Incorporating Multiskilling and Learning in the Optimization of Crew Composition

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Alireza Ahmadian Fard Fini - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Taha H. Rashidi - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Ali Akbarnezhad - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • S. Travis Waller - , Chair of Transport Modelling and Simulation, Research Center for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI), University of New South Wales (Author)

Abstract

The presence of multiskilled workers in a crew can increase the crew's productivity through reducing inefficiencies and supervision requirements, while also providing on-the-job learning opportunities for single-skilled workers. The effect of the presence of multiskilled workers on the learning rate of workers, which is also a function of skill level and experience, and thus on the crew's productivity, is especially significant in repetitive construction projects. This paper presents a mathematical model for identifying the optimal combination of single-skilled and multiskilled workers with different levels of experience in the crew to minimize the duration of construction projects by accounting for the overlapping effects of multiskilling, skill level, and learning on the crew's productivity. The model is applied to an illustrative case project to demonstrate the practicality of the model. The optimum crew compositions for different activities involved in the case project are identified using a solution technique which combines constraint programming (CP), statistical analysis (SA), and a genetic algorithm (GA).

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number04015106
JournalJournal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume142
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2016
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-2939-2090/work/141543921

Keywords

Keywords

  • Hybrid solution technique, Labor and personnel issues, Learning, Multiskilling, Skill level