A DISTRIBUTED SIMULATION APPROACH FOR PROJECT LOGISTICS, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL

This paper proposes a distributed simulation approach to address the logistic implications of design and assess their impact on performance during project execution. Relevant areas of application include large construction projects involving the installation of multiple systems and, simultaneously, the interests of multiple parties. Individual models of the installation activities pertaining to each system are built using commercial simulation packages. These models are then linked using the Java RMI ® (Remote Method Invocation) standard to provide global measures of project performance for both local and central design decisions. Several uses of this simulation approach can be identified during the different phases of the project life-cycle, for instance to test alternative solutions during the conceptual design phase or to accommodate late design changes with minimal disruptions to the project schedule and budget