A product-process model-based system to produce work instructions

Abstract

The state-of-practice method to produce formal and good work instructions is time intensive, error prone and produces instructions with inconsistent format and content. These problems force contractors to rely on verbal communication to deliver work instructions to their laborers despite the negative impacts of this informal communication on productivity, rework, workface questions, and safety. This paper presents an automated system – FIPAPM, Field Instructions from Product And Process Models – to produce work instructions for laborers of cast-in-place (CIP) concrete construction. The FIPAPM system extracts design information from product models and construction information from process models based on the work scope of the activity for which the work instruction is produced. The presented system proved to produce work instructions faster, more correctly, and more consistently than the state-of-practice method. Therefore, FIPAPM enables contrac-tors to produce formal, good-quality work instructions on a daily basis reducing field communication prob-lems of informal, verbal work instructions.