Identification of Repetitive Processes at Steady- and Unsteady-State: Transfer Function

Abstract

Projects are finite terminating endeavors with distinctive outcomes, usually, occurring under transient conditions. Nevertheless, most estimation, planning, and scheduling approaches overlook the dynamics of project-based systems in construction. These approaches underestimate the influence of process repetitiveness, the variation of learning curves and the conservation of processes’ properties. So far, estimation and modeling approaches have enabled a comprehensive understanding of repetitive processes in projects at steady-state. However, there has been little research to understand and develop an integrated and explicit representation of the dynamics of these processes in either transient, steady or unsteady conditions. This study evaluates the transfer function in its capability of simultaneously identifying and representing the production behavior of repetitive processes in different state conditions. The sample data for this research comes from the construction of an offshore oil well and describes the performance of a particular process by considering the inputs necessary to produce the outputs. The result is a concise mathematical model that satisfactorily reproduces the process’ behavior. Identifying suitable modeling methods, which accurately represent the dynamic conditions of production in repetitive processes, may provide more robust means to plan and control construction projects based on a mathematically driven production theory.