Integration of Cost andWork Breakdown Structures in the Management of Construction Projects

Scope management allows project managers to react when a project underperforms regarding schedule, budget, and/or quality at the execution stage. Scope management can also minimize project changes and budget omissions, as well as improve the accuracy of project cost estimates and risk responses. For scope management to be effective, though, it needs to rely on a robust work breakdown structure (WBS). A robust WBS hierarchically and faithfully reflects all project tasks and work packages so that projects are easier to manage. If done properly, the WBS also allows meeting the project objectives while delivering the project on time, on budget, and with the required quality. This paper analyzes whether the integration of a cost breakdown structure (CBS) can lead to the generation of more robust WBSs in construction projects. Over the last years, some international organizations have standardized and harmonized different cost classification systems (e.g., ISO 12006-2, ISO 81346-12, OmniClass, CoClass, UniClass). These cost databases have also been introduced into building information modeling (BIM) frameworks. We hypothesize that in BIM environments, if these CBSs are used to generate the project WBS, several advantages are gained such as sharper project definition. This enhanced project definition reduces project contradictions at both planning and execution stages, anticipates potential schedule and budget deviations, improves resource allocation, and overall it allows a better response to potential project risks. The hypothesis that the use of CBSs can generate more robust WBSs is tested by the response analysis of a questionnaire survey distributed among construction practitioners and project managers. By means of structural equation modeling (SEM), the correlation (agreement) and perception differences between two 250-respondent subsamples (technical project staff vs. project management staff) are also discussed. Results of this research support the use of CBSs by construction professionals as a basis to generate WBSs for enhanced project management (PM)

Smart Construction and Management in the Context of New Technology

Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology is relatively mature when used as a pre-construction design tool; but, it has not been widely used in the construction phase due to a range of technical and management issues. This research investigates the use of BIM in the area of project planning and scheduling in the Australian construction industry. A mixed research method, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, is adopted. The research outcome shows that the general knowledge of BIM in the industry is not as extensive as it was perceived; but, the technology is well accepted by the younger generation. It was discovered that the most common purposes of using BIM are for visualization and simulation. BIM is also widely used for planning progress tracking.It is relatively rare for BIM to be used for management, especially in the construction stage. To further improve the use of BIM in project planning and scheduling, proposals have been made to enhance software application interfaces, data exchange and an efficient change management system