Optimizing time–cost in generalized construction projects using multiple-objective social group optimization and multi-criteria decision-making methods

Abstract

PurposeProject managers work to ensure successful project completion within the shortest period and at the lowest cost. One of the main tasks of a project manager in the planning phase is to generate the project time–cost curve, and furthermore, to determine the most appropriate schedule for the construction process. Numerous existing time–cost tradeoff analysis models have focused on solving a simple project representation without regarding for typical activity and project characteristics. This study aims to present a novel approach called “multiple-objective social group optimization” (MOSGO) for optimizing time–cost decisions in generalized construction projects.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a novel MOGSO to mimic the time–cost tradeoff problem in generalized construction projects is proposed. The MOSGO has slightly modified the mechanism operation from the original algorithm to be a free-parameter algorithm and to enhance the exploring and exploiting balance in an optimization algorithm. The evidential reasoning technique is used to rank the global optimal obtained non-dominated solutions to help decision makers reach a single compromise solution.FindingsTwo case studies of real construction projects were investigated and the performance of MOSGO was compared to those of widely considered multiple-objective evolutionary algorithms. The comparison results indicated that the MOSGO approach is a powerful, efficient and effective tool in finding the time–cost curve. In addition, the multi-criteria decision-making approaches were applied to identify the best schedule for project implementation.Research limitations/implicationsAccordingly, the first major practical contribution of the present research is that it provides a tool for handling real-world construction projects by considering all types of construction project. The second important implication of this study derives from research finding on the hybridization multiple-objective and multi-criteria techniques to help project managers in facilitating the time–cost tradeoff (TCT) problems easily. The third implication stems from the wide-range application of the proposed model TCT.Practical implicationsThe model can be used in early stages of the construction process to help project managers in selecting an appropriate plan for whole project lifecycle.Social implicationsThe proposal model can be applied to multi-objective contexts in diversified fields. Moreover, the model is also a useful reference for future research.Originality/valueThis paper makes contributions to extant literature by: introducing a method for making TCT models applicable to actual projects by considering general activity precedence relations; developing a novel MOSGO algorithm to solving TCT problems in multi-objective context by a single simulation; and facilitating the TCT problems to project managers by using multi-criteria decision-making approaches.

Workforce scheduling efficiency assessment in construction projects through a multi-objective optimization model in the COVID-19 context

“…Problem Formulation: The first step involves mathematically formulating the scheduling problem, which is a crucial process in business decision-making [ 51 , 52 ]. The problem is defined, taking into account the specific constraints and objectives of the construction project [ 57 ], including the COVID-19-related constraints and associated costs. This step establishes the foundation for the subsequent optimization techniques.…”

“…Multi-Objective Optimization: The methodology employs a multi-objective optimization approach, which has been applied to a variety of construction projects [ 50 , 57 , 58 , 59 ] [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ], to find a set of non-dominated solutions that form the Pareto frontier [ 61 , 62 ]. Then, a set of solutions belonging to the feasible region are determined [ 63 ].…”

Time-cost optimization in repetitive project scheduling with limited resources

“…Under time-cost tradeoffs, no resource availability constraints are typically imposed. For more details about these two topics, please refer to Habibi et al (2018) and Tran (2020).…”

Multi-objective Optimization of Construction Project Time-Cost-Carbon Emission Based on BIM Technology

“…However, reducing the time of the project causes extra costs because this requires the use of additional resources. Therefore, the time-cost tradeoff problem is a well-known project scheduling problem that has been extensively studied [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. A project consists of a series of activities, each of which may have multiple execution modes.…”