AOA-based modelling and simulation of construction operations

The construction of building projects is often challenged by tight budgets and limited time and resources. These challenges have forced many construction firms to downsize and re-engineer their operations to improve productivity and cost effectiveness. Re-engineering, however, requires thorough analysis of company-specific operations and resource use, which differ from one construction firm to the other. Simulation can be an effective way of analyzing the operations of construction firms. Developing simulation models, however, is not a simple task and can be complex, time consuming, and costly. In an effort to simplify the modelling process, this paper presents an activity-on-arrow (AOA)-based approach that offers the diversity and flexibility required for construction. The main advantage of this approach is that it uses object-oriented simulation capabilities on traditional AOA networks used for scheduling construction projects. It helps generating practical models without prior knowledge of simulation terminology or the underlying theoretical aspects.