Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2753

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Start date: 2020Subject: search.filters.subject.Management

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    ACCELERATING RESTORATION THROUGH INFORMATION-SHARING: UNDERSTANDING OPERATOR BEHAVIOR FOR IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF INTERDEPENDENT INFRASTRUCTURE
    (2024) Yazdisamadi, Mohammadreza; Reilly, Allison C.; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation examines the roles that organizations and individuals play in restoring interdependent infrastructure following disasters through three studies. In the first study, we focus on how operator heuristics affect the collective restoration speed of three interdependent infrastructure (electric power, chilled water, and IT networks). We do this by developing a novel framework that embeds an interdependent infrastructure network within an agent-based model that mimics the decisions and patterns observed of actual operators. The study sheds light on how coordination and information exchange by separate infrastructure parties affect decisions and thus restoration outcomes. In the second study, we examine recovery times and total unmet demand for the same three interconnected infrastructure systems assuming a variable fraction of node removals. The work is decomposed by the extent to which operators share information and coordinate strategies, enabling us to identify at what fraction of network failure does coordination and information sharing become beneficial. Our study indicates that prioritizing restoration based on node centrality produces the speediest recovery. We also show that communication among organizations may improve collective performance by as much as 50%. Our final research project uses a serious game, Breakdown, focused on restoration of interdependent infrastructure to assess whether engineering graduate students gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity of interdependent infrastructure and socio-technical systems more broadly. This is the first serious game designed to emphasize the value of cooperation, communication, and strategy in times of crisis in the field of interdependent infrastructure. As a result of playing Breakdown, graduate students demonstrated statistically significant improvements in engineering decision-making under uncertainty and sociotechnical systems concepts. As a result of this dissertation, the interdependent infrastructure community gains insight into (1) how individual operators' behavior influences the speed at which interdependent infrastructure systems recover; (2) how policies and procedures, like sharing information and cooperating, can help improve outcomes; and (3) the ways to teach graduate engineering students about socio-technical systems effectively. Using an agent-based model simulation, it quantifies the effects of human behavior, communication, and cooperation on recovery outcomes. By using a serious game, Breakdown, it proposes an innovative way to teach graduate engineering students about socio-technical systems.
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    ANALYZING BID PRICES QUANTITATIVELY AND PROTEST DECISIONS QUALITATIVELY TO REDUCE PROJECT-RELATED DISPUTES IN ADVANCE
    (2022) Kim, Young Joo; Skibniewski, Miroslaw J; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Parties to a construction contract can consume significant resources in dealing with project-related disputes. Therefore, it is advantageous for project stakeholders to identify potential issues earlier to avoid such problems as much as possible. This dissertation research explored evidence-based approaches to reduce project-related disputes before commencing construction projects. The research was carried out by examining a cost dataset from a state Department of Transportation that prioritizes the lowest-priced bid and by investigating a bid protest dataset from a Federal Government office that typically prioritizes the best value. With the coefficient of variation of bids as an independent variable of interest, the cost dataset was quantitatively studied using Welch’s t-test, correlation and regression analyses, and the K-nearest neighbors classification. Then, the Government Accountability Office’s decisions on denied bid protests against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were qualitatively meta-summarized. The observations showed the limited usefulness of collective intelligence provided by bidders at the time of bid opening in identifying projects likely to experience more significant project cost changes upon completion, as well as the effectiveness of the thematic findings in limitedly helping small businesses fore-test the validity of their cases before filing bid protests. The results could be applied beyond the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries as projects occur in all industries and industry sectors.
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    CROSS-INDUSTRY ADOPTION AND SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES IN FACILITY MANAGEMENT
    (2022) CHI, JEFF Dajun; Baecher, Gregory; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Propelled by new technology, modern management methodologies, and sustainability movement, the facility industry has become one of the fastest growing business sectors. This dissertation conducts research on facility market growth, cross-industry learning and innovative method adoption, and sustainable facility practices. Multiple research methodologies are employed to examine six propositions. Mixed use of case studies, surveys, interviews, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), and Grounded Theory with Pre-Post comparisons are applied to study target propositions from multiple angles, draw strengths from one methodology to offset the weaknesses of another, and deliver balanced analyses and arguments. The demands for modern facility management methods, preconditions for new practice adoptions, and risk control in project execution are discussed in reference to case studies. Importance of government involvement and the critical role of corporate policy plays in converting government efforts into results are confirmed with survey responses from industry practitioners and backed by case studies. Current challenges encountered in sustainable facility practices are discussed and the causes of these issues are investigated. Besides survey and case studies, interviews and special topic content research are conducted to explore potential solutions. The collective outcome of the research has established case-based reasoning to support each of six propositions on the determinants of project success.
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    LEADERSHIP IN PROJECTS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY AND UNCERTAINTY
    (2021) Moschler, Jr., Joseph W.; Baecher, Gregory B.; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Project management continues to evolve as types of projects increase, advancement of technologies available, as well as tools for project management grow in sophistication. A successful project is defined as being completed on schedule, on budget, and delivering the requirements as specified by the customer. Projects with new technologies or with technologies requiring maturation add another dimension and challenge for the project manager. Four factors are identified as integral to project success; leadership, requirements definition, technology usage and maturity, and vision and clear objectives. Three historical projects involving new technologies are evaluated within the context of the four factors: the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, the Hoover Dam project, and Project Apollo. The projects are qualitatively ranked as successful based on the cost, schedule, and delivering requirements criteria. The three projects were successful. Each project ranked strongly in the four factors and remain consistent indicators of potential project success.
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    Impacts of COVID-19 on Construction
    (2020) Alkhalouf, Hala; Skibniewski, Miroslaw; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This research investigates and quantifies the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the duration and cost of construction projects, focusing specifically on two construction dimensions: supply chain and construction labor productivity. Conclusions on the topic were reached using two methods, namely performing two case studies and using Primavera 6 and Schedule Analyzer software to analyze schedule updates. Each of the case studies utilizes a real-life construction project that was active when the impact of the pandemic was at its peak (April 2020). The data also includes interviews with project managers and progress meeting minutes. Results reveal that COVID-19 has impacted the progress of construction in two ways: 1) delays resulting from the shutdown of the manufacturing facilities and suppliers that state officials deemed non-essential; 2) labor disruptions resulting from restrictions on gatherings, as well as absenteeism of workers who were either sick with COVID-19 or who were avoiding construction sites and preferred to stay home in response to state officials’ recommendations. The results suggest that contractors should request compensable time extensions, as they establish the basis for a legitimate claim that will lead to modifications of the contract time and/or total dollar amount. Future work may investigate the integration of tools and methods during the bidding and construction process that would mitigate the future impact of similar potential situations due to a pandemic or any other force majeure event. Future work may also investigate impacts of COVID-19 on construction sites outside the United States.
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    The Communication Solution for Attentional Bias Among Project Decision Leaders during Critical Incident Stress Phase of Crisis
    (2020) Djolevic, Natalija; Baecher, Gregory; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This research addresses barriers and solutions to crisis communication challenges based on existing crisis communication theories. The theories highlighted and expanded upon are integrated crisis mapping theory (ICM) and situational crisis communication theory (SCCT). Using these two theories, a new theory, attention crisis communication theory (ACCT) is postulated as a solution for attentional bias. Attentional bias is observed in crisis management teams during the onset of the critical incidence phase or at the beginning of a crisis trigger event. Other theories including real options decision theory and networks theory are considered and discussed as potential alternatives to ACCT.
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    On Engineering Risks Modeling in the Context of Quantum Probability
    (2020) Lee, Yat-Ning Paul; Baecher, Gregory B; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Conventional risk analysis and assessment tools rely on the use of probability to represent and quantify uncertainties. Modeling complex engineering problems with pure probabilistic approach can encounter challenges, particularly in cases where contextual knowledge and information are needed to define probability distributions or models. For the study and assessment of risks associated with complex engineering systems, researchers have been exploring augmentation of pure probabilistic techniques with alternative, non-fully, or imprecise probabilistic techniques to represent uncertainties. This exploratory research applies an alternative probability theory, quantum probability and the associated tools of quantum mechanics, to investigate their usefulness as a risk analysis and assessment tool for engineering problems. In particular, we investigate the application of the quantum framework to study complex engineering systems where the tracking of states and contextual knowledge can be a challenge. This study attempts to gain insights into the treatment of uncertainty, to explore the theoretical implication of an integrated framework for the treatment of aleatory and epistemic uncertainties, and to evaluate the use of quantum probability to improve the fidelity and robustness of risk system models and risk analysis techniques.