Comparative study on the complexity and scale of building projects

In the production planning of a construction project, construction managers need to evaluate the complexity and the quantity of work of a project in order to determine and prepare the master programme, site facilities layout plan, site organization structure, plant and manpower schedules. Interviews with construction managers revealed that these project planning activities are indeed governed by the complexity and the scale of a project. It is observed that the contract sum is the most prevailing factor used for classifying the scale of a building project while some other research reported the use of floor areas and contract periods for determining the scale of a project. While these factors are able to provide a generic understanding on the scale of building projects, however, it is more difficult in describing the complexity of a building project from the production perspective although some construction managers may use the availability of working space and the type of building structures as a measure. In this study, ten factors affecting the complexity of a project are considered, in which, apart from the general factors, building design, forms of structure and site space related factors are included. The aim of this study is to review the significance of these factors in relation to the complexity of a project from the perspective of production management. Interviews and questionnaire surveys are used to determine the significance of these factors, in which respondents are required to rank the main factors. The relationship between the complexity and the scale of a project are examined and analysed. The study attempts to build up the conceptual roadmap for defining the scale of a project. The findings will be useful for construction managers as guidelines in determining the resources required for a project. © 2006 by School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of Technology.