System dynamics approach for error and change management in concurrent design and construction

Errors and changes, particularly in concurrent design and construction, require a careful approach to their management, since they can generate unanticipated impacts on construction performance, which is often related to softer aspects of management (e.g., fatigue). Focusing on this issue, this paper explores the use of system dynamics in identifying multiple feedback processes and softer aspects of managing errors and changes. Applying the developed model into the design-build highway project in Massachusetts, this paper concludes that the system dynamics approach can be an effective tool in the understanding of complex and dynamic construction processes and in supporting the decision making process of making appropriate policies to improve construction performance.