Browsing by Author "Fernando Alarcon, Luis"

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    Diagnosis of Sustainable Business Strategies Implemented by Chilean Construction Companies
    (2018) Giannoni, Carlos; Fernando Alarcon, Luis; Vera Araya, Sergio Eduardo; CEDEUS (Chile)
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    Organizational Improvement Through Standardization of the Innovation Process in Construction Firms
    (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2012) Pellicer, Eugenio; Luis Correa, Christian; Yepes, Victor; Fernando Alarcon, Luis
    The purpose of this article is to identify the drivers, success factors, benefits, and barriers to innovation in a medium size construction firm with a standardized innovation management system. The case study method is used to compare theory to reality from different perspectives, building explanations from a Spanish contractor observed over a three year period. Findings suggest that innovation management can be standardized, which leads to an organizational improvement for the company, and at the same time this improvement facilitates organizational problem-solving on a regular basis, increasing technical capabilities, knowledge management, business profit, and client satisfaction. The framework described in this research aims to provide guidance for managers, thus they can innovate in a systematic way; however, this exploratory study has still to be validated by empirical investigations on a larger scale through a significant number of certified companies, which is currently not yet the case in the Spanish construction industry.
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    Reference Virtual Design Team (VDT) probabilities to Design Construction Project Organizations
    (2015) Concha, Marcelo; Fernando Alarcon, Luis; Mourgues, Claudio
    This paper reports the results obtained from five virtual models of construction project organizations developed using the Virtual Design Team (VDT) method. The results were compared with the real project organization performance in each case and their probabilities inputs were calibrated to obtain benchmark reference inputs for future projects. The models were validated comparing their predictions with real results obtained in the projects and the predicted behavior of the organizations was subjected to the assessment and approval of technical experts of the companies in the study. The calibrated models obtained represent reality within appropriate margins given the variable nature of the problem, being able to predict the performance of projects with results generally less than 5% difference between the real performance and modeling results, achieving probabilities close to those from literature and well received by companies in the structured interview, with over 70% approval in the predicted factors covered. These results contribute to expand the uses of VDT methodology and to adapt this methodology to local companies, which enables to model organizations at the planning and design phase, achieving improvements in terms of cost, schedule and quality risks.
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    Site Management of Work-in-Process Buffers to Enhance Project Performance Using the Reliable Commitment Model: Case Study
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2011) Gonzalez, Vicente; Fernando Alarcon, Luis; Maturana, Sergio; Antonio Bustamante, Jose
    Buffers have been commonly used as a production strategy to protect construction processes from the negative impact of variability. Construction practitioners and researchers have proposed several buffering approaches for different production situations and contexts. However, these solutions have been impractical for managing buffers. To overcome this, this study proposes a new site methodology for managing work-in-process (WIP) buffer in repetitive projects, on the basis of the reliable commitment model (RCM). RCM is a decision-making tool based on lean principles, which uses statistical models to develop more reliable work plans at the operational level. RCM helps to manage WIP buffer in work plans by using site information and planning reliability indicators that result in improved project performance, such as labor productivity and process progress. A repetitive building project was used as a case study. The main finding was that labor productivity, process progress, and waiting times improved when using larger WIP buffers than those typically used among crews. This shows the potential of RCM as a practical tool to manage WIP buffer sizes and to promote the use of lean production strategies at the operational level. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000346. (C) 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.