Modeling constraints for the on-site assembly process of prefabrication housing production: A social network analysis

Abstract

Although prefabrication housing production (PHP) has been widely advocated with advantages like ensured good quality and secured workplaces, its poor interoperability and fragmentation still causes various constraints, limiting the progress of projects. This paper aims to model the constraints and their relationships in task executions of different trades during the on-site assembly process of PHP. It was conducted through a typical PHP case study in Hong Kong to identify the critical trade associated constraints and their links during the on-site assembly process. Original data were collected by semi-structured interview, Delphi survey and questionnaire with representative professionals from the case. Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to model the constraints and their interrelationships. The results indicated that seven trade-associated constraints were worth more attention. Three significant challenges were determined, indicating that the on-site team should focus on the availability of labor resources, optimal installation planning and effectiveness of communication mechanism. Smart work packaging (SWP)-enabled system for achieving automatic constraint identification and dynamic constraint relationship mapping under different constraint scenarios was suggested. This paper offers practical insights for scholars to conduct a trade-associated constraint identification study in the network manner and is expected to benefit practitioners on using the results for decision-making.