Multi-attribute fuzzy decisions in construction strategies

Construction operations usually involve several strategies which need to be considered to effectively ensure safety in the preparation and execution of work activities. The condition or state of the factors affects the safety of construction operations, the schedule of construction, and the total cost of the project. The decision establishing the level of the factors is important to set safe, as well as cost effective, construction strategies. In this paper, a methodology for selecting desirable construction strategies for construction operations is presented. The methodology is based on a Fuzzy Multi-Attribute Decision Making Analysis. The development of the framework of the decision analysis minimizes the relative risk of failures and accidents while reducing the total expected cost of performing the construction strategy. In this method, each alternative of the state of the factors is subjectively evaluated based on experts’ judgment with respect to certain defined criteria or desirable goal elements for a construction strategy. Then, the subjective aggregation of the ratings of the available state of the factors and the relative importance of the criteria required to determine safe and reliable, as well as economical construction strategies is evaluated by means of fuzzy membership functions and operations. Finally, a ranking measure of the alternatives is developed according to the aggregated subjective judgments. The development of the framework of the decision analysis minimizes the relative risk of failures and accidents while reducing the total expected cost of performing the construction strategy. The methodology is verified with an example to define the optimum construction strategy, i.e., resources, for a reinforced concrete slab operation for a certain project with all concerns to the market situation, the contractors and engineering capabilities, and the financial circumstances for the project. The methodology can be implemented during the planning, design, and construction phases of the building process. The most effective stage for implementing this methodology is realized during the construction phase of the building process since many external factors may affect, without any proper engineering controls, the execution of the construction operation.