Dynamic postponement in off-site/on-site construction operations in the face of on-site disruptions

Abstract

Off-site construction operations can be subject to downstream construction site disruptions. These disruptions - such as forecasted high wind conditions which will limit on-site crane movements for example - delay on-site construction and impact on the effectiveness of the off-site production of construction modules. In this paper we propose a new disruption management strategy of Dynamic Postponement. Simulation Based Optimisation by use of a Genetic Algorithm is used to determine the optimal balance between on/off-site work to maximise performance. This method is applied to an industrial case study. Finally, an outline of how Dynamic Postponement can be treated as an agent based system is provided.