Construction processes configuration using process patterns

Process modeling is used in construction to support various simulation tasks. A major problem is that due to the one-of-a-kind character of construction projects a lot of work is needed each time to manually develop a project overall process schedule. However, the total individual process is typically structured in multiple stages containing a number of recurring similar but not equal subprocesses that can be standardized if appropriately generalized to generic reusable process patterns. Moreover not only process patterns, but also many general construction methods and strategies can be standardized and stored in form of configuration rules, which will improve the consistency of modeling and have the potential to improve modeling time too. The paper addresses these issues and presents a new approach that combines the ontology-based process modeling with the rule-based process configuration. The proposed system supports the generation of process schedules for construction projects that could be later used in discrete-event simulation software or workflow programs. The development of a formal high-level model for construction processes and a methodology for using process patterns in the configuration of complex construction tasks are described. The main idea of the proposed approach is the development and use of two separate but interrelated ontologies, one for process patterns and the other for process instances, and their integration with a general-purpose rule-engine. With the help of the configuration strategies, realized by means of hierarchical rule sets, an intelligent solution for quick process configuration can be found. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.