Development of a project control procedure

The aim of this study is to develop a suitable project control procedure for a target company that can be used in engineering, procurement, and construction or con-struction management contracts. This procedure contains suitable project control software and a model for the use of the software in practice. This study is divided into two main sections. Theoretical part deals with project management, focusing on cost and time dimensions in projects. Empirical part deals with the development of the project control procedure for the target compa-ny. This development takes place in two parts. In the first part, semi-structured interviews are used to find out the company’s employees’ demands and desires for the project control software which will then be used in the developed procedure. These demands and desires are compared to available software in the market and the most suitable one will be chosen. Interview results show that important factors are cost tracking, integration with other software, English language availability, references, helpdesk, and no need for regular updates. The most suitable one is CMPro5 cost control software. The chosen software is used in a pilot project, where its functions and use are analyzed. Project control procedure which will be used in the future is developed based on these procedures. The five steps in developed procedure include employment of a cost engineer, whose task is to maintain the procedure in the target company.

Coordination and control in project-based work: digital objects and infrastructures for delivery

A major infrastructure project is used to investigate the role of digital objects in the coordination of engineering design work. From a practice-based perspective, research emphasizes objects as important in enabling cooperative knowledge work and knowledge sharing. The term ‘boundary object’ has become used in the analysis of mutual and reciprocal knowledge sharing around physical and digital objects. The aim is to extend this work by analysing the introduction of an extranet into the public–private partnership project used to construct a new motorway. Multiple categories of digital objects are mobilized in coordination across heterogeneous, cross-organizational groups. The main findings are that digital objects provide mechanisms for accountability and control, as well as for mutual and reciprocal knowledge sharing; and that different types of objects are nested, forming a digital infrastructure for project delivery. Reconceptualizing boundary objects as a digital infrastructure for delivery has practical implications for management practices on large projects and for the use of digital tools, such as building information models, in construction. It provides a starting point for future research into the changing nature of digitally enabled coordination in project-based work.

Quality control, validation and user feedback of the European Flood Alert System (EFAS)

The quality control, validation and verification of the European Flood Alert System (EFAS) are described. EFAS is designed as a flood early warning system at pan-European scale, to complement national systems and provide flood warnings more than 2 days before a flood. On average 20–30 alerts per year are sent out to the EFAS partner network which consists of 24 National hydrological authorities responsible for transnational river basins. Quality control of the system includes the evaluation of the hits, misses and false alarms, showing that EFAS has more than 50% of the time hits. Furthermore, the skills of both the meteorological as well as the hydrological forecasts are evaluated, and are included here for a 10-year period. Next, end-user needs and feedback are systematically analysed. Suggested improvements, such as real-time river discharge updating, are currently implemented.

First look at changes in flood hazard in the inter-sectoral impact model intercomparison project ensemble

Climate change due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of precipitation events, which is likely to affect the probability of flooding into the future. In this paper we use river flow simulations from nine global hydrology and land surface models to explore uncertainties in the potential impacts of climate change on flood hazard at global scale. As an indicator of flood hazard we looked at changes in the 30-y return level of 5-d average peak flows under representative concentration pathway RCP8.5 at the end of this century. Not everywhere does climate change result in an increase in flood hazard: decreases in the magnitude and frequency of the 30-y return level of river flow occur at roughly one-third (20-45%) of the global land grid points, particularly in areas where the hydro-graph is dominated by the snowmelt flood peak in spring. In most model experiments, however, an increase in flooding frequency was found in more than half of the grid points. The current 30-y flood peak is projected to occur in more than 1 in 5 y across 5-30% of land grid points. The large-scale patterns of change are remarkably consistent among impact models and even the driving climate models, but at local scale and in individual river basins there can be disagreement even on the sign of change, indicating large modeling uncertainty which needs to be taken into account in local adaptation studies.

Reservoir Management For Flood And Drought Protection Using Infinite Horizon Model Predictive Control

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a control method that solves in real time an optimal control problem over a finite horizon. The finiteness of the horizon is both the reason of MPC's success and its main limitation. In operational water resources management, MPC has been in fact successfully employed for controlling systems with a relatively short memory, such as canals, where the horizon length is not an issue. For reservoirs, which have generally a longer memory, MPC applications are presently limited to short term management only. Short term reservoir management can be effectively used to deal with fast process, such as floods, but it is not capable of looking sufficiently ahead to handle long term issues, such as drought. To overcome this limitation, we propose an Infinite Horizon MPC (IH-MPC) solution that is particularly suitable for reservoir management. We propose to structure the input signal by use of orthogonal basis functions, therefore reducing the optimization argument to a finite number of variables, and making the control problem solvable in a reasonable time. We applied this solution for the management of the Manantali Reservoir. Manantali is a yearly reservoir located in Mali, on the Senegal river, affecting water systems of Mali, Senegal, and Mauritania. The long term horizon offered by IH-MPC is necessary to deal with the strongly seasonal climate of the region.

Urban Traffic Control and Monitoring - An Approach for the Brazilian Intelligent Cities Project

This paper describes an urban traffic control system which aims at contributing to a more efficient traffic management system in the cities of Brazil. It uses fuzzy sets, case-based reasoning, and genetic algorithms to handle dynamic and unpredictable traffic scenarios, as well as uncertain, incomplete, and inconsistent information. The system is composed by one supervisor and several controller agents, which cooperate with each other to improve the system's results through Artificial Intelligence Techniques.

Methodology of the project Enhancement of citizen awareness for the formulation of air pollution control policies in three metropolitan areas of Latin America: Mexico City, Santiago and São Paulo

Includes bibliography

Multidimensional project control system: applicazione di verifica della qualità dei progetti in Despar Italia c.r.l.

La dissertazione affronterà il tema del controllo qualità nei progetti, applicando conoscenze, tecniche e strumenti propri del Project e del Multiproject Management. L’analisi partirà svolgendo, nel primo capitolo, considerazioni introduttive riguardo le due discipline citate. Lo scopo ultimo sarà quello di elaborare un sistema di controllo integrato della qualità, indirizzato principalmente al Project Management che è presente in una qualsiasi organizzazione che opera per progetti. Nel secondo capitolo verrà illustrato il metodo denominato Multidimensional Project control System sul quale il modello sviluppato in seguito si basa. La progettazione di un sistema di controllo è una parte importante dello sforzo di gestione di un progetto. Tale sistema è basato su una serie di obiettivi di progetto e sulla loro importanza relativa e fonda la sua natura su una sistematica valutazione in corso d’opera dello stato di conformità del progetto, sia a livello di processo che a livello di output. Nel capitolo conclusivo si affronta l’obiettivo principale di questo elaborato. Sono stati forniti dati e documenti dall’azienda Despar Italia c.r.l. ed è stato chiesto di sviluppare un metodo di controllo che il Project Management potesse utilizzare per implementare un processo di verifica della qualità di progetto. Viene quindi descritta l’azienda, come il Management pianifica, gestisce e controlla i progetti e quali necessità devono essere soddisfatte. Si procede poi con l’illustrazione e spiegazione del metodo sviluppato, chiarito da un esempio esplicativo. L’elaborato si concluderà con delle riflessioni finali, proponendo critiche e spunti per eventuali sviluppi futuri.

EVALUATION OF INTELLIGENT COMPACTION CONTROL IN THE M-189 RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT AT IRON RIVER, MICHIGAN

This research evaluated an Intelligent Compaction (IC) unit on the M-189 highway reconstruction project at Iron River, Michigan. The results from the IC unit were compared to several traditional compaction measurement devices including Nuclear Density Gauge (NDG), Geogauge, Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD), Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP), and Modified Clegg Hammer (MCH). The research collected point measurements data on a test section in which 30 test locations on the final Class II sand base layer and the 22A gravel layer. These point measurements were compared with the IC measurements (ICMVs) on a point-to-point basis through a linear regression analysis. Poor correlations were obtained among different measurements points using simple regression analysis. When comparing the ICMV to the compaction measurements points. Factors attributing to the weak correlation include soil heterogeneity, variation in IC roller operation parameters, in-place moisture content, the narrow range of the compaction devices measurement ranges and support conditions of the support layers. After incorporating some of the affecting factors into a multiple regression analysis, the strength of correlation significantly improved, especially on the stiffer gravel layer. Measurements were also studied from an overall distribution perspective in terms of average, measurement range, standard deviation, and coefficient of variance. Based on data analysis, on-site project observation and literature review, conclusions were made on how IC performed in regards to compaction control on the M-189 reconstruction project.

Identifying characteristics of mentally ill homeless individuals who are successfully linked to health and social services post-incarceration via the jail inreach project

Healthcare for the Homeless—Houston (HHH) received a research grant from The Medallion Foundation, Inc. in March 2006 to pilot The Jail Inreach Project, an intensive “inreach” initiative to assess the impact of providing continuity of mental and primary health care services for homeless individuals who suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse being released from jail. This pilot project was initiated by HHH, in collaboration with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County (MHMRA). Those who are flagged as “frequent flyers” and who are diagnosed with a mental illness are referred to the Jail Inreach Project. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the discharge plan, case managers offer the option of meeting the client at the time of release and bring them to the HHH clinic located four blocks from the jail. Participation in both the program and the option for direct release to the care of a case manager are voluntary.^ The purpose of this study is to determine the outcomes of the Jail Inreach Project and addresses the following objectives: (1) to evaluate the characteristics of inmates that chose to be released from jail to the direct care of an HHH case manager versus those who opt for self release and (2) to determine the number and percent of inmates that are linked to services and relationship with type of release (direct versus indirect), (3) to determine if there is a relationship between outcomes and characteristics and (4) to determine what outcomes are a function of release, controlling for characteristics. Statistical analysis, including frequencies, cross tabulations, chi-square and logistical regression, found that those who opt for self release are six times less likely to be successfully linked to services and that gender is the most significant predictor of choosing self release. Men are far more likely to opt for self release than women engaged in this program. These findings help inform policy and program design and development that addresses the difference in service utilization and successful linkage to services post-incarceration. Successful linkage to services, thus continuity of and access to care, further impact the effects of the revolving door phenomenon of mentally ill homeless individuals cycling between the streets, jails and hospital emergency centers.^

Aplicación de los procesos del Project Management para el diseño, ejecución y control de revestimientos cerámicos (solados y alicatados)

La actual competitividad empresarial hace necesaria la persecución de la mejora de la eficiencia en todos los procesos productivos. Esta mejora se consigue mediante la implementación de una gestión enfocada en los procesos. Este hecho ha derivado en la necesidad cada vez más acuciante de adoptar metodologías y herramientas que permitan a las organizaciones configurar sus sistemas de gestión. Los proyectos de edificación no escapan a esta metodología, es más, pueden ser unos de los más beneficiados en la implementación de la gestión por procesos. Por ello han surgido multitud de instituciones y asociaciones que la promueven en el ámbito de los proyectos de edificación. Gracias a la gestión por procesos se consigue acercar los objetivos del proyecto a las necesidades y requisitos de sus interesados, consiguiendo de este modo una mejora de la eficiencia. Estos requisitos y necesidades también afectan a las unidades de alicatados y solados, por lo que acercar los principios de la gestión por procesos a estas unidades nos puede ayudar a mejorar los resultados obtenidos en la obra. En cuanto a la gestión de proyectos es numerosa la bibliografía existente en el mundo anglosajón, donde las entidades encargadas de realizar publicaciones las revisan y adaptan continuamente a las necesidades y avances del mercado. Aunque en el ámbito internacional son numerosas las publicaciones que marcan los criterios necesarios para la gestión de proyectos por procesos, la bibliografía específica para la gestión de proyectos de edificación no es tan amplia, y en España es muy reducida y no posee el dinamismo que este tipo de publicaciones tiene en el ámbito internacional. En este trabajo se analizan las principales publicaciones internacionales en materia de gestión de proyectos y se comparan con las existentes en nuestro mercado, con la intención de analizar su situación y proponer los pasos a llevar a cabo para conseguir avanzar en el camino de la aplicación de los principios de la gestión de proyectos en el sector de la edificación. Como referencia, y para acotar el alcance del trabajo, se ha tomado como caso práctico la gestión de los revestimientos cerámicos (solados y alicatados), dentro del ámbito general de la gestión del proceso edificatorio.

Educational Project for the Teaching of Control of Electric Traction Drives

Electric vehicles constitute a multidisciplinary subject that involves disciplines such as automotive, mechanical, electrical and control engineering. Due to this multidisciplinary technical nature, practical teaching methodologies are of special relevance. Paradoxically, in the past, the training of engineers specializing in this area has lacked the practical component represented by field tests, due to the difficulty of accessing real systems. This paper presents an educational project specifically designed for the teaching and training of engineering students with different backgrounds and experience. The teaching methodology focuses on the topology of electric traction drives and their control. It includes two stages, a simulation computer model and a scaled laboratory workbench that comprises a traction electrical drive coupled to a vehicle emulator. With this equipment, the effectiveness of different traction control strategies can be analyzed from the point of view of energy efficiency, robustness, easiness of implementation and acoustic noise.