A Two-Phase Scheduling Framework for Construction Program With Forbidden Time Windows

Abstract

A construction program composed of multiple projects is often exposed to a harsh environment. Some projects in the construction program might face forbidden time window constraints (e.g., periodic typhoon season), thereby influencing client's overall schedule. The construction program with forbidden time windows significantly challenges the traditional scheduling methods. To solve this problem, a two-phase scheduling framework is proposed. Before the construction program execution, a predictive scheduling method is used to generate an optimal baseline schedule. From the client perspective, each project of the construction program is considered as a node in the schedule network. During the execution, a reactive scheduling method is applied to adjust the baseline schedule when deviations occur. To validate the method, numerical experiments are conducted for a real-life case of a large water conservancy construction program. The results show that the peak demand of self-producing resource and the production system investment cost is reduced by 9.09% and 9.05%, respectively, compared with the critical path method. The framework provides clients with an effective tool for scheduling programs with forbidden time windows.