Browsing by Author "Peltokorpi, Antti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland"

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    Integrating the construction project process with the supply chain: Exploring disruptive and incremental solutions
    (Aalto University, 2022) Tetik, Müge; Seppänen, Olli, Prof., Aalto University, Finland; Holmström, Jan, Prof., Aalto University, Finland; Rakennustekniikan Laitos; Department of Civil Engineering; Construction Management; Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu; School of Engineering; Peltokorpi, Antti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland
    Construction industry is characterized by low performance and generically different multiple problems, on-site issues and project process related problems. Construction product is mostly an engineer-to-order product, where the focus of project actors is usually shortsighted; the whole lifecycle of a building is not considered by the most actors. The industry's productivity is suffering from poor integration of the project process and the supply chain. Intricate problems have been ongoing, degrading the productivity of construction operations such as material flow issues, delays, improvisations and lack of coordination. The motivation of this study is to find out how the problems encountered in different phases of project process, productivity and coordination issues could be relieved by a better integration of supply chain and project process. To tackle this, two approaches were investigated as disruptive and incremental practices. Multiple partial and complete case studies were conducted to understand the current best practices, present potential solutions, evaluation and testing. Design science was used for solution development. Comparative case studies, scenario analysis and design theory were utilized. One disruptive solution developed during this work is Direct Digital Construction (DDC); an operations management practice aiming at directing all value-adding operations over a building's lifecycle via a complete digital design model, tackling improvisation and reuse challenges. Another disruptive solution is 3D concrete printing (3DCP). Findings suggest that 3DCP is competitive on cost and completion time to  conventional techniques. The incremental practices include material kitting and logistics maturity model. Proper logistics improve construction project performance. Findings inform managers on design-based control of construction operations. Improving construction projects' productivity via direct digital control of the operations is possible with complete design model. The dissertation raises awareness on potentials of 3DCP in construction. For construction and logistics practitioners, the research provides deep insights on how to implement specific solutions. The impacts of material kitting on on-site production were explored. Labor productivity is improved for certain tasks with kitting. Companies can navigate through logistics maturity model to gradually improve their practices. Change will probably not come to the construction industry overnight. While it is possible for a practice to disrupt the supply chain and project process operations, in the meantime, incremental practices improve the current situation to advance operations performance. The industry's adaptation of proposed solutions requires increased effort from individual organizations and existing company networks for overcoming shortsightedness and recognizing the long-term benefits.
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    Learning to See Flow - A Worker-centric Exploration Towards Task Planning and Control in Construction
    (Aalto University, 2024) Görsch, Christopher; Lavikka, Rita, Dr., VTT, Finland; Peltokorpi, Antti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland; Rakennustekniikan laitos; Department of Civil Engineering; Operations Management in Construction; Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu; School of Engineering; Seppänen, Olli, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland
    Construction projects are inherently wasteful. One reason for this is sub-optimal work preconditions for workers limiting task performance. Task pre-conditions and performance are coordinated by traditional production planning and control, which focuses on coordinating process flow, while detailed operations flow management is often left to workers. This pattern is reapplied across projects with no significant improvement to wasted efforts in task performance. In such a scenario, workers coordinate preconditions mainly autonomously. While management theory promotes autonomous decision-making for improved task performance, productivity in the construction industry has little enhanced due to a lack of understanding of aspects favoring operations flow and autonomous decision-making. This study investigated the effects of workers' task planning and control (TP&C) practices on operations flow to derive aspects of improving task performance. A mixed method approach (survey and time-motion study) in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) work was applied. The results show that workers constantly perform TP&C activities. Their TP&C behavior differs between pre- and in-task planning. Its extent depends primarily on individual perceptions, which are impacted by trade-specifics, crew size, and other situational factors. TP&C maintains and fragments direct work (DW), on average, every 3.5 minutes. Short-term fragments support the continuation of DW, while medium- and long-term disturbances include significant wasted effort that must be mitigated. The study's theoretical contribution draws parallels between Plato's cave allegory and operations flow. Currently, workers rely on limited, subjective TP&C activities, similar to prisoners in the cave who have a limited understanding of reality. The findings indicate a need for collective, technology-enabled efforts to overcome the limits of subjective, decentralized decisions based on non-relevant information. A paradigm shift in the industry is encouraged to overcome the lack of timely, detailed, and relevant information supporting workers' situational awareness. Production planning should build on operations design involving workers to improve prefabrication, constructability, and site logistics. Production control can track location and movement to better understand the causes of disturbances, which are correlated with increased motion. Overall, the thesis promotes a systemic change in the construction industry in which operations flow is actively and not passively coordinated so that workers are not groping in the dark like the prisoners in Plato's cave.
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    Prefabrication in Construction: A Systemic Approach to Impact and Implementation
    (Aalto University, 2024) Chauhan, Krishna; Seppänen, Olli, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland Lavikka, Rita, Dr., VTT, Finland; Rakennustekniikan laitos; Department of Civil Engineering; Construction Management; Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu; School of Engineering; Peltokorpi, Antti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland
    Compared to other industries, the construction industry is widely recognised as complex, fragmented and non-innovative. To address this issue, prefabrication, as a potential solution offering disruptive innovations, can drive the construction industry towards greater industrialisation. Numerous studies have extensively examined the impact of prefabrication and presented its advantages over traditional methods. However, the implementation of prefabricated solutions remains limited in construction projects. One of the primary causes of this issue is the lack of consensus about the benefits of prefabrication among all parties involved. Previous research has overlooked systemic viewpoint to analyse the impacts of prefabrication implementation in construction projects. The objective of this study is to enhance the understanding of prefabrication adoption through a systemic approach, enabling a comprehensive analysis of its impacts and implementation. This study employs mixed methods consisting of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Qualitative data are collected through the analysis of multiple case studies, interviews, workshops, and documents. Quantitative data is gathered through a questionnaire survey. To achieve the desired objectives, the research is conducted in two parts: first on impact analysis and second on implementation approaches. The impact analysis includes the development of a comprehensive method which adopts a systemic, multi-stakeholder perspective for evaluating the direct and indirect monetary and nonmonetary impacts of prefabrication. Using this method, the impacts of four prefabrication products are examined. The subsequent analysis of this research focuses on identifying benefits of prefabrication for each stakeholder without compromising the interests of the other parties involved. The study is carried out in both new building and renovation projects. The research findings indicate a direct relationship between the extent of product modularity and monetary and non-monetary benefits. Despite the possibility of higher direct expenses for prefabricated products, the cost may be less than traditional construction due to indirect benefits. The study further highlights the key benefits and challenges of implementing prefabricated products. The benefits include shorter project schedules, enhanced quality, and improved workflow, while the challenges include the immutability of heritage buildings, old building tolerances and limited construction spaces. This study makes significant contribution in two key areas. First, it proposes a method for evaluating the impact of prefabrication considering systemic perspective and analyses both monetary and non-monetary effects which holds potential in decision-making processes for the choice between prefabrication and onsite construction. Second, it provides empirical evidence of the advantages that each project party can gain from implementing prefabrication.
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    Takt production and decentralized decision-making: improving construction production flow with novel planning & control approaches
    (Aalto University, 2023) Lehtovaara, Joonas; Peltokorpi, Antti, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland; Rakennustekniikan laitos; Department of Civil Engineering; Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu; School of Engineering; Seppänen, Olli, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Civil Engineering, Finland
    The construction industry has come under growing pressure to build increasingly complex projects and to do so more efficiently. This dissertation explored how novel approaches—takt production and decentralized decision-making—could improve production planning & control practices while increasing production flow. The dissertation employed a qualitative case study approach of three case studies, including a total of nine cases for which data were collected through 57 semi-structured interviews, observation of production and production documentation, and facilitation of takt planning sessions. Additionally, survey based social network analysis (SNA, 53 responses) and a design science research (DSR) approach with expert workshops were used to support the case study strategy. By answering the research question—"How takt production and decentralized decision-making contribute to construction production planning & control practices and production flow?"—this dissertation's primary contribution is threefold. The first contribution is providing an understanding of the effects that different takt production domains and distinct drivers have on production flow and how they support takt production implementation, which allow for the systematic reaping of the possible benefits. Takt production seems to especially promote good process flow, and the benefits increase with increased implementation maturity. The second contribution is providing an understanding of how a better balance of centralized and decentralized decision-making could support an improvement of construction PP&C practices, deliberately considering both managers' and production crews' (consisting of crew leaders and first-line workers) viewpoints. The results suggest that employing decentralization can yield benefits for project performance, along with worker performance and well-being. In addition to examining takt production and decentralized decision-making individually, the third contribution is providing an understanding of their combined effect through formulating, implementing, and validating a decentralized takt production framework. Decentralized decision-making—when involving the first-line workers in the process—has the potential to improve the planning & control practices and complement the shortcomings of takt production, for example, by having positive effects on operations flow, even with the first implementation efforts. Future research could consider investigating a larger range of diverse cases in an effort to examine improvement effects longitudinally; further explore the approaches through quantitative research methods to assess their impact more precisely; and further address the effects of a larger spectrum of flows, for example, project portfolio flow.