A construction project scheduling methodology considering COVID-19 pandemic measures

Area of Science:

• Construction Management
• Operations Research
• Epidemiological Modeling

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the construction industry, causing project delays and necessitating strict safety measures.
• Construction projects, involving numerous workers, faced disruptions due to pandemic-related restrictions and safety protocols.
• Assessing and mitigating pandemic risks in construction scheduling and cost management became crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of COVID-19 on construction project duration, cost, and pandemic risk.
• To develop a model for predicting pandemic-related delays and cost overruns in construction projects.
• To determine optimal project schedules and resource allocation strategies under pandemic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multi-objective genetic algorithms and resource-constrained project scheduling techniques.
• Incorporated COVID-19 infection rate modeling to simulate pandemic risks.
• Employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for multi-objective decision-making to find optimal solutions based on duration, cost, and risk.

Main Results:

• Feasible construction schedules ranged from 61 to 199 days, with pandemic risks between 46% and 89%.
• Total project costs varied from 174,669.8 TL to 186,126.7 TL.
• The optimal solution identified was Alternative 5, featuring a 0.46% pandemic risk, a 199-day duration with 10 workers, and a total cost of 185,722 TL.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating infection modeling with scheduling techniques to quantify pandemic-related delays and cost impacts.
• Project managers can use these methods to calculate duration and cost changes considering worker infection risks.
• The findings provide practical guidance for optimizing construction processes and maintaining social distancing during pandemics.