Edward Jaselskis

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) created a new knowledge repository called Communicate Lessons, Exchange Advice, Record (CLEAR) as an official platform to store and retrieve knowledge. We will transfer a construction domain language model to improve the search capabilities of CLEAR database. A construction language inference model has already been developed as a prototype that can make meaningful connections between lessons learned and best practices within the construction domain vocabulary. A proof of concept will be validated by project managers on a set of pre-selected projects by the NCDOT Value Management Office.

This project investigate improvements and additions to the current risk assessment program of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) through the NCDOT������������������s Value Management Office (VMO). NCDOT������������������s present risk assessment program is applied for certain projects on a provisional basis using ad hoc guidelines that pertain to risk planning, risk identification, risk assessment, risk response, and monitoring and control. This research project will identify improvements to and the expansion of NCDOT������������������s current program within the VMO and incorporate it as a component of the new Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Process at the Planning/Scoping, 30% complete, and 60% complete design phases for all transportation projects and modes (e.g., highway, aviation, rail, bike/pedestrian, public transit, and ferry). The NCDOT will greatly benefit from being able to be more proactive in identifying and responding to project risks and thus meeting intended project goals.

Construction projects have increased in complexity with the advent of new technologies and alternative project delivery methods. Larger projects, typically considered to be relatively more complex than smaller ones, have different risk profiles that need to be considered. As a result, these projects are more prone to schedule delays and larger budgets than smaller projects (Luo, He, Jaselskis, & Xi, 2017; Flyvbjerg, 2014). A study conducted by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) shows that only 5.4% of the 975 construction projects studied met their planned performance objectives in terms of cost and schedule (CII, 2012). To mitigate the effects of project complexities and to address environmental, social, and corporate governance impacts on project front-end planning, strategies are needed to enable project managers to leverage CII published industry standards-based project execution plans for each project phase to ensure that the project progresses as planned. By making use of such plans, project managers will be able to gain a better understanding of project performance, thereby leading to more favorable project outcomes.

The effort will focus on developing an educational case study that focuses on construction safety challenges. The case study will be designed for use by university professors in construction programs and contractors for professional training and educational purposes.

This research investigates methods to develop tools to collect and share lessons learned for NCDOT projects. Lessons learned signifies the process of collating data on activities during a project������������������s lifecycle which can prove to be useful for future NCDOT projects. ����������������A lesson learned is defined as knowledge gained from experience, successful or otherwise, for the purpose of improving future performance��������������� (CII, 2007). Having an effective repository for storing and retrieving data for future projects would help NCDOT to achieve better project control, thereby adding greater value to the state of North Carolina. Previous research has explored various approaches for lessons learned experiences in the construction industry (e.g. CII, 2017; IAEA Construction Workshop, 2011). Additionally, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet funded a study to develop a constructability lessons learned tool used during the design phase to improve project outcomes (Stamatiadis et al, 2012). This proposal involves the collection and dissemination of both lessons learned and best practices at each Concurrence Point during the preconstruction phase, during the execution phase (considering detailed design and construction), and during maintenance and operations������������������essentially covering all aspects of the project lifecycle. A user-friendly, web-based accessible database in SharePoint will be used to both collect and communicate lessons learned and best practices. Information can also be collected using different means, such as (1) bi-annual forums or conferences with key stakeholders, (2) field visits, and (3) meetings with designers and construction personnel. The database would be sortable by major trends for the various groups within NCDOT. It should be noted that some related work has already been initiated by NCDOT through its Hydraulics Knowledgebase and Business Practices Forum that will be incorporated into this new work.

The Construction Industry Institute (CII) defines a best practice as ����������������a process or method that, when executed effectively, leads to enhanced project performance.��������������� CII has conducted comprehensive research on various industry processes and methods which has generated 17 Best Practices. The implementation of the CII Best Practices has been proven to yield significant benefits in terms of cost, schedule and safety for both owners and contractors. However, previous research has highlighted that barriers to implementation exist, and the CII Best Practices remain underutilized. The Upstream, Midstream, and Mining sector (UMM) is a sub sector within CII that is interested in promoting the usage of the CII Best Practices/Knowledge Base Topics within the sector companies. The scope of this project involves developing a deeper understanding of the CII Best Practices/Knowledge Base Topics that should be used more widely in the UMM Sector and initiating a Video Repository for some of these practices. This research focuses on (1) understanding CII Best Practices/Knowledge Base Topics with the greatest potential for improving capital efficiency within the UMM sector companies and (2) promoting the use of CII Best Practices/Knowledge Base Topics by creating video content for some of these topics.

The overarching objective of this study is to enable Construction Industry Institute member companies to futureproof their projects to the impacts of regulation changes and risks. To be able to take advantage of the opportunities and cope with the risks related to pre-existing or new regulatory requirements, this study aims to enable utility and infrastructure owners and operators to better prepare for response and compliance to the existing and new regulations during different phases of their capital projects lifecycle.

This synthesis investigates the state-of-practice related to the new emerging technologies to understand how DOTs apply technologies and what the existing barriers are that limit the implementation or further application of new technologies. To successfully complete this synthesis, we will build upon our current and relevant findings from our similar aforementioned research projects to this synthesis topic. We first will conduct a comprehensive review of literature on emerging technologies for construction delivery, including the following areas, but not limited to: (1) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (2) visualization techniques for constructability analysis and communication during construction; (3) interconnected construction vehicles and equipment at project sites; (4) safety technologies implemented in construction; and (5) instrumentation during construction. Next, we will conduct a survey of state DOTs to identify uses and effective practices, obtain examples of applications of technologies, along with resources, lessons learned, and barriers to using the technologies listed above. Then, we will perform follow up interviews and case studies of applications of emerging technologies in transportation construction to document critical success factors, opportunities and challenges, and barriers to and strategies for implementing and using emerging technologies. The product of the research efforts will be a report that (1) documents application of technologies during the delivery of transportation construction projects; (2) provides resources and examples of guidance on the implementation; and (3) identifies the barriers that are preventing emerging technologies from becoming industry standards.

This synthesis investigates the state-of-practice related to the new emerging technologies to understand how DOTs apply technologies and what the existing barriers are that limit the implementation or further application of new technologies. To successfully complete this synthesis, we will build upon our current and relevant findings from our similar aforementioned research projects to this synthesis topic. We first will conduct a comprehensive review of literature on emerging technologies for construction delivery, including the following areas, but not limited to: (1) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (2) visualization techniques for constructability analysis and communication during construction; (3) interconnected construction vehicles and equipment at project sites; (4) safety technologies implemented in construction; and (5) instrumentation during construction. Next, we will conduct a survey of state DOTs to identify uses and effective practices, obtain examples of applications of technologies, along with resources, lessons learned, and barriers to using the technologies listed above. Then, we will perform follow up interviews and case studies of applications of emerging technologies in transportation construction to document critical success factors, opportunities and challenges, and barriers to and strategies for implementing and using emerging technologies. The product of the research efforts will be a report that (1) documents application of technologies during the delivery of transportation construction projects; (2) provides resources and examples of guidance on the implementation; and (3) identifies the barriers that are preventing emerging technologies from becoming industry standards.

The Office of Environmental Management (EM) is executing some of the most technically complex, one-of-a-kind nuclear construction projects. The facilities EM is building are not comparable to typical construction projects. Even though the Department measures the success of EM projects using the standard on time and on budget criteria, the true success of EM projects in the long-run will be measured by the outcome of achieving the desired operational capability. The scope includes a review of the front-end planning documentation for the Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) project, currently at CD-1 stage and make recommendations that would result in a more robust performance baseline to ensure timely completion and successful operational release. The methodology involves assessing the performance on Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) and includes the following tasks: (1) Review relevant documents, provide general observations and a plus/delta analysis related to achieving operational success, (2) Provide recommendations, and (3) Prepare and submit final report.

The purpose of this research is to improve progress measurement, performance assessment, and performance improvement and forecasting on construction projects, from authorization to substantial completion. This will be accomplished by identifying reliable core metrics for assessing physical progress. The proposed research also investigates different dimensions such as project size, type, contract type, and perspective (e.g., owner vs. contractor), if applicable. The research includes three specific objectives: ��������������� Objective #1: Identify guidelines for improving the reliability of the metrics and indicators. ��������������� Objective #2: Identify the core metrics and key indicators and their correlations as they relate to project progress and performance assessment. ��������������� Objective #3: Identify recommended practices for interpreting metrics and indicators, forecasting outcomes, and responding to variance to plan as they relate to progress and performance assessment. All sectors of construction industry will be beneficiaries of value added. Contractors will better understand the relationships amongst the various metrics and indicators which can help provide them with greater insight into establishing effective corrective action plans thus increasing the likelihood of performance improvement. Owners will be provided with more insightful, relevant and reliable information which can help them better assess their project progress and performance at an operational, tactical, and strategic level.

The purpose of this proposal is to provide NCDOT with a design of a model to accurately portray construction costs of mega projects on a monthly basis. The model will track and document in-place cost and predict future costs based on NCDOT’s historical cost records for mega projects. It will also enable NCDOT to simulate changes in scheduling and depict the impact of those changes on payout costs. Finally it will enable NCDOT to identify projects that are deviating from their optimal cost payout curve pattern, pinpoint the factors causing that deviation, and allow NCDOT to be more proactive in making more informed cash flow management decisions. Key factors that influence the predictability of Preliminary Engineering (PE), Right-of-Way (ROW), and Construction expenditures for mega projects will be studied. A series of interviews will be conducted in the form of focus groups to help identify the key influencing factors that affect expenditure predictability for these categories. From these interviews a set of key variables will be identified that most significantly affect cost payouts. This phase will focus on the question of what factors will have the greatest influence in predicting project timeliness and cost. A qualitative assessment of the factors will be made and an assessment of their probability of impact will be determined for PE, ROW, and construction. The model design will include model objectives, data requirements and sources, approach/methodology, software platform, development and testing timeline, and expected performance parameters.

Remainder of the project transferred from ISU. PI will elaborate