Thinking about a Unified, Planning-Based Project Controls Environment

Adaption of new and exciting computer technologies such as knowledge based( KBS), object-oriented databases (OODB’s), and robotics will dramatically alter projects. The premise of this paper is however that we need to re-think how many of these automation technologies should be developed and inter-related. A generalized core theory is vital for bringing cost, schedule and affiliated control systems together earlier in the project. Ideally this unification would happen during the conceptual planning phase. This discussion first reviews the way that CAD-level information is today being relied upon to serve as a unifying agent. Most recent work presumes that a detailed design representation exists upon which various project control systems can be predicted. However development of a CAD representation occurs too late in the project development process to support meaningfully useful planning. That is, CAD-based project control tools are generally insufficient for turnkey projects. The answer then is a suite of tools that relies upon a planning-oriented information base. This paper discusses the current thinking by the author about the conceptual components and mechanics of such a system. Parallels are drawn to the work packinging concept. An object-oriented paradigm is currently the tools with which these ideas are being tested.