Simulation as a decision-support tool in construction project management: Simphony-Dynamic-as-a-Service

Abstract

Simulation can play a key role in construction project management, enabling decision-makers to forecast the impact of real-world events, alternative scheduling, and resource-allocation decisions. Such simulation-based forecasting can substantially inform project management but has not yet been widely adopted in the construction industry. This paper describes Simphony-Dynamic-as-a-Service, an advanced simulation tool that bridges the gap between simulation software and real-world construction practices. The contributions are the following: Re-architecting Simphony Dynamicinto a set of coordinated cloud-based micro-services. Grounding the construction project data in a well-defined project-modeling language — DiCon. Offering a variety of browser-accessible user interfaces, tailored to the needs of different stakeholders. Incorporating critical-path computation and comparisons to assist in identifying critical tasks and evaluating alternative schedules. The platform provides APIs for real-time project progress tracking, enhancing monitoring capabilities, and enabling model re-simulation from any point in time for exploring what-if scenarios and facilitating informed decision-making.