Developing a Risk Management Framework in Construction Project Based on Agile Management Approach

Construction projects in nature, carry a lot of risks, and unpredictable conditions. Thus, flexible management is required for the purpose of efficient responding to the various changes appear during their implementation. As an attempt to deal with risk in the construction project, this research aims at proposing a risk management framework in construction projects that built based on Agile management concept, which is a sequence of procedure deals with the project’ primary vision to its final delivery. The risk management framework will trace alignment and discover a contact between Agile and traditional project management concepts and find contact points among two of the more used Agile frameworks (Scrum) and one of the more confirmed project management framework (PMBOK®) processes. This will result in a recognition of comparable areas between Scrum and PMBOK® processes. The goal of the framework is to assist the project managers to adapt a more flexible approach to managing and implementing the construction project. The results proved that Agile management process from the create prioritized project backlog, sprint planning, sprint review, to sprint retrospective procedures and less time of the cycle, eliminate or mitigate many risks that lead to project challenges and failure

Development a Proposed System of Organization Structure to Management Multi Construction Projects

The purpose of this study is aimed to lay down an arranged platform suited to Iraqi constructional associations which in charge to carry out multi constructional projects, as it fulfilled management requirements and supervising, so that low - cost projects will be controlled in due term and quality. Based on primary info and observed data collected, the study thesis has been formulated in this way: Iraqi constructional sector bodies which are in charge to implement simultaneously multi constructional projects in need to reformulate its organized structure so that it will be more fitted to management and control of these projects. This thesis includes a theoretical part contained presenting the most important resources locally and internationally where it has direct relation with this study subject. Also it touches on the arrangement term and the kinds of organized structure of the multi constructional projects and control it. And its field part included in its first section studying the organized structure and functional arrangement practised in one of the Iraqi constructional projects. in charge of implemented simultaneously multi construction and exposing the defection of this arrangement. The second section of this study included reviewing the organized structure used by some of constructed corporations and foreign companies of implementing multi constructional projects .Thus, the deficiency points of the organized structure and the arrangement followed in Iraqi conduction sectors recognized and what it causes of control defections in the limitation of these projects. The deficiency points have been solved by developing a proposed system of the organized structure to administering and controlling of the multi constructional projects. The implementation of these projects have been controlled from its draw phase and passing the design phase and reference and implementation phase till the first deliver

CONSTRUCTION DELAY ANALYSIS USING DAILY WINDOWS TECHNIQUE

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. The selection of the proper analysis method depends upon a variety of factors including information available, time of analysis, capabilities of the methodology, and time, funds and effort allocated to the analysis. This paper presents computerized schedule analysis programmed that use daily windows analysis method as it recognized one of the most credible methods, and it is one of the few techniques much more likely to be accepted by courts than any other method. A simple case study has been implemented to demonstrate the accuracy and usefulness of the proposed delay analysis model. The results of the study indicate that the outcomes of delay analyses are often not predictable that each method may yield different results. The study also revealed that depending on the time and resources available, and the accessibility of project control documentation, one method may be more practical or cost-effective

OPTIMIZATION OF RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND LEVELING USING GENETIC ALGORITHMS

Resource allocation and leveling are of the top challenges in project management, due to the complexity of projects. This research aims to develop an optimization model for resource smoothing, so that. The proposed model is formulated using C++ program for resource smoothing. The project management software MS-Projects is adopted hereto perform resource leveling to facilitate achieving the optimal solution. The proposed model utilizes a system that depends on Genetic Algorithms (GAs) procedure built in C++ program to find the optimum solution. This research reach concludes that it is possible to smooth resources using Genetic Algorithms program and compares then with MS-Project when the GA results are better than MS-Project. Three case studies have been applied in this research and the application results come identical with research objectives, to form the conclusion. Then comes the recommendations regarding adopting and using the research results in construction planning and project management. Further suggestions related to the research subject are proposed for future works.

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

NEURAL NETWORKS FOR ESTIMATING THE CERAMIC PRODUCTIVITY OF WALLS

Productivity estimating of a construction operation is an essential tool for the successful completion of the construction process. Productivity of a construction operation is defined as output of the system per unit of time. In this research Artificial Neural Networks approaches are presented. The main reason for using neural nerworks for construction productivity estimation is the requirement of performing complex mapping of environment and management factors to productivity. A generic description of the artificial neural networks model is provided, followed by summarized factors that affect ceramic labor productivity, then neural-network model are developed for Estimating ceramic walls productivity, the input data for the model based on experienced superintendents employed by a leading construction general contractor, test results show that the ANN approach can produce a sufficiently accurate estimate with a limited data-collection effort, and thus has the potential to provide an efficient tool for construction productivity estimation

Regulations Enforcement Mechanisms for Sustainable Housing Projects

The performance of asphalt concrete pavement has affected by many factors, the temperature is the most important environmental one which has a large effect on the structural behavior of flexible pavement materials. The main cause of premature failure of pavement is the rutting, Due to the viscoelastic nature of the asphalt cement, rutting is more pronounced in hot climate areas because the viscosity of the asphalt binder which is inversely related to rutting is significantly reduced with the increase in temperature resulting in a more rut susceptible paving mixtures. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of temperatures variations on the permanent deformation parameters (permanent strain (p), intercept (a), slope (b), Alpha and Mu) as well as resilient strain (r) and resilient modulus (Mr). To achieve this objective, one aggregate gradation with 12.5mm nominal maximum size, two grades of asphalt cements (40-50 and 60-70) brought form Al- Daurah refinery, limestone dust filler has been used to prepare the asphalt concrete mixtures. 30 Marshall specimens were prepared to determine the optimum asphalt cement content. Thereafter, 30 cylindrical asphalt concrete specimens (102mm in diameter and 203 mm in height) are prepared in optimum asphalt cement and optimum ±0.5 percent. The prepared specimens were used in uniaxial repeated load test to evaluate the permanent deformation parameters of asphalt concrete mixes under the following testing temperature (5, 15, 25, 40 and 60̊c). The test result analyses appeared that Mr is decrease 51 percent when temperature increased from 5 ̊c to 25 ̊c and then decrease 22 percent with further increase in temperature from 25 ̊c to 60 ̊c. Also, the Alpha value decreases by a factor of 1.25 and 1.13 when temperature increases from 5 ̊c to 25 ̊c and 25 ̊c to 60 ̊c, respectively. Finally, statistical models were developed to predict the Alpha and Mu parameters of permanent deformation

Calculating the Transport Density Index from Some of the Productivity Indicators for Railway Lines by Using Neural Networks

The efficiency evaluation of the railway lines performance is done through a set of indicators and criteria, the most important are transport density, the productivity of enrollee, passenger vehicle production, the productivity of freight wagon, and the productivity of locomotives. This study includes an attempt to calculate the most important of these indicators which transport density index from productivity during the four indicators, using artificial neural network technology. Two neural networks software are used in this study, (Simulnet) and (Neuframe), the results of second program has been adopted. Training results and test to the neural network data used in the study, which are obtained from the international information network has showed that the error rate in the training and the testing process was about (10%) and that the results of the network query has given the results of acceptable accuracy statistically so that it was better than results obtained from multiple linear regression equation for the same data