Schedule Computation Method for Two-way Multiple Overlapping Relationships in a BDM Network

Many urban development projects today are complex high-rise buildings that face specific challenges such as municipal building ordinances and limitations, adjoining public and residential areas, narrow sidewalks and streets, and underground utilities, all of which necessitate careful planning and tight schedules. A major challenge for such projects is developing practical schedules that enable them to reach contractual completion dates while working with limited resources and budgets. The present scheduling software products used in construction projects, such as Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, and others, are not actually used as a scheduling tool in realistic construction projects, which depend on Microsoft Excel or a bar-chart instead. This is due to the fact that current scheduling systems are unable to include a more user-friendly schedule format, such as two-way multiple overlapping relationships. In 2010, the BDM (beeline diagramming method) was proposed as a new networking technique to address this shortcoming. However, in a traditional schedule computation method, two-way multiple overlapping relationships produce the loop. Construction schedules can be a useful tool for managing, controlling, and supporting the complex processes involved in any construction projects. This paper discusses the two-way multiple overlapping relationships loop phenomenon in a BDM network, suggests solutions, and then shows a realistic implementation of two-way multiple overlapping relationships in a specific project.