Applying Dependency Structure Matrix and Monte Carlo simulation to predict change in construction project

As changes constitute the main cause of schedule delay, cost overrun and other distributions, change management is an important aspect in construction project management. Many change management systems has been developed to minimize the impacts of change or to facilitate change management. However, changes should be predicted as early as possible, and then enable project management teams to take pre-management measures to minimize the changes negative impacts accordingly. In this paper, a change prediction system using activity-based dependency structure matrix (DSM) was developed to facilitate managing change, which can identify the possible changes in construction project. The outputs of the system for an application have represented the main function of the system. Methods about how to acquire date required for the proposed system are also presented. The proposed system can be helpful for project managers to manage change more efficiently.