Effects of changes on a building project: Simulation of the effects of small change orders on the building process

Abstract

Change orders are a significant source of waste in construction because they disrupt work flow and make planning difficult and unreliable. Many researchers have investigated the localized impacts of changes and construction claims, attempting to develop procedures for apportioning responsibility. However, from a lean construction stand point, we recognize that the second order impacts on the production systems are significant and cannot be ignored. Yet traditional forms of contract and legal practice and precedents based on the critical path method ignore the secondary effects. The topic for this report is therefore not the documentation of direct time and cost consequences related to individual claims, but the documentation of those effects which arise as a result of irrational operation.The overall consequences of multiple small changes or disruptions, the cumulative effects of persistent disruptions and delays are called "additional hindrances" in the building and construction industry, which in turn lead to "additional hindrance claims". Additional hindrance claims are not substantiated by the court of law for supplementary fee and dead line extensions unless these additional hindrances affect the activities on the critical path. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of changes on a building project by the simulation of changes on the building process. The cumulative effects of multiple changes on a building project often become clear only after their implementation in the project.Discrete event simulation (STROBOSCOPE) was used on part of a major road construction project as a case study to explore the effect of additional load and pressure caused due to client-initiated changes and delays that were not necessarily applicable to 'critical' activities.The report also discusses that how the construction process can be made Lean up to a desired level using the Discrete Event Simulation