Methodology to Reduce Construction Project Schedule Duration Using Activity Aggregation

A methodology to reduce schedule duration of a typically large-scale construction project is proposed and demonstrated. It involves aggregation of simultaneous and repetitive activities identified in a project schedule that was already prepared using a traditional sequencing method. Labor re-allocation and time duration of aggregated activities are used to devise a model for calculating savings in schedule duration. The proposed method is applied to a dry dock construction project. There is a significant reduction in the schedule duration tested for both labor comfort and cost comfort scenarios. The savings in labor comfort case is marginally greater than the savings in cost comfort case. The efficiency of the proposed method seems to depend on the quality of the original schedule upon which the method is applied. It is also found that the frequency of repeated activities within any given management unit, and the variance in duration of those activities, play a key role in choosing and prioritizing activities identified for aggregation purposes.