DOI: 10.5176/2251-3701_2.2.69
Authors: Seon-Gyoo Kim
Abstract:
The construction environment has been changing rapidly over the last several years and with it the techniques used for managing projects. The schedule management technique, one of the construction management tools, has evolved as well in order to adapt to the increasingly complex construction environment. Most of the recently developed scheduling techniques are based on the Critical Path Method (CPM) that was proposed in 1956 and is classified into two categories; Arrow Diagramming (ADM) and Precedence Diagramming Methods (PDM). ADM is very good at graphically representing consecutive tasks, but it cannot express the relationships between two overlapping or concurrent activities. On the other hand, PDM can express the overlapping relationships but does not lend itself to visual representation. The growing complexity of the construction environment, in particular recently, increases the need for efficient schedule management and the ability to express the scheduling complexities introduced by tasks that must run at least in part concurrently. Most contractors prefer more the more visual format provided by the ADM method because it is more readily interpreted. Those software packages based on the PDM provide a means of addressing the overlapping tasks, however they do not have the ability to produce a graphical representation of the schedule that is desired by many contractors and managers. Beeliner is a new
software product that is based on the Beeline Diagraming Method (BDM), which was originally proposed in 2010, developed into a product in 2012 and has the ability to express the overlapping/concurrent tasks while maintaining a readily understandable graphical representation of a schedule. This paper presents major features and applications of Beeliner, and provides construction professionals with an explanation of the new scheduling product and its applications.
Keywords: Critical Path Method, Arrow Diagramming Method, Precedence Diagramming Method, Beeline Diagramming Method, Beeliner
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