Summary for CIFE Seed Proposals for Academic Year 2015-16
Proposal number: 2015-07
Proposal title:
Principal investigator(s) and department(s):
Parts-enabled Approaches for Software Developers, Project Engineers, and Construction Workers
Martin Fischer
Research staff: Calvin Kam, Jacqueline Lo (MS. in SEG), Nanyu Zhao (Eng. in DCI)
Total funds requested: $ 61,146
Project URL for continuation proposals http://cife.stanford.edu/ManagingConstructionParts
Project objectives addressed by proposal
Buildable
Expected time horizon 5-10 years
Type of innovation
Abstract
(up to 150 words)
Breakthrough
The problem: the AEC 1 industry needs a leading indicator to evaluate industrialized construction productivity.
The proposed solution: develop a project-based Industrialized
Construction Index (ICI) around the part concept as the leading indicator.
Use the number of parts in a project and part-related information to quantify construction effort at before construction starts, evaluate the degree of industrialization, and identify opportunity to improve production techniques.
The proposed research approach: (1) extract KPIs 2 (about production cost and schedule) from multiple industrialized construction projects and link them to parts; (2) evaluate construction effort using parts and part-related
KPIs as the base of an ICI; compare the expected construction efforts of different production techniques to test the effectiveness of the ICI; (3) provide ICI specifications, which include manuals for software developers to identify parts and part-related KPIs, guides for project engineers to evaluate construction productivity, and suggestions for construction workers to conduct their part-related daily work.
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Architecture, Engineering and Construction
Key Performance Indicator

1  Research  Background
This   Seed   proposal   is   a   continuation   of   last   year’s   CIFE   Seed   proposal   –   Managing
Construction  Parts.  Last  year,  we  defined  and  developed  the  concept  of  a  construction  part  to   create   a   general   unit   for   building   products.   This   year   we   plan   to   continue   the   research   by   applying   the   part   concept   to   more   construction   projects   and   creating   an   industrialized   construction  index  (ICI)  to  support  evaluation  of  construction  efforts  in  AEC  projects.
The  key  results  from  previous  research  include:
• Defined   a   construction   part   as   “any   entity   that   requires   an   act   of   installation   to   become  a  component  in  the  final  building”
• Quantified   part   by   linking   it   to   installation   working   cycle;   one   part   takes   one   working  cycle  to  be  installed
• Explored   part-­‐related   classifications   and   attributes;   developed   methodology   to   estimate  the  number  of  parts  in  a  project
We  also  tested  our  definition  of  a  part  on  multiple  cases,  including  a  seven-­‐floor  hotel  with
420   guest   rooms,   an   office   renovation   project,   and   a   hospital   project   with   prefabricated   bathroom   pods.   In   addition   to   proving   the   robustness   of   our   part   concept,   these   cases   demonstrated  that:
•
A  big  discrepancy  exists  between  the  number  of  identified  components  in  BIM  and   the  actual  parts  on  a  construction  site.  This  discrepancy  indicates  incomplete  design   and  might  cause  unnecessary  RFIs  during  construction.  (E.g.  in  the  hotel  case,  there   are  11,000  components  in  BIM  and  3.2–4.6  million  parts)
• Early   decisions   on   part   type   and   installation   methods   have   a   large   impact   on   the   total  number  of  parts  in  a  project;  the  range  of  the  estimated  number  of  parts  tends   to   narrow   as   the   project   develops.   (E.g.   in   the   office   project,   using   brick   for   the   exterior  walls  has  4  times  more  total  number  of  parts  than  using  fresh  concrete)
• Prefabrication  can  greatly  reduce  the  number  of  parts  on-­‐site,  thereby  shifting  work   from   on-­‐site   to   off-­‐site,   improving   quality   and   safety.   (E.g.   440   prefabricated   bathroom   pods   reduced   parts   on-­‐site   by   98%   (from   1.7   million   to   25,000)   and   shortened  the  schedule  by  7%)
The   part   concept   enables   construction   professionals   to   have   a   basic   metric   for   building   products.  By  using  our  definition,  the  Architecture,  Engineering  and  Construction  (AEC)  industry   would  have  a  common  way  to  measure  and  quantify  building  parts  across  different  trades  and   projects.  While  our  previous  work  laid  down  the  theoretical  foundation,  we  will  continue  our   research   and   use   the   part   concept   in   project   management.   We   propose   to   develop   an   industrialized   construction   index   (ICI)   that   will   support   the   “buildable”   of   AEC   projects   by   providing:
• Software  developers  with  the  ability  to  identify  part  and  part-­‐related  information
• Project  engineers  with  standardized  metrics  to  evaluate  construction  productivity
• Construction  workers  with  suggestions  about  their  daily  work  regarding  parts
< Fischer, M > < Parts-enabled Construction Management Approaches > 2

2  Theoretical  and  Practical  Points  of  Departure
Previous  Research  around  the  Part
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The   part   research   is   inspired   by   the   fact   that   our   industry   doesn’t   have   a   comprehensive   understanding   of   the   project’s   products.   In   contrast,   in   the   aerospace   industry   both   Boeing   and   Airbus   know   that   their   747   and
A380   jumbo   jets   have   about   6   million   parts   each 3 .   Using   this   knowledge,   they   are   able   to   develop   a   tight   and
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Liquid%Part% Tool% efficient   supply   chain   and   generate   clear   assembly   instructions 4 .  Successful  strategies  such  as  Design  for  Manufacturing  and  Assembly  (DFMA)  in   the  manufacturing  industry  are  also  based  on  the  study  of  project  parts.  Therefore,  we  believe   that   by   clearly   defining   a   construction   part,   collecting   and   organizing   part-­‐related   building   information,   the   AEC   professionals   could   be   able   to   better   evaluate   a   project’s   design,   its   delivery  method,  and  construction  strategies.
In  the  past  we  have  defined  a  construction  part,  developed  methodology  to  quantify  and   classify  parts,  and  conducted  study  cases.  Based  on  these  findings,  this  year  we  plan  to  make   the   part   research   more   actionable   in   project   management.   We   will   test   the   benefit   of   part-­‐ enabled  management  approaches,  and  provide  specifications  for  project  participants  to  use  the   part  concept.  In  particular,  we  focus  on  three  disciplines:  the  software  developers  who  create   virtual  representations  of  parts,  the  project  engineers  who  determine  and  use  the  part-­‐related   building  information,  and  the  construction  workers  who  install  the  physical  parts.
Prefabrication
Prefabrication  is  able  to  shorten  a  project’s  schedule,  cut  cost  and  budget,  and  improve  site   safety 5 .  In  2011,  85%  of  US  construction  companies  are  already  doing  some  prefabrication  on   their  projects 5 .  However  a  survey  shows  that  about  40%  of  the  industry  players  do  not  analyze   the  Return  on  Investment  (ROI)  before  they  start  to  do  prefabrication,  and  25%  of  respondents   never   analyze   their   prefabrication   efficiency 6 .   It   is   clear   that   the   AEC   industry   needs   better   metrics  to  evaluate  prefabrication  strategy  in  a  standardized  manner.  As  for  now,  a  lot  of  the   companies  work  out  prefabrication  ideas  by  themselves,  and  the  top  challenge  lies  in  predicting   if  the  prefabrication  ideas  will  work  and  save  time  and  money 6 .
3 http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/travel/lufthansa-747-8-intercontinental/ http://www.bbc.com/news/business-25833264
4 http://www.cortona3d.com/system/files/121/original/cortona_rapid_author_teamcenter-pdf.pdf
Airbus can now produce an aircraft made of 7 million parts in approximately 6 hours. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni/Document.Doc?id=265
5
Prefabrication and Modularization: Increasing Productivity in the Construction Industry http://www.nist.gov/el/economics/upload/Prefabrication-Modularization-in-the-Construction-Industry-SMR-2011R.pdf
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Prefabrication and Modularization in Construction 2013 SURVEY RESULTS http://www.fminet.com/media/pdf/report/PrefabricationSurvey2013.pdf
< Fischer, M > < Parts-enabled Construction Management Approaches > 3

Our  previous  work  showed  that  the  number  of  parts  on-­‐site  will  reduce  when  a  project  is   doing   prefabrication;   and   the   part-­‐related   information   (such   as   type,   complexity,   and   installation  method)  can  indicate  construction  efforts.  Therefore,  the  part  concept  can  be  used   to   measure   the   degree   of   prefabrication,   and   quantify   the   construction   effort   for   a   given   project.  Using  part  to  evaluate  potential  prefabrication  efficiency  will  be  one  of  our  research   topics  in  the  part-­‐enabled  approaches  for  project  engineers  this  year.
Design  for  Manufacturing  and  Assembly  (DFMA)
DFMA   is   the   method   of   designing   a   product   to   be   easily   manufactured   and   assembled,   while  keeping  the  original  product  function 7 .  Manufacturing  projects  with  DFMA  have  around
50%  fewer  parts,  50%  shorter  cycle  time,  40%  less  material  and  labor  cost,  and  are  60%  more   reliable 8 .   The   principals   of   DFMA   include   standardizing   and   minimizing   product   parts,   and   encouraging  modular  design;  the  DFMA  process  requires  thorough  analysis  on  each  individual   part  and  the  collaboration  of  multi-­‐disciplines.
The  traditional  AEC  project  delivery  does  not  have  a  DFMA  process.  Although  this  year’s   part   research   will   not   focus   on   the   means   or   methods   of   DFMA,   the   research   will   provide   potential  DFMA  targets  in  a  construction  project.  The  number  of  parts  and  effort  required  to   build  a  part  will  indicate  the  labor-­‐intensive  parts,  in  other  words,  potential  DFMA  targets.  One   of  our  suggestions  to  the  construction  workers  will  be  to  alert  them  the  labor-­‐intensive  parts  in   their  work;  this  information  may  contribute  to  future  DFMA  study  in  a  construction  project.
3  Research  Methods  and  Work  Plan
The  AEC  industry  does  not  have  a  standardized  leading  indicator  to  evaluate  construction   productivity.   The   construction   productivity   index   calculates   productivity   on   an   industry   scale,   but  it  is  a  lagging  indicator  as  it  shows  productivity  of  the  past.  The  MacLeamy  Curve  shows  that   the  ability  to  impact  a  project  reduces  as  project  moves  on,  but  it  is  difficult  to  quantify  the   actual  degree  of  impact.  A  project  independent  index  that  roughly  evaluates  productivity  in  the   upcoming   project   phases   can   be   very   useful.   For   example,   such   index   can   help   the   25%   of   survey  respondents  to  analyze  their  prefabrication  efficiency.
Because  the  number  of  parts  in  a  project  affects  construction  efforts,  and  parts  in  different   projects  are  generally  similar,  the  part  concept  can  support  such  leading  indicator.  Therefore,   this   year   we   intend   to   develop   a   project-­‐based   ICI   around   the   part   concept   as   the   leading   indicator.   We   plan   to   use   the   number   of   parts   in   a   project   and   part-­‐related   information   to   quantify   construction   effort   before   construction   starts,   evaluate   the   degree   of   prefabrication   and   industrialization,   and   identify   opportunities   to   improve   production   techniques.   Our   work   plan  includes  the  following  steps:
7
Molloy, O., S. Tilley, and E. A. Warman. "Design for manufacturing and assembly." Springer Science & Business Media (1998)
8
Cutting time and cost with DFMA http://web.mit.edu/meeker/Public/CuttingtimeandcostwithDFMA.pdf
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Study  Industrialized  Construction  Cases  Using  the  Part  Concept
This  research  will  engage  with  Stanford  class  CEE  212B;  work  closely  with  guest  speakers,   visiting   professors,   and   other   industry   members   to   collect   industrialized   construction   case   studies.   Our   study   will   focus   on   the   industrialized   construction   strategies   and   innovative   production   techniques   in   these   cases.   We   will   extract   Key   Performance   Indicator   (KPI)   from   each  case  (mainly  about  cost  and  schedule  in  production  or  construction  phases).  Meanwhile,   we  will  analyze  the  cases  using  the  part  concept;  study  the  number  of  parts,  the  types  of  parts,   and  the  part-­‐related  information  in  different  project  phases.
The  team  plans  to  link  the  KPIs  with  corresponding  parts  and  quantify  those  part-­‐related
KPIs.  For  example,  in  the  prefabricated  hospital  bathroom  pod  case  study,  the  prefabrication   affected   the   material   cost,   labor   cost,   construction   schedule,   overhead   cost,   safety,   and   risk   cost;   all   these   factors   are   potential   KPIs.   We   also   estimated   the   number   of   parts   in   each   bathroom  pod  (prefabricated  or  built  on-­‐site).  Therefore,  we  were  able  to  obtain  the  cost  and   schedule  saving  per  part  for  the  prefabricated  bathroom  pods.  In  this  year,  we  will  get  more   part-­‐related  KPIs  from  the  case  studies,  link  them  with  parts  to  calculate  the  part-­‐based  project   cost,  schedule,  construction  efforts,  etc.
Develop  and  Test  the  Industrialized  Construction  Index  (ICI)
Using   the   results   from   case   studies,   we   can   get   a   list   of   part-­‐related   KPIs   and   their   industrialized   construction   use   cases.   By   integrating   these   part-­‐related   KPIs   and   other   part   information,  we  will  create  the  base  for  a  project  ICI.  The  ICI  will  contain  a  part,  its  type  and   major   attributes,   the   KPIs   about   its   cost   and   schedule,   the   connections   between   these   information,   and   the   impacts   these   metrics   have   on   project   productivity.   For   example,   by   comparing   the   number   of   prefabricated   parts   and   built   on-­‐site   parts,   we   can   measure   the   degree   of   prefabrication   of   a   project;   by   comparing   the   number   of   designed   parts   and   estimated   parts,   we   can   quantify   the   percentage   of   design   completion;   and   by   studying   the   construction  schedule  of  different  parts,  we  can  help  the  project  to  focus  on  prefabrication  and   parts-­‐reduction  in  the  most  effective  manner.
After  the  part-­‐related  KPIs  are  collected  and  some  ICI  use  cases  established,  we  will  test  the   effectiveness  of  the  ICI.  This  will  be  done  by  using  the  ICI  to  evaluate  the  construction  efforts  in   one  or  more  test  projects  with  different  production  techniques,  and  then  comparing  the  results   with  actual  outcome  or  asking  the  industry  professionals  for  feedback.
Provide  Specifications  of  Industrialized  Construction  Index  (ICI)
Finally  we  will  prepare  specifications  for  industry  professionals  to  use  the  part  concept  and   the  industrialization  construction  index  in  their  projects.  There  will  be  three  major  components:
(1)  manuals  for  software  developers  to  identify  a  part,  quantify  parts,  and  consider  part-­‐related   information  and  KPIs;  (2)  guides  for  project  engineers  to  use  the  industrialization  construction   index  to  evaluate  construction  productivity  and  judge  project  performance;  (3)  suggestions  for
< Fischer, M > < Parts-enabled Construction Management Approaches > 5

construction   workers   to   conduct   daily   work,   including   list   of   parts   to   be   installed,   and   recommended  construction  techniques  provided  by  project  engineers.
4  Expected  Results:  Findings,  Contributions,  and  Impact  on  Practice
The   major   deliverables   for   this   year’s   part   research   are   the   ICI   and   its   specifications   for   software  developers,  project  engineers,  and  construction  workers.  In  addition  to  that,  we  will   generate   reports   of   the   industrialized   construction   study   cases,   and   use   the   part   concept   to   compare   and   contrast   the   projects’   performance.   Meanwhile,   we   will   continue   to   refine   the   part  concept  and  the  part  counting  methodology  to  make  it  more  robust  and  easy  to  use.
The  ICI  we  proposed  will  support  the  “buildable”  of  AEC  projects.  It  contains  generalized
KPIs  from  various  industrialized  construction  projects,  and  it  turns  the  part  concept  to  a  leading   indicator  for  evaluating  construction  effort  and  productivity.  Using  the  ICI,  we  can  evaluate  the   prefabrication   performance   from   the   bathroom   pod   case,   and   apply   it   to   analyze   the   prefabrication  strategies  of  other  projects  and  other  parts.  Expected  benefits  of  this  proposal   are  as  follow:
•
•
•
•
•
The  knowledge  to  understand  construction  projects  in  the  “language”  of  parts
The  ability  to  guide  design  using  industrialized  construction  experience;  measure  design   completion  in  a  systematic  ways
The  method  to  measure  construction  efforts  at  an  early  stage,  and  a  mean  to  evaluate   the  effectiveness  of  prefabrication  and  other  building  techniques
The   channel/media   to   provide   more   information   to   assist   construction,   avoid   unnecessary  rework  and  RFIs
The  potential  to  use  other  innovative  construction  strategies,  lay  down  the  foundation   for  future  DFMA  process  in  construction  projects
This  research  is  a  breakthrough  innovation  in  that  it  provides  a  new  aspect  to  understand   and   manage   construction   project:   the   part   aspect.   The   ICI   has   the   potential   for   further   development;  applications  for  software  developers,  project  engineers,  and  construction  workers   can  be  joined  together  to  assist  the  decision-­‐making  of  a  project  manager.  If  our  research  in  this   year   successfully   demonstrates   that   the   part   can   be   the   leading   indicator   of   construction   productivity,  it  is  estimated  that  it  may  take  5-­‐10  years  or  longer  for  the  whole  industry  to  adopt   the   part   concept   and   use   it   in   practice.   Therefore,   this   is   a   long-­‐term   research;   we   will   seek
partnerships   with   CIFE   members,   industry   professionals,   and   software   developers   to   continue   our  research  in  the  future.
5  Research  Milestones,  Risks
This   part   research   is   currently   in   progress   at   both   Stanford   and   Shanghai.   Some   of   the   milestones  are  summarized  below:
• Mid  June  2015:  summarize  CEE  212B  class,  generate  cast  study  reports
• September  2015:  part-­‐related  KPI  list,  manuals  for  software  developers  to  quantify  parts
• Dec.  2015:  develop  and  test  the  ICI,  provide  a  ICI  frame
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• June  2016:  completed  the  ICI  specifications
One  potential  risk  for  this  research  is  that  not  all  KPIs  can  be  standardized  and  integrated   around   the   part   concept.   To   mitigate   the   risk   we   plan   to   expand   the   part   concept   further   to   include  more  classifications  and  part  types,  therefore  it  will  be  easier  to  categorize  different  KPIs   and   incorporate   them   into   the   part   concept.   Meanwhile,   we   shall   recognize   other   non-­‐part-­‐ related  KPIs,  admit  that  they  are  not  included  in  the  ICI,  and  point  out  those  specific  KPIs  that   based  on  other  factors  in  a  project,  such  as  people,  environment,  and  regulation.
Another   risk   is   how   to   develop   the   ICI   specifications   so   that   they   are   consistent,   easily   understood  by  different  disciplines,  and  can  be  applied  to  BIM  software.  To  avoid  this  problem   we  shall  keep  in  mind  to  develop  the  part  concept  and  ICI  in  a  simple  form.  In  terms  of  the  part   concept,  we  will  avoid  using  too  many  new  terms  or  definitions;  and  try  to  use  existing  concepts   when  possible.  In  terms  of  the  specifications,  we  shall  provide  use  cases  for  different  scenarios;
and  ask  industry  professionals  and  software  developers  for  comments.
6  Industry  Involvement  and  Next  Steps
Continuing   the   successful   partnership   from   past   years,   this   is   a   collaborative   research   between   Stanford   University,   Walt   Disney   Imagineering   (WDI)   Disney   Research   China,   Tongji
University,   and   industry   collaborators.   Walt   Disney   Imagineering   has   been   an   active   member   driving   this   research,   providing   CIFE   researchers   access   to   the   WDI   projects   in   both   US   and
China.  Researchers  from  Tongji  University  in  Shanghai  have  been  working  on  this  Seed  Project   in   Disney   Research   China   since   the   summer   of   2013.   Many   interesting   research   findings   are   made  through  peer  review  and  critic  between  Stanford  and  Shanghai.
More   engagement   from   CIFE   members   will   come   through   Stanford   Class   CEE   112/212B;
Stanford   students   will   be   able   to   study   industrialized   construction   cases   provided   by   CIFE   members   using   the   part   concept   during   class.   We   have   made   connection   with   multiple   CIFE   members  interested  in  this  research:  Autodesk,  Bentley,  Glodon,  Mortenson,  Strategic  Building
Innovation,   etc.   They   will   provide   additional   opportunities   to   test   and   refine   our   ICI.   Visiting   professors  from  Brazil  and  United  Kingdom  will  also  offer  help  and  feedback  to  our  research.
We   will   also   work   with   any   interested   CIFE   members   or   industry   contacts   that   wish   to   be   involved  with  the  seed  project  research.
Should  the  research  in  this  coming  year  successfully  demonstrate  the  effectiveness  of  the
ICI;  we  will  seek  additional  funding  to  expand  the  part  concept  and  the  ICI  to  support  project   management   and   optimization.   In   a   part-­‐enabled   project   optimization   scenario,   project   manager   should   be   able   to   optimize   the   construction   process   and   techniques   based   on   the   expected  construction  effort  obtained  from  part  and  ICI  analysis.  The  next  step  of  our  research   will  focus  on  examining  such  optimization  process  and  applying  it  to  practical.
7  Budget
Total  funds  requested:  $61,146.
< Fischer, M > < Parts-enabled Construction Management Approaches > 7