response options are evaluated using decision factors comparable to those the coordinator would use. Fuzzy logic evaluation of the response options yields an ordered option list. The coordinator then decides on a response from this list. The ICCCRS methodology was tested using a prototype system. The prototype is implemented using the C Language Integrated Production Rule System (CLIPS) software. The verification of the CLIPS modules was done by hand calculation. The results were validated by checking the output with expected decisions. Decisions were based on the value of the decision factors during the inference. ICCCRS is the first step toward the improvement of the construction coordination process.