Citation: Jarský, C.; Popenková, M.;

Gašparík, J.; Št’astný, P. On Use of

Construction Technology Designs for

Expert Opinions. Sustainability 2022,

14, 5672. https://doi.org/

10.3390/su14095672

Academic Editor: Jorge de Brito

Received: 2 April 2022

Accepted: 5 May 2022

Published: 7 May 2022

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sustainability

Article

On Use of Construction Technology Designs forExpert OpinionsCenek Jarský 1, Miloslava Popenková 1, Jozef Gašparík 2,* and Patrik Št’astný 2

1 Department of Construction Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, CTU in Prague, Thákurova 7,166 29 Prague, Czech Republic; jarsky@fsv.cvut.cz (C.J.); popenko@fsv.cvut.cz (M.P.)

2 Department of Building Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak University of Technology inBratislava, 810 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; patrik.stastny@stuba.sk

* Correspondence: jozef.gasparik@stuba.sk; Tel.: +421-905-280-200

Abstract: This article describes the basic principles and results of an expert system for constructionplanning and management. In the field of expert opinions, the system greatly helps to determine thelimit of unreasonably low construction prices on the basis of a rapid cost analysis. Additionally, itcan determine the technologically shortest possible construction periods or can answer the questionof whether it is possible to complete the construction in the specified period, provided that a certainamount of construction is currently underway, which is very useful in expert opinions. The systemis based on modeling the construction process using the so-called construction technology networkgraphs. This method allows, among other things, to create and use so-called typical network graphsas preprepared models of individual types of objects in the form of computer files, which can bemodified according to the spatial structure of real buildings or facilities when used in creating afeasibility study or efficient time and financial planning and management of the building process. Thesystem also enables the automatic creation of quality assurance checklists (inspection and acceptanceplans for quality assurance), environmental plans (plans for the elimination of adverse effects ofconstruction activities on the environment), and safety and health plans. Direct links to the bills ofquantities (list of works and supplies with numbering of individual items), budgets (list of worksand supplies with prices), or production calculations, despite the operational records of the actualconstruction process also on the company’s accounting agenda, are available.

Keywords: financial and time planning; construction technology design; expert opinions; managementof projects; computer model

1. Introduction—The Most Common Questions of Expert Opinions in the Field ofFinancial and Time Planning and Management of Projects

In recent years, the following basic requirements have appeared from both suppliersand investor (developer) companies, or from judicial institutions, in the field of financialand time planning of projects for expert opinions:

1. What is the limit of an unreasonably low cost of the project and how is it set?2. What is the shortest technologically possible construction time and how is it determined?3. If the project is under construction on a certain date, is it possible to meet the specified

required date of its completion and under what conditions concerning the resourceallocation (especially workers and finances in real time)?

These questions can be answered relatively quickly and accurately based on a com-puter model of a project’s implementation. When modeling the building process, it is alsonecessary that the investor or developer has the opportunity to quickly obtain informationon the optimal technologically correct building process and the resulting reasonable priceof investment, technologically justified completion date, overview of construction funding,or use of other resources and quality control of the work performed. Furthermore, it is

Sustainability 2022, 14, 5672. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095672 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

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necessary that the potential contractor is able to obtain a contract for a specific supply ofconstruction to respond quickly to the processing of its price and technologically justifiedbid to the investor and to be able to use these documents in cooperation with the investorfor time and financial management of the building process [1,2]. All these issues are solvedon a computer using construction technology network graphs, which use and respect theprinciples of project management and quality assurance of building production.

When creating a model of investment implementation, it is necessary that the softwareis able to provide evidence to answer basic questions, especially about the price of theproject and construction time, the need for funds in real time, the deployment of manpower,the necessary means of production and quality control of construction work, the impactof construction activities on the environment, and issues of safety and health at work(hereinafter SHW).

The quality of this justification, of course, depends on what information on the projectunder consideration is currently available. Using construction technology network graphs,which use the developed expert software system [3], the user has the opportunity toquickly model the expected building process on a computer based on objectified dataon construction processes and according to typical procedures of construction works onvarious types of buildings, i.e., using so-called typical network graphs. These objectifieddata have been regularly updated semi-annually for more than 30 years by collecting datafrom about 10 Czech construction companies and their subsequent processing, see [4]. Forsuccessful modeling in the initial stages of investment planning, the documentation forthe zoning process is sufficient, from which it is possible to obtain data on the divisionof the project into buildings, their volume in specific units (m3 of enclosed space, m2 ofroads, m connections, etc.), data on their spatial structure, basic data on their constructionsystem, and basic requirements for the construction period. Of course, the more accuratethe project documentation, the more accurate the results of the implementation model.The documentation for the building permit, which includes the construction organizationplan, or the documentation for construction, is very suitable for modeling the projectimplementation. This documentation, including the bill of quantities, should also be usedfor the documents of the construction implementation model for expert opinion.

The project implementation model includes the basic documents of construction tech-nology design, see [3], based on the algorithm for the calculation of construction technologynetwork graphs, i.e., technological analysis as a list of activities with their evaluation ofresources needed to calculate their time, price and costs, and material consumption, thenthe schedule (time chart) or line-of-balance graph, operational and financial plan, graphsand overviews of the need for various economic and technological resources in real time,quality assurance checklist, environmental plan, and health and safety plan. These docu-ments can be supplemented by a budget. Based on the model input data, the supplier canalso balance the classification of the anticipated supply in terms of available resources inreal time for the entire business program of the company. The modeling of constructionimplementation conceived in this way serves both time and financial planning and man-agement and becomes a part of the integrated management system (quality, environment,and safety), according to ISO 9001:2015 (quality), ISO 14001:2015 (environment), and ISO45001:2018 (safety) [5–8].

2. Current State of the Issue

Over the last 3 decades, a large body of research focused on automated constructionplanning and scheduling. Some of these efforts introduced methods to use design infor-mation to automatically develop the scope of work, establish work breakdown structures,and create optimal project sequences. Others introduced new techniques to formalize thesequencing relationships among scheduled activities and project components. Building onthe recent advancements in deep learning and natural language processing and the rise inthe adoption of lean construction theories, a discussion is offered on the path for research onautomatic generation of dynamic work templates and their inclusion in integrated planning,

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scheduling, and optimization systems [9]. The research in [10] presents a comprehensivecost comparative analysis of a mass timber building mainly developed with cross-laminatedtimber. The actual construction cost of the project is compared with the modeled cost of thesame building designed as a concrete option. The study is helpful to provide insight intothe construction cost of typical mass timber buildings. It also can be used as a guide forthe project owners to make decisions regarding their initial investments on a mass timberproject. Lean project delivery system (LPDS) has proven to be an effective productivityimprovement method, seen in [11]. Despite enormous benefits, the construction industry isstruggling with effective implementation of LPDS, especially in achieving lean construction(LC) principles like improving visualization and maintaining effective flow of informa-tion. Concurrently, virtual design and construction (VDC) has opened new windows ofopportunities for the construction industry through multidisciplinary integration of design,and construction processes and improving automation through visualization. Using thepotentials of VDC to effectively implement LPDS is an area scarcely examined in the currentbody of knowledge. A study completed in [12] identifies the implementation potentialof LPDS integrated with VDC, and develops implementation steps to effectively utilizeVDC functionalities within the lean environment using a systematic literature review (SLR)process. The research in [12] proposed an integrated decision support system for buildingasset management that addresses the systematization and coordination of lifecycle data.In this approach, a lifecycle work breakdown structure (WBS) for the asset managementsystem is developed to provide a unified hierarchy to categorize and organize buildingassets. Since building information modeling (BIM) is a rich information-based platformrequiring large volumes of asset data, it is integrated with the WBS-based DBMS to achieveeffective integrated building asset management. A case study in [12] demonstrates howthe proposed automated solution is used for asset management. The research contributesto the body of knowledge by formalizing a WBS-based unified asset inventory hierarchyand mapping BIM data to the proposed hierarchy for effective asset management. Thetopic of time planning is not a part of modern construction in recent years, but it hasaccompanied constructions in the past [13]. It was also part of military department, whereit also played an important role [14]. Dasovic et al. presents an achievements survey onthe integration of optimization and PMT that allow sustainable construction scheduling,particularly in terms of continuous optimal time and resource allocation throughout theproject life cycle. The optimization platform for construction scheduling is given in the arti-cle. Focusing on construction scheduling, an in-depth achievement survey was conductedon the integration of heuristics methods, mathematical programming, and special solvingmethods with conventional PMT as well as optimization-based building information mod-eling (BIM) [15]. Nusen et al. explored opportunities to develop a multi-objective geneticalgorithm (MOGA) for existing BIM. Direct and indirect project costs, actual schedule,and resource usage were tracked and retrieved to create a BIM-based MOGA model. TheBIM-MOGA can be used as an efficient tool for construction planning and scheduling,using a combination of existing BIM along with MOGA for professional practices [16].Sepasgozar et al. applied a systematic review method designed to identify scholarly paperscovering both concepts “lean” and “BIM” in construction and possibilities of using IoT.Findings revealed a large synergy between lean and BIM in control interactions and areduction in variations and, surprisingly, there are many uncovered areas in this field. Theresults also show that the capability of IoT is also largely not considered in recent years [17].Zavadskas et al. focused on sustainable construction by offering technological, economic,social, and environmental benefits through a variety of methodologies and tools, includingfundamental decision-making models and methods as well as advanced multi-criteriadecision making (MCDM) methods and techniques [18]. In their study, Onososen et al.adopt the “interpretive structural modeling approach” to advance a ranked structure of theinterrelatedness of the barriers to integrating BIM in buildings sustainability assessment.The “Matrice d’Impacts croises-multipication applique a classement analysis (MICMAC)”was utilized to ategorizes the identified adoption barriers in the model. The findings are

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critical for policy, stakeholders, and extending the body of knowledge [19]. There are otherresearchers [20–22] who have focused on multi-criteria optimization, taking into accountcriteria such as construction time, costs, and energy efficiency in the application for selectedconstruction processes.

3. Necessary Conditions for the Creation of a Construction Technology Design ofProject on a Computer

For a quick and accurate creation of a model of the building process, a database formodeling the building process is available, which has been regularly updated every sixmonths for more than 30 years. The database contains normative data on constructionprocesses in the technological structure of partial construction processes (work gangs),or stage and facility processes. It stores basic data on product labor consumption, laborproductivity, composition of the work gang, necessary technological breaks, unit price ofthe product, costs per unit of the process product; according to the construction industrycalculation formula (direct material, direct wages, machine costs, other direct costs, variousfees, production overheads, administrative overheads, and profit); and the additionalresources needed to produce a unit of measurement for the process product. There are alsorelated databases: quality checks of all construction process products, which are stored inthe above-mentioned database of normative data, environmental aspects of all constructionprocesses, and a database of their health and safety risks.

The second part of the database includes type procedures of work on certain typesof facilities in the form of construction-technology-type network graphs [2,3] related tothe special custom-made measurement unit, according to the type of a facility, e.g., m3 ofbuild-in space or m2 of reconstructed area in the case of a reconstruction. In the technologi-cal sequence, the typical network graphs contain all construction activities that may occurduring the construction of the building or facility, including all technological and organiza-tional links. For frequently occurring activities, the volume of work related to the purposefor unit of measurement of the building is also entered. These typical network graphs canbe modified to model the optimal construction process according to the spatial structureof a particular object. In their creation, the method of construction technology networkgraph is also used, which enables this modification with the help of the so-called minimumworking space indices. Typical network graphs can be adapted by a particular user to hisestablished habits in the composition of work gangs or to the most frequently used tech-nologies of implementation individual types of facilities, as well as to the used constructionsystems. The user can also create his own typical network graphs. At present, there areabout 50 standard network graphs for the construction of various buildings available.

However, the expert system is completely general and open and may not always useonly typical network graphs and data from the mentioned databases for modeling thebuilding process of the project. It is possible to enter any activities into the computer modelof the project implementation (types of construction processes, parts of machine technology,design, investment and development activities, etc.). However, the use of prepreparedtypical network graphs and databases greatly speeds up the work of modeling the buildingprocess. In contrast to systems that do not have these options and where each model ofthe building process must be created by successively entering all activities and links of thenetwork graph, activity times, required resources, etc., using a system that exploits theconstruction technology network graphs will speed up work in project planning by morethan fifty times.

For expert opinions, it is necessary to be able to refine the models of the buildingprocess created according to the typical network graphs by converting data about quantitiesand prices of activities from bills of quantities. This system also enables this matter, asit is currently linked to 26 systems for budgeting and production calculations used inCzechia and Slovakia, as well as for any sets of bills of quantities or budgets created in theExcel spreadsheet.

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4. On Fast Creation of a Computer Model of Project Implementation

In order to answer the questions from Section 1 with expert opinions, it is necessary tocreate a model of the project implementation as quickly and accurately as possible. Whenmodeling the building process when planning an investment, we usually start in the firstphase with a typical network graph and a database of activities. The type of facility isselected, which is then modeled according to the typical network graph. The course ofconstruction of the building can be modeled according to the number of custom-mademeasurement units (e.g., m3 of build-in space), or the total price, if known. The computerthen automatically creates the appropriate files with all data about construction processes,including all the necessary network graph links and all resources for the facility, taking intoaccount the technological sequence of construction given by the typical network graph.

After such a conversion of the typical network graph to the initial model of the buildingprocess of a particular facility, the user has the option to enter the next facility again on thebasis of the typical network graph or on the basis of the already prepared and completeconstruction technology network graph of this next facility. Similarly, one can specify thefollowing facilities in the project, along with entering new main minimum working spaceindices. It is also necessary to select the link of the currently entered next facility to theprevious facility.

In this way, the initial model of the implementation of all the buildings and facilities ofthe project is gradually created, which is usually further modified. During the modification,it is possible to omit some modeled construction processes, add others, or modify themodeled values from typical network graphs, including data on technological and economicresources, or add or omit other partial smaller network graphs of facilities or their parts inthe network graph. If there is no bill of quantity, then the volumes or unit prices, decisively25–30% of the so-called Pareto activities, which affect 80% of the final price of the building,are usually amended. These volumes can usually also be determined by measuring fromthe drawings that are part of the design documentation.

In this way, we gradually refine the model of the course of construction and thus obtaina more accurate picture of the need for resources in real time and the price of the projectimplementation and its time course, which is determined by calculating a network graph.While respecting the above fact, it is possible to determine, during about 2 h of work, theprice of the realization of the project with a deviation of about 5–8% (according to the levelof documentation available at the time of creating the model of project implementation)compared to the classic calculation using a program that would last about 2–3 days. Thelisting of the part of the model with the Pareto activities marked in pink is shown inFigure 1.

The model of the building process can be further specified after the elaboration of thebudget or production calculation by directly transferring the data from these documentsto the project preparation documents. For example, a direct connection of the system formodeling the building process to 26 systems of production calculations and budgets usedin Czechia and Slovakia is ensured. If the user has a printed report of the bill of quantity orbudget, as a file prepared on any system, especially in Excel, the amounts of production ofthe budget items or their price indicators from this set can be transferred automatically, evenwith any necessary adaptation to the technological structure of activities in the networkgraph, i.e., by aggregating budget items into network graph activities according to thetechnological division of labor. In the case of expert opinions, this is a necessary conditionfor the accuracy of the resulting project implementation model.

The user can, of course, modify the model network graph according to the conditionsof the project in terms of its structure, ambient conditions, and links. Part of the networkgraph around a certain monitored process can be viewed on the screen with the so-calledmain links, which are crucial for calculating the terms of the monitored process, and this isshown in Figure 2. Critical activities are marked in red and activities with time reserve aremarked in green. The main links are highlighted with brown lines. The numbers above

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the dark blue and brown lines showing the links indicate the type of link and their specificvalue (lag time, working space index, or partial link factor).

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Figure 1. Listing in part of the model of project implementation.

The model of the building process can be further specified after the elaboration of the budget or production calculation by directly transferring the data from these documents to the project preparation documents. For example, a direct connection of the system for modeling the building process to 26 systems of production calculations and budgets used in Czechia and Slovakia is ensured. If the user has a printed report of the bill of quantity or budget, as a file prepared on any system, especially in Excel, the amounts of production of the budget items or their price indicators from this set can be transferred automatically, even with any necessary adaptation to the technological structure of activities in the net-work graph, i.e., by aggregating budget items into network graph activities according to the technological division of labor. In the case of expert opinions, this is a necessary con-dition for the accuracy of the resulting project implementation model.

The user can, of course, modify the model network graph according to the conditions of the project in terms of its structure, ambient conditions, and links. Part of the network graph around a certain monitored process can be viewed on the screen with the so-called main links, which are crucial for calculating the terms of the monitored process, and this is shown in Figure 2. Critical activities are marked in red and activities with time reserve are marked in green. The main links are highlighted with brown lines. The numbers above the dark blue and brown lines showing the links indicate the type of link and their specific value (lag time, working space index, or partial link factor).

Figure 1. Listing in part of the model of project implementation.

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Figure 2. Part of the construction technology network diagram.

The system also allows you to perform the so-called harmonizing of the network graph, which is a calculation of the number of workers in construction processes with respect to a given date of project completion. After this calculation, the calculated data on the construction period and construction price will appear and it is possible to list the technological analysis schedule, including the main links (see Figure 3), and overviews of the resource allocation of monitored resources, including the number of employees and construction financing (cash flow) in real time (see Figure 4), and possibly to draw a line-of-balance of the construction process. In the schedule in Figure 3, the activities on the critical path are marked in red, the activities with a time float in green, and the delayed activities in blue. The blue or red vertical arrows show the main links of the network graph. In the resource allocation graph of financial needs in Figure 4, the values resulting from the early terms are marked in yellow, and the values resulting from late terms are marked in yellow. Of course, there is a cumulative form of the resource allocation graph for countable resources.

The system is equipped with a so-called mini-calculation, which allows the determi-nation of a different calculation formula for calculating the price of each modeled build-ing. At the same time, the user can set his own percentages of indirect costs (production and administrative overheads) and profit, seen in Figure 5, and then recalculate the final cost of construction. This is very important for answering the first question presented in the Introduction. The user can enter the minimum overhead (not zero) and zero profit, then reduce the calculated price by a percentage of discounts on materials or wages, and after recalculating the model, the user obtains the limit of unreasonably low price.

Figure 2. Part of the construction technology network diagram.

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The system also allows you to perform the so-called harmonizing of the networkgraph, which is a calculation of the number of workers in construction processes withrespect to a given date of project completion. After this calculation, the calculated dataon the construction period and construction price will appear and it is possible to list thetechnological analysis schedule, including the main links (see Figure 3), and overviewsof the resource allocation of monitored resources, including the number of employeesand construction financing (cash flow) in real time (see Figure 4), and possibly to draw aline-of-balance of the construction process. In the schedule in Figure 3, the activities on thecritical path are marked in red, the activities with a time float in green, and the delayedactivities in blue. The blue or red vertical arrows show the main links of the networkgraph. In the resource allocation graph of financial needs in Figure 4, the values resultingfrom the early terms are marked in yellow, and the values resulting from late terms aremarked in yellow. Of course, there is a cumulative form of the resource allocation graphfor countable resources.

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Figure 3. Bar chart with main links of the network diagram (part).

Figure 3. Bar chart with main links of the network diagram (part).

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Figure 3. Bar chart with main links of the network diagram (part).

Figure 4. Finance resource allocation graph (current).

The system is equipped with a so-called mini-calculation, which allows the determina-tion of a different calculation formula for calculating the price of each modeled building.At the same time, the user can set his own percentages of indirect costs (production andadministrative overheads) and profit, seen in Figure 5, and then recalculate the final costof construction. This is very important for answering the first question presented in theIntroduction. The user can enter the minimum overhead (not zero) and zero profit, thenreduce the calculated price by a percentage of discounts on materials or wages, and afterrecalculating the model, the user obtains the limit of unreasonably low price.

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Figure 4. Finance resource allocation graph (current).

The detailed model created in this way, in the technological structure of partial con-struction processes (work of individual work gangs), is very suitable for managing the implementation of projects directly on the construction site, or for expert opinions, where the construction model must be as accurate as possible. In addition, the model of imple-mentation created in this way, the method of using construction technology network graphs, optimizes the building process due to the maximum use of the minimum working space for work gangs and thus determines the shortest technologically possible construc-tion time for a given number of resources in real time. The user can modify the model, for example, by shortening or elongating some processes directly in the schedule and further improve the created model. The user can also use the automated model harmonizing. Of course, the experienced user must assess himself whether the resulting allocation of re-sources in real time, especially at peak hours, is still technologically feasible, especially in terms of work space available on the construction site. This is how it is possible to answer the second question posed in the Introduction.

Figure 5. Indirect cost setting for final price calculation.

To answer the third question posed in the Introduction, it is necessary to know the percentage of completion of all activities that are underway on the project at the given date of model creation (100% for completed activities, 0% for those that have not yet started, and 0–99% for ongoing activities). In the complete model of project realization, this percentage of completion is simply entered for the individual activities, and then it is possible to deduct the quantities of works already built in the bloc modifications from the total quantities of activities that are in the basic model. This leaves only unrealized quan-tities of the remaining activities in the model, while of course the structure of the network graph, i.e., all the links from the complete model, will remain in the modified model as well. After recalculating the modified network graph, the user will receive a technologi-cally justified building procedure with the construction deadline of the remaining part of the project, which can be further modified in order to find the appropriate optimum for a given number of resources, or find the answer to the third question.

For the project management of an investor or developer or for the top management of a construction company, this technological structure (information level) of the project implementation model is in many cases too detailed. Therefore, it is possible to further

Figure 5. Indirect cost setting for final price calculation.

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The detailed model created in this way, in the technological structure of partial con-struction processes (work of individual work gangs), is very suitable for managing theimplementation of projects directly on the construction site, or for expert opinions, wherethe construction model must be as accurate as possible. In addition, the model of implemen-tation created in this way, the method of using construction technology network graphs,optimizes the building process due to the maximum use of the minimum working spacefor work gangs and thus determines the shortest technologically possible construction timefor a given number of resources in real time. The user can modify the model, for example,by shortening or elongating some processes directly in the schedule and further improvethe created model. The user can also use the automated model harmonizing. Of course, theexperienced user must assess himself whether the resulting allocation of resources in realtime, especially at peak hours, is still technologically feasible, especially in terms of workspace available on the construction site. This is how it is possible to answer the secondquestion posed in the Introduction.

To answer the third question posed in the Introduction, it is necessary to know thepercentage of completion of all activities that are underway on the project at the given dateof model creation (100% for completed activities, 0% for those that have not yet started, and0–99% for ongoing activities). In the complete model of project realization, this percentageof completion is simply entered for the individual activities, and then it is possible to deductthe quantities of works already built in the bloc modifications from the total quantities ofactivities that are in the basic model. This leaves only unrealized quantities of the remainingactivities in the model, while of course the structure of the network graph, i.e., all the linksfrom the complete model, will remain in the modified model as well. After recalculating themodified network graph, the user will receive a technologically justified building procedurewith the construction deadline of the remaining part of the project, which can be furthermodified in order to find the appropriate optimum for a given number of resources, or findthe answer to the third question.

For the project management of an investor or developer or for the top managementof a construction company, this technological structure (information level) of the projectimplementation model is in many cases too detailed. Therefore, it is possible to furtheraggregate the detailed model of the building process into other technological structures:processes of technological stage, step of completion processes, building (facility) processes,crafts, works of individual suppliers, and activities defined directly by the user. Thisapproach makes it possible to create an ideal information level of the project implementationmodel for any user in the field of project preparation and management of the constructionimplementation process.

5. Follow Up to Other Agendas of Planning and Management of Project Implementation

The building process model created in this way, using the methodology of constructiontechnology design of a building or a project, includes all the necessary data for planningand managing the building process as well as balancing resources. It can therefore beused, in addition to documents for expert opinions, as construction technology documen-tation for feasibility studies, investment plans, construction organization plans, tenders,preproduction and production preparation, compilation of operational plans, obtainingan overview of technological resources, i.e., crucial material needs, machinery and labor,as well as economic resources, i.e., an overview of construction financing and invoicing.Based on this building process model, it is also possible to automatically create, as a partof the integrated management system [5], the quality assurance checklist a according toIS0 9001:2015 [23], the environmental plan according to ISO 14001:2015 [24], and the healthand safety plan according to ISO 45001:2018 [25], using other program modules in theexpert system.

During the building period, all documents are very easy to update according to theactually achieved level of completion of parts of the construction work. In the event of adelay, it is possible to automatically calculate the measures that need to be implemented so

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that the original deadline for project completion is met. Numerical outputs can be exportedto an Excel spreadsheet; the entire construction technology network graph can be exportedto the MS Project system.

Recently, a software model of operative records and keeping a construction financialdiary has been developed, which enables a direct link to the financial accounting of aconstruction company and mainly serves the needs of operational management of thebuilding process both from the investor’s point of view and from the supplier’s point ofview. All outputs except quality assurance checklists, environmental plans, and healthand safety plans can be obtained by automatic translation in Slovak, English, Russian,and Italian.

6. Conclusions

The presented paper outlines the principles of rational processing of documents forplanning and management of project implementation using computer modeling, based onthe use of construction technology network graphs in close connection with the methodol-ogy of construction technology design and project management. This method can be usedfor accurate processing of expert opinions in the mentioned field.

The advantages of using the method described above are obvious: the system usingdatabases and typical network graphs allows very fast creation of building constructionmodels, including calculation of price, labor, and resources usable for investment planning,bid processing and building process management, and debugging and capacity calculationwith respect to the required date of project completion. This can also be used as a basisfor expert opinions, especially for answering the three basic questions presented in theintroductory part of this paper. It is possible to confirm that what is created on othersystems in about 1 week lasts about 2–3 h on the described expert system and the outputsare significantly better as they are based on construction technology analysis and synthesisand optimization of the construction process in terms of the maximum use of working spaceon site. The connection with the systems of budgets and production calculations enablesthe immediate use of building process models processed in the offer as well as for theprocessing of production preparation for construction management, due to the possibilityof a full transfer of data from the budget or production calculation. It is also important toupdate all documents with regard to the percentage of completion of construction processesunder construction and to calculate the necessary capacities to meet the deadline for projectcompletion of the in the event of a delay. The direct connection of the agenda of qualityassurance checklists and records of quality controls to the model of the construction process,environmental plans, and records of controls of environmental aspects as well as healthand safety plans and records of controls of its risks is also very important.

At present, the mentioned system is used by about 370 construction, investment, anddevelopment companies in Czechia and Slovakia. Among the most important buildingprojects for which the basic documents of construction preparation were prepared using anexpert system are the reconstruction and completion of the headquarters of Czech SavingsBank in Prague, the Nationale Nederlanden (dancing house) in Prague, reconstructionof the Toscano Palace in Prague, construction of the State Scientific Library in Liberec,construction of the MAFRA printing house in Olomouc, reconstruction of Promstrojbankain St. Petersburg, reconstruction of the Czech National Building in New York, regenerationand construction of rental halls in the Škoda Plzen industrial area, construction of modernhousing estates, administrative and university units where investors and developers areforeign and domestic companies, and more. The system was also used for the modelingand management of the building process for a number of civil engineering structures(roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, etc.). The system was also used for the processing of timeplans in construction organization plans, such as the completion of the Masaryk Hospitalin Ústí nad Labem, construction of the Sazka arena, and others. Based on the outputsfrom the system, a number of expert opinions were prepared for various projects, suchas the Domažlice Swimming Pool, Hotel No. 812 on Venceslaus Square in Prague, the

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Regional Cultural and Educational Center in Zlín, reconstruction and completion of thecentral part of the Chemical Institute in Prague 6, sewers and water mains in Krivoklátsko,reconstruction of part of the D1 motorway, regional hospital in Cheb, and others. Thesystem is also used in teaching the subject of construction technology (preparation andimplementation of constructions) at all faculties of construction in Czechia and Slovakia.

The system can be operated on microcomputers compatible with IBM PC under theoperating system MS Windows XP/7/8/10. Operation a hard disk requires free spaceof minimum 25 MB and printers or plotters. Further information and other programsfor the system are available on the website www.sitovegrafy.cz (accessed on 4 May 2022),including a demo version.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, C.J., M.P., J.G. and P.Š.; methodology, C.J., M.P. andJ.G.; software, C.J. and M.P.; validation, C.J. and M.P.; formal analysis, C.J., M.P., J.G. and P.Š.;investigation, C.J., M.P., J.G. and P.Š.; resources, C.J., M.P., J.G. and P.Š.; data curation, C.J.; M.P. andJ.G.; writing—original draft preparation, C.J., J.G. and P.Š.; writing—review and editing, C.J., M.P., J.G.and P.Š.; visualization, C.J.; supervision, C.J. and J.G.; project administration, J.G.; funding acquisition,C.J. and M.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: This research received no external funding. It is a private research of Cenek Jarský, DSc.financed by himself.

Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement: Data supporting reported results can be found at: Cenek Jarský, DSc.,CONTEC, Mánesova 819, 278 01 Kralupy n. Vlt., Czechia, www.contec.cz, accessed on 4 May 2022.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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