THE USE of PROCESS and PRODUCT MODELS in PRODUCTION PLANNING and CONTROL

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THE USE of PROCESS and PRODUCT MODELS in
PRODUCTION PLANNING and CONTROL

• Can Ersen FIRAT
• PhD Student
• Helsinki University of Technology
• Construction Economics and Management
• canersen_at_cc.hut.fi
• Supervisor Juhani Kiiras

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In Brief

• Research QuestionHow can the construction
  industry benefit from the smart combined use of
  process and product models in production planning
  and control?
• Hypotheses
• There can be developed a smart transform from
  building elements in product models to
  construction activities in process models that
  enables fast responding to any change in design
  and/or construction.
• Combined use of process models and product models
  and feedback from actual production to design
  provide time savings in concurrent production
  planning and design.
• Methodologydevelopment of pilot sytemtesting
  in case studies
• Resultpilot systems of use of process and
  product models in construction production in
  planning and control

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BIG PICTURE
A
B
Smart Transform (ST)
SYSTEM
Smart Pull Model
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BIG PICTURE
Pilot System of the use of these models
PRODUCT MODEL
PROCESS MODEL
Smart Transform (ST)
SYSTEM
Smart Pull Model
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Problem Definition
1/3
SMART CHECKING-ok
DESIGN PRODUCT MODEL
PRODUCTION PRODUCT MODEL
Smart Transform (ST)
ST1
BE -Product Structure (Recipe) Activities -Resourc
es - -
BE Resources - -
RULES
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2/3
Design PM (1)
Design PM (2)
Design PM (n)
ST1
ST2
STn
ST
Production PM (1)
Production PM (2)
Production PM (n)
Transform
Omissions (-) Additions ()
Changes
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3/3
BE -Resources - -
BE -Product Structure (Recipe)
Process M (Scheduling)
Design PM
Cost RM
Design PM
Production PM
ST1
Structures on recipes of activities and
dependencies
SMART BOQ - - -
Smart Transform (ST)
Estimation S
Procurement M
RULES
PRODUCTION
Production Control
SMART CHECKING-ok
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Heading to...
PROCESS MODEL
Simple Flow Diagram
?
Data Flow Diagram
Activity
IDEFO
Top floor (4th) 20 columns
Scheduling
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Heading to...
Installation resources
BP
Packages (Activities)
? How Smart
WBS
Budgeting Activites
Procurement Activites
Scheduling Activites
Resource Calling
Resource 1
Resource 2
Resource 3
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Workflow
Kick Off
Report 1
Report 2
Report 3
Report 4
Finish
2005
2006
2007
1-9
9-12
1-6
6-12
1-6
6-12
Production Planning and Control PPC
Product Models PM
Process Modeling PrM
PM in PPC
Generic PrM
Pilot Model
Uses of Model Based PPC
MajorMinor Studies
Developing Pilot sytem
Modern advanced IT based PPC
PrM in Construction
Results
Case Studies
Literature Survey on PrM
Development of Pilot System
Literature Survey on PPC
Testing
Literature Survey on PM
Case StudySkanska-Ankkahovi
Phase1
Phase3
Phase2
Phase4
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Phase 1
Use of Process Models for Building Project
Planning a literature synthesis (European
Conference on Product and Process Modeling in the
Building Industry (ECPPM) in Valencia, Spain,
13-15 September) (Scheduled)

• Based on the literature review
• Aim to find out how to apply in integrative ways
  both smart process models and product models to
  the modeling of the design and construction of
  new buildings.
• Subaims
• the current IT-based construction process models
  and building product models are identified and
  criticized
• possibilities to use them combined and
  concurrently for building project planning are
  explored,
• primarily, the combined product and process
  models, their choice, adoption, and use for BP
  planning are addressed

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What?
PROCESS a series of activities that takes an
input adds value to it and produces an output for
a customer (Anjard, 1998)
methods
Materials
products
Process
Training
services
Information
paperwork
People
Skills
Knowledge
information
Plant/equipment
procedures
Fig. Ref Kalle Kähkönen (2005)
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What?
PROCESS (Koskela, 1992, Cooper, 1994,
VonderembseWhite, 1996)
PROCEDURE (Lee et al., 2000)

• Literally progress or course
• Converts inputs to outputs
• Creates a change of state
• Clarifies the interfaces of fragmented management
  hierarchies
• Increase the visibility/understandability of work
• Defines business/project activites across
  functional boundaries

• Sequence of steps preparation,conduct and
  completion of task
• Is required when the task is
• Complex
• Routine (performed consistently)
• Defines the rules
• Supports the process

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What?

• A model is defined as a representation of
  something but, in computing, it is a simulation
  that describes how a system behaves so that a
  computer program can control the system or can
  explore the effects of change (Eastman, 1999)
• Information models either display an existing
  situation (As-Is Model) or a function design
  scenario (TO-BE model). (KBSI, 1998) Modeling is
  divided into three categories referred to as
• Data modeling involves designing and implementing
  database structures to support an organizations
  information requirements i.e. data models support
  the design of TO-BE domains. Data modeling is
  the identification and modeling of information
  from a certain domain. (Björk, 1992).
• The product model describes project deliverables
  in terms of tangible elements. Product modeling
  is an extension of data modeling to involve an
  entity like a building as a product (Aouad et al,
  1993 Björk, 1992)
• Process or activity modeling is the analysis and
  description of process functions or activities to
  discover and model what controls the execution of
  a function, which performs the function, and what
  objects or data, is consumed and produced by the
  function. (Ojwaka, 1999)

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Why?
HIGHLIGHTS OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY (Ball, 1998)
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY (Karhu,
2001)

• The one of a kind product
• The spatial fixity of buildings
• On site production
• Effect of land price on design and construction
  possibilities
• Long life time expectancy
• Inexperience of clients
• The producer role of companies
• Domestic industry
• Masculine stereotype of workforce
• Long cycle form design to production
• High cost
• Amplified reaction to economic crisis
• Labour intensive production
• The fragmented nature of industry

• Uniqueness of end products (Halpin and Riggs,
  1992)
• Iterative or repetitive activities(Halpin and
  Riggs, 1992)
• Complex of organisational schems (Ahuja, 1976)
• Order or dependency of activities(Fondahl, 1980)
• Concurreny of activities
• Use of feedback
• Conditional branching

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Common Perspectives

• Functional representing what process elements
  are being performed and what flows connect these
  elements.
• Behavioral representing when process elements
  are performed, and how they are perfomed through
  feedback loops, iteration, decision making
  conditions,etc.
• Organisational where and by whom process
  elements are performed.
• Informational a perspective of the
  informational entities produced or manipulated by
  the process.

Ref Curtis (1992)
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Business Process Models

• Process type the characteristics of the process
  in general
• Process instance an occurance of process in a
  certain situation

Components
Activity

• Transformation

• Flow

• Added value

V1
V2
V3
Experience ()

• Strenghtening() and weakining(-) factors

Activity
Ref Kalle Kähkönen (2005)
Additional work (-)
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Construction Process

• Björk(1997) applies the of process based
  approach to construction into two main
  sub-processes
• The Information Process result in information
  (drawings, specifications, schedules, procurement
  orders, etc.)
• The Material Process result in services of
  physical objects (raw materials, prefabricated
  components.

• Integration directions
• The Information Process produces information
  which directly/indirectly controls material
  activities
• The Information Process constantly need feedback
  information about what actually is happening in
  material process

general knowledge
instructions
Activity
Information
Information
products
building
Material
Actors with help of machines, computers, sofware,
etc.)
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Process Modeling Tools

• Over 300 tools for Business process models
  (Kähkönen 2005)
• Some methods include (Karhu, 2001)
• Scheduling
• The simple flow diagram and its variations
• Data flow diagramming
• IDEF0
• IDEF0v
• IDEF3
• Petri Nets
• Cyclone (Halpin and Riggs 1992)

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Sample AEC Process Models

• The Information Reference Model for AEC (IRMA)
  (Luiten et al. 1993)

FIG. Specialization hierarchy of the Information
Reference Model for AEC.
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Sample AEC Process Models

• The Building Project Model (BPM) (Luiten 1994)

FIG. A Portion of the Building Project Model.
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Sample AEC Process Models

• The Information/Integration for Construction
  (ICON) project (Aouad et al. 1994)

FIG. A Portion of the ICON Construction Planning
Object Model.
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Sample AEC Process Models

• The Unified Approach Model (Björk 1992)

FIG. A Portion of The generic model of the
Unified Approach Model
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Sample AEC Process Models

• The General Construction Object Model, GenCOM,
  (Froese 1992)
• The ATLAS project (Tolman, Bakkeren and Böhms
  1994).
• Generic Reference Model (GRM) for Life Cycle
  Facility Management (Reschke and Teijgler 1994)
• Platform for Information Sharing by CIME
  Applications, PISA, ESPRIT III (Willems 1993)
• COMBINE project (COmputer Models for the Building
  INdustry in Europe, 1 and 2) (COMBINE 1995)
• Standard for The Exchange of Product Model Data,
  or STEP (ISO 1994a, NPDERC 1995)

FIG. A Portion of the PISA Process Model.
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Process Modeling Tools
SCHEDULING
SIMPLE FLOW DIAGRAM
task
resource
activity
Task decomposition
input
Temporal dependency (FS,SF,SS,FF)
flow
output
Flow decomposition
duration
mechanism
control
start time
Activity decompositon
finish time
Task location
Temporal dependency type
Task type
GEPM
IDEF0
Ref Karhu (2001)
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Thank you
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Questions...
1/5
1) Basic Good References?
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Questions...
2/5
2) Is process modeling research area novel
enough?Are we adressing to a real gap?
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Questions...
3/5
3) How to validate this kind of analysis and/or
development of research?
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Questions...
4/5
4) Suggestions One level of detail in focal area
?
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Questions...
4/5
4) What about tools ?
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Thank you