@inproceedings{hosseini_howell_liu_2016, title={Relationship between On-Site Planning Efforts and Work Plan Reliability}, booktitle={Construction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan}, author={Hosseini, S. A. A. and Howell, G. and Liu, M.}, year={2016}, pages={2129–2138} }
 @inproceedings{abbasian-hosseini_liu_hsiang_2015, title={Social network analysis for construction specialty trade interference and work plan reliability}, booktitle={International Group for Lean Construction}, author={Abbasian-Hosseini, S. A. and Liu, M. and Hsiang, S.}, year={2015}, pages={143–152} }
 @article{russell_hsiang_liu_wambeke_2014, title={Causes of time buffer and duration variation in construction project tasks: Comparison of perception to reality}, volume={140}, number={6}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, author={Russell, M. M. and Hsiang, S. M. and Liu, M. and Wambeke, B.}, year={2014} }
 @article{abbasian-hosseini_hsiang_leming_liu_2014, title={From Social Network to Data Envelopment Analysis: Identifying Benchmarks at the Site Management Level}, volume={140}, ISSN={0733-9364 1943-7862}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000875}, DOI={10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000875}, abstractNote={AbstractIt is widely accepted in the construction industry that contract documents, specifying the responsibility and risk of each participant, are the basis for project managers’ and superintendents’ decision making (DM). However, in practice strict adherence to the formal procedures and chains of command would not always be possible without an unacceptable expenditure of time and money. Although much attention is given to the decisions at the project manager and superintendent level, the underlying rules and mechanisms for the moment-to-moment DM at the site management level has not been documented. In this paper, a social network (SN)–based data envelopment analysis (DEA) benchmarking procedure (SDBP), which combines DEA (assessing the relative efficiency of DM units) and SN (concentrating on the relationships amongst DM units) to identify the benchmarks for the inefficient specialty trades (STs). This paper also uses a case study to illustrate how to implement the SDBP. This research contributes to th...}, number={8}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, publisher={American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)}, author={Abbasian-Hosseini, S. Alireza and Hsiang, Simon M. and Leming, Michael L. and Liu, Min}, year={2014}, month={Aug}, pages={04014028} }
 @article{wambeke_liu_hsiang_2014, title={Task variation and the social network of construction trades}, volume={30}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Management in Engineering}, author={Wambeke, B. W. and Liu, M. and Hsiang, S. M.}, year={2014} }
 @article{russell_howell_hsiang_liu_2013, title={Application of time buffers to construction project task durations}, volume={139}, number={10}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, author={Russell, M. M. and Howell, G. and Hsiang, S. M. and Liu, M.}, year={2013} }
 @article{vaughan_leming_liu_jaselskis_2013, title={Cost-Benefit Analysis of Construction Information Management System Implementation: Case Study}, volume={139}, ISSN={0733-9364 1943-7862}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000611}, DOI={10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000611}, abstractNote={AbstractIn construction projects, construction managers spend a significant portion of their time gathering project data, assessing production rates, communicating with project participants, and tracking project quality. Executing those tasks manually reduces efficiency and can result in less effective project management operations. In order to improve efficiency of information process flow, various types of construction information management systems (CIMSs) have been introduced to construction projects. However, due to the difficulty of tracking fragmental and illusive data, measuring the cost and benefit of the implementation and evaluating the trade-off remain a challenge for construction practitioners. This paper’s contributions to the body of knowledge include (1) proposing a framework to assess tangible and semitangible or intangible costs and benefits of innovative construction technology application, (2) determining costs and benefits of the use of CIMSs by conducting a product-specific case stud...}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, publisher={American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)}, author={Vaughan, Joshua L. and Leming, Michael L. and Liu, Min and Jaselskis, Edward}, year={2013}, month={Apr}, pages={445–455} }
 @article{hollar_rasdorf_liu_hummer_arocho_hsiang_2013, title={Preliminary Engineering Cost Estimation Model for Bridge Projects}, volume={139}, ISSN={0733-9364 1943-7862}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000668}, DOI={10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000668}, abstractNote={AbstractThis paper addresses one of the costs of new bridges, i.e., the cost of doing the preliminary engineering (PE). This particular aspect of cost has largely been neglected because of the difficulty in obtaining appropriate data. Typically, PE costs are determined as a percentage of construction costs, disregarding other project-specific parameters. Bridge projects let by the North Carolina (NC) DOT between 2001 and 2009 were reviewed. From an analysis of these 461 projects, the writers developed statistical models linking variation in PE costs with distinctive project parameters. The primary contribution this paper makes to the body of knowledge is the finding that PE cost estimates for bridge projects are commonly and significantly underestimated. The writers found that bridge projects exhibited a mean PE cost ratio of 28%. This result is significantly greater than the percentage used in practice. An investigation of data sources related to bridge projects, a description of regression techniques ap...}, number={9}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, publisher={American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)}, author={Hollar, Donna A. and Rasdorf, William and Liu, Min and Hummer, Joseph E. and Arocho, Ingrid and Hsiang, Simon M.}, year={2013}, month={Sep}, pages={1259–1267} }
 @article{liu_rasdorf_hummer_hollar_parikh_2013, title={Preliminary Engineering Cost-Estimation Strategy Assessment for Roadway Projects}, volume={29}, ISSN={0742-597X 1943-5479}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000137}, DOI={10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000137}, abstractNote={Preliminary engineering (PE) for a roadway project encompasses two efforts: planning to minimize the physical, social, and human environmental impacts of projects and engineering design to deliver the best alternative. State transportation agencies strive to manage these efforts efficiently, seeking to maximize the utilization of limited funding and workforce productivity. Managers need a feasible PE budget, considering both cost and time, early in project development. The results reported herein will provide engineers and managers with a comparative investigation evaluating different strategies for establishing a PE budget during the preconstruction phase of roadway project development. Cost data were obtained for 188 North Carolina roadway projects built between 1999 and 2009. An analysis of the North Carolina DOT data yielded an overall mean ratio of PE cost to estimated construction cost (the PE cost ratio) of 11.7%. The multiple linear regression model was used to develop prediction models to forecast the PE cost ratio of future roadway projects. It was found that while differing regression strategies could reduce prediction error, the improvement was small. In terms of simplicity, using the historical means applicable for widening projects (13.3%), rehabilitation/resurfacing projects (7.7%), and new location/interchange projects (16.5%) proved advantageous over regression modeling because a project manager would not have to estimate any project-specific values at the earliest stages of project development. The lowest of these historical means was significantly different than the two higher means (7.7% versus 13.3% and 16.5%); however, the difference between the two higher means (13.3% versus 16.5%) was not statistically significant. The study analyses also found a significant correlation between a project’s PE cost ratio and its PE duration, suggesting that further investigation into PE duration of transportation projects is warranted.}, number={2}, journal={Journal of Management in Engineering}, publisher={American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)}, author={Liu, Min and Rasdorf, William and Hummer, Joseph E. and Hollar, Donna A. and Parikh, Shalin C.}, year={2013}, month={Apr}, pages={150–157} }
 @article{wang_liu_hsiang_leming_2012, title={Causes and Penalties of Variation: Case Study of a Precast Concrete Slab Production Facility}, volume={138}, ISSN={0733-9364 1943-7862}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000475}, DOI={10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000475}, abstractNote={Concrete precast plants require strict control over and adherence to the timing and sequence of operations. Variation for this research is divided into the variation in task starting time (the difference between the planned and the actual starting time) and the variation in task duration (the difference between the planned and the actual task duration). This study determined causes of variation in task starting time and duration of precast concrete slab production tasks. It also identified penalties associated with not reducing variation, which include an increase in project duration, Work in-Progress (WIP) and cost and a decrease in labor productivity. Additionally, two execution policies (keeping laborers waiting before preconditions are ready and keeping laborers busy) in the face of variation were compared by using STROBOSCOPE simulation techniques. It was found that simply keeping workers busy is insufficient for managing variation. Management effort should be devoted to eliminate causes of variation in the planning stage to make a reliable work plan. The results will help prefabricators to understand causes and penalties of variation, which is the starting point of attacking and reducing it. Although this study is based on a concrete slab production facility, this research can have a broader effect on the construction industry because the research method and simulation models developed in this study are applicable to other fabrication processes as well.}, number={6}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, publisher={American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)}, author={Wang, Chao and Liu, Min and Hsiang, Simon M. and Leming, Michael L.}, year={2012}, month={Jun}, pages={775–785} }
 @article{hajifathalian_wambeke_liu_hsiang_2012, title={Effects of production control strategy and duration variance on productivity and work in process: Simulation-based investigation}, volume={138}, number={9}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, author={Hajifathalian, K. and Wambeke, B. W. and Liu, M. and Hsiang, S. M.}, year={2012}, pages={1035–1043} }
 @inproceedings{xiang_hsiang_ibbs_liu_2012, title={Identification of PDRI factors affecting changes}, booktitle={Proceedings of 2012 International Conference on Construction & Real Estate Management, vols 1 and 2}, author={Xiang, N. S. and Hsiang, S. M. and Ibbs, W. and Liu, M.}, year={2012}, pages={282–287} }
 @inproceedings{hosseini_liu_hsiang_2012, title={Informal decision making for construction projects inspired by flocks of birds}, booktitle={Proceedings of 2012 International Conference on Construction & Real Estate Management, vols 1 and 2}, author={Hosseini, S. A. A. and Liu, M. and Hsiang, S. M.}, year={2012}, pages={277–281} }
 @article{wang_liu_2012, title={Prices of highway resurfacing projects in economic downturn: Lessons learned and strategies forward}, volume={28}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Management in Engineering}, author={Wang, Y. H. and Liu, M.}, year={2012}, pages={391–397} }
 @inproceedings{russell_wambeke_hsiang_liu_2012, title={Time buffer and variation in construction project tasks: comparing perception to reality}, booktitle={Proceedings of 2012 International Conference on Construction & Real Estate Management, vols 1 and 2}, author={Russell, M. M. and Wambeke, B. W. and Hsiang, S. M. and Liu, M.}, year={2012}, pages={303–309} }
 @article{wambeke_liu_hsiang_2012, title={Using last planner and a risk assessment matrix to reduce variation in mechanical related construction tasks}, volume={138}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, author={Wambeke, B. W. and Liu, M. and Hsiang, S. M.}, year={2012}, pages={491–498} }
 @article{wambeke_liu_hsiang_2012, title={Using pajek and centrality analysis to identify a social network of construction trades}, volume={138}, number={10}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, author={Wambeke, B. W. and Liu, M. and Hsiang, S. M.}, year={2012}, pages={1192–1201} }
 @article{lai_liu_ling_2011, title={A comparative study on adopting human resource practices for safety management on construction projects in the United States and Singapore}, volume={29}, number={8}, journal={International Journal of Project Management}, author={Lai, D. N. C. and Liu, M. and Ling, F. Y. Y.}, year={2011}, pages={1018–1032} }
 @article{ibbs_liu_2011, title={An improved methodology for selecting similar working days for measured mile analysis}, volume={29}, number={6}, journal={International Journal of Project Management}, author={Ibbs, W. and Liu, M.}, year={2011}, pages={773–780} }
 @article{wambeke_hsiang_liu_2011, title={Causes of Variation in Construction Project Task Starting Times and Duration}, volume={137}, ISSN={0733-9364 1943-7862}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000342}, DOI={10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000342}, abstractNote={In this research, variation is defined as the time difference between what was planned and what actually happened in terms of task starting times and duration. Variation in construction tasks is important as it can impact productivity performance. Construction projects consist of a large number of interdependent tasks. When the starting time and/or duration of one task varies, it can affect other downstream tasks and result in disruptions to the schedule and/or decreased productivity. The construction process is complex and involves numerous people with different levels of responsibility, which makes identifying the root causes of the variation difficult. A nationwide survey was administered to workers, foremen, and project managers to identify the most prevalent causes and magnitude of both starting time and task duration variation. Fifty individual causes of variation were divided into eight categories: prerequisite work, detailed design/working method, labor force, tools and equipment, material and components, work/job site conditions, management/supervision/information flow, and weather or external conditions. This research examined the similarities and differences in perceptions between craft workers, foremen, and project managers in terms of starting time and task duration variation. The top eight causes of starting time variation and top nine causes of task duration variation were identified. The research also quantitatively analyzed the underlying structure of the causes of variation using factor analysis. This was done by grouping the 50 individual causes into nine orthogonal factors that represent the underlying structure of the affecting causes. The findings will help construction project managers and field managers focus on the root causes of variation during planning in order to develop effective strategies to reduce variation and improve project productivity performance.}, number={9}, journal={Journal of Construction Engineering and Management}, publisher={American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)}, author={Wambeke, Brad W. and Hsiang, Simon M. and Liu, Min}, year={2011}, month={Sep}, pages={663–677} }
 @article{liu_ballard_ibbs_2011, title={Work flow variation and labor productivity: Case study}, volume={27}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Management in Engineering}, author={Liu, M. and Ballard, G. and Ibbs, W.}, year={2011}, pages={236–242} }
 @inproceedings{hollar_arocho_hummer_liu_rasdorf_2010, title={Development of a regression model to predict preliminary engineering costs}, ISBN={9781933452517}, booktitle={ITE 2010 Technical Conference and Exhibit compendium of technical papers}, publisher={Washington, D.C. : Institute of Transportation Engineers}, author={Hollar, D. and Arocho, I. and Hummer, J. and Liu, M. and Rasdorf, W.}, year={2010} }
 @article{ling_liu_woo_2009, title={Construction fatalities in Singapore}, volume={27}, ISSN={0263-7863}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2008.11.002}, DOI={10.1016/j.ijproman.2008.11.002}, abstractNote={This study investigates proximal causes to 40 fatalities between 2006 and 2008 in Singapore’s construction industry. We statistically analyzed the data and found 11 characteristics of deceased workers, types of work, and the environment. Construction fatality causes in the US between 2003 and 2006 were also analyzed and compared with the data in Singapore. We developed 41 strategies to minimize fatalities. We interviewed seven Singapore and US construction safety managers for their opinions on the effectiveness of the strategies. We conclude that in addition to those recommended strategies, changes in organizational safety culture, enhancement of the penalty system, and effective communication are critical to improve safety performance in Singapore’s construction industry.}, number={7}, journal={International Journal of Project Management}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Ling, Florence Yean Yng and Liu, Min and Woo, Yue Chiau}, year={2009}, month={Oct}, pages={717–726} }