Analysis of Workflow Variability's Impacts on Trade and Project Performance

Variability, defined as the deviation of production capacity from an expected average, has a negative impact on the productivity of downstream trades and the entire system. It increases project duration, lost capacities and inventory of the downstream trades. This paper, using Parade Game Simulation, aims to identify the key trade(s) of a single-line production system that contribute(s) the most in reducing/increasing the project duration, total lost capacity and total inventory buffer. The simulation model includes seven trades with two different variability levels. A cooperative game theory was utilized to investigate how the productivity of downstream trades and the entire system is affected by the location of variability. This research revealed the key trades and strategic assignments of trades to maximize the trade and system performance. The findings are beneficial to construction managers as it helps them to manage the workflow efficiently by focusing on the key trades.