MASTER SCHEDULE OPTIMISATION WITH THE USE OF FLOWLINES AND PERFORMANCE DATA

In the UK construction industry, Gantt charts and the Critical Path Method (CPM) are the institutionalised and accepted tools for managing construction programmes. Together with the lack of a consistent measurement framework, little is known about current productivity levels and the opportunities for improvement. Using the case of four buildings in London, this paper aims to develop a strategy to optimise the duration of master schedules using real project data and optimised production rates. Data were collected during the structural works and translated into master-level flowlines. Key performance metrics were extracted: start-to-start duration (between levels), number of concrete pours per level, batch area, and production rates. The results showed a high spread of variability in performance within and between projects. However, higher production rates are associated with shorter start-to-start durations between consecutive levels, a higher number of slab concrete pours per level, smaller batch areas, and higher prefabrication levels. The results were applied to the building with the lowest performance. Increasing the number of slab pours would reduce the programme by 39% and increase the production rate by 65%. Whilst more performance data is required to build up a robust database, these initial findings can provide contractors and clients with evidence that there is room for improvement. A client was engaged during this research and is willing to prescribe flowlines and performance metrics in future projects.