Automated construction sequencing and scheduling from functional requirements

Functional requirements are among the critical factors which govern the sequencing logics of a construction schedule. They refer to the requisites of functional dependencies among components in both construction and completion phases. Automated reasoning from functional requirements into sequencing logics is currently a challenge in construction planning. This paper introduces a model called FReMAS – a Functional Requirement Model for Automatic Sequencing – which is an attempt to automate sequencing and scheduling from functional requirements. It provides a generic representation schema and a systematic reasoning framework to capture, reason and convert functional requirements into temporal constraints between schedule elements. FReMAS is implemented in ECLiPSe, and an illustrative example of a nursing building construction is employed to demonstrate its application. FReMAS automatically determines possible sequences and generates all schedule alternatives that satisfy all imposed construction requirements while minimizing the project makespan. With the capability of automatic sequencing and alternative scheduling, FReMAS can help improve the effectiveness and adequacy of the planning process.