N-dimensional construction management information system (NDCON): System design and performance modeling through the zero -buffered project management philosophy

Despite recent advances in Information Technology (IT) within the Architectural/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) industry, the improvement of project processes is still limited due to the complex nature of the industry, thus the benefits and impacts of IT remain questionable. For the purposes of improving the effectiveness of IT, this thesis develops the zero-buffered project management philosophy to provide a basis for: (a) understanding the problem of current project processes; (b) identifying a design-construction integration strategy and (c) providing an approach to model project process performance. The goal of the research is twofold. First is to design a fully integrated project management information system, termed NDCON, which reduces information-transfer buffers and allows project participants to visualize real-time project sequences and information simultaneously, and second is to develop a methodology to measure the potential impacts of implementing NDCON. By analyzing attributes in design and construction phases as well as their inter-relationships, the quantity of a geometric object is identified as the integration indicator that is the element commonly shared among the project management dimensions of design, cost, schedule, procurement and accounting. This integration indicator is then employed as a means for structuring the database embedded in the NDCON system, which allows the system to reflect design changes and to convert altered design information into corresponding construction information dynamically. The analysis of the characteristics of the project process led to the recognition that this process exhibits Markovian properties. This formed the basis of modeling the A/E/C project process as a Continuous-Time Markov Chain, and ultimately the quantification of the potential benefits of NDCON. The research indicates that the information-transfer buffers in the NDCON project process are significantly reduced and potentially reach zero, thus the zero-buffered project process. Consequently, one of the possible benefits of NDCON is an improvement in the accuracy of corporate financial decision-making. The work presented is a key step toward integrating the industry's design-construction process that remains segmented and highly information-buffered.