Construction project simulation using CYCLONE

Construction simulation is a powerful tool that can be used by a construction company for a number of tasks such as productivity measurement, risk analysis, resource planning, design and analysis of construction methods, and site planning. The success of simulation at the construction-process level has led to a natural attempt to use simulation at the construction-project level. Cyclic Operations Network (CYCLONE) and related simulation methodologies have provided the fundamental basis of these developments. This paper describes the enhancements made to the CYCLONE modeling methodology to allow simultaneous simulation of processes involved in a construction project. The objective of these enhancements is to allow development of individual models for all the processes that constitute a project and then to link them so as to simulate them simultaneously using a common resource pool. Such a simulation experiment will allow the construction manager to realistically model, analyze, and plan construction projects. This paper provides the specifications required to perform a project-level simulation using the CYCLONE modeling concepts