Real-time Schedule Control

Numerous previous studies have dealt with the use of automated technologies for on-site, real-time data collection to support construction project control. Most of these studies are based on the assumption, that the collected data can be compared with planning data to identify deviations and implement control actions. However, construction scheduling often focuses on pre-construction forecasting and logistics processes that are carried out by middle management. In contrast, the execution proper is governed by informal short-term scheduling, performed ad-hoc by site management. This reality creates discrepancies between the data provided by automated monitoring technologies and the information that can be obtained from project schedules, in terms of their granularity, scope and underlying assumptions. The aim of this paper is to review existing scheduling methods, and compare their outputs with the data provided by automated monitoring technologies. Ways are proposed in which scheduling methods can be enriched in order to better support monitoring and control processes.