Foresight: A Structured Graphical Approach to Constraint-Based Project Planning

An essential part of construction project planning and control is the development of a model of the project´s constituent processes. The Critical Path Method is the most popular project modeling method in construction since it is simple to use and reasonably versatile. Many other modeling techniques have limited scope, being aimed at specialized types of project, such as linear scheduling which is used for modeling construction work that progresses along a line. Discrete-event simulation is the most versatile of all methods, but it lacks the simplicity in use of CPM and so has not been widely adopted in construction. This paper goes back to first principles, identifying the needs of construction project planning and how existing tools satisfy (and fail to satisfy) these requirements. Based on this, a new modeling paradigm is proposed that is better suited to the needs of contemporary construction project planning. The principles of the system are demonstrated in application to three example construction projects.