A simulation-based framework for as-built documentation of construction process and product information

In the construction industry, project documentation that covers all aspects of a project from planning through construction to the completion phase not only plays a significant role in managing an ongoing project, but is also considered a main resource in claim and dispute resolution, and in the planning of future projects. Therefore, project managers are always looking for efficient methods to document project information. Various software applications have been developed to assist project managers in data collection, storage, and retrieval including all aspects from drawings to cost estimates, schedules, resource information, change orders, and work logs. Studying existing commercial applications and research developments reveals that these systems, which mainly capture and integrate project information through database systems, CAD models, or scheduling software, focus on the static information of a project, thus losing the dynamic aspects of project progress including project work flow, resource interaction, and effects of external factors in an integrated format. Therefore, the main objective of this research is the development of a generic framework for information representation that incorporates process model, product model, and external factors of a project into one system to create a complete project chronology, including all changes to the original plan. The system integrates the information and presents it to the user in a dynamic format, providing an overview of the project at every stage for comparison with the project as planned. This framework will help project managers to control the project during the execution phase while compiling a history of the project for future use. The proposed framework utilizes computer simulation’s functionality in modeling the dynamic nature of a project. This application employs a distributed simulation concept based on the High Level Architecture (HLA) rules in a Construction Synthetic Environment (COSYE) to facilitate integration of simulation components, to promote interoperability between the components, and to aid reusability of models in the future. This research uses a case study that focuses on repetitive construction such as tunnelling, which lends itself better to simulation planning. The proposed framework is created based on existing tunnel projects and is validated with an ongoing tunnelling case study.