The cost-benefit of slack in production planning and control in construction projects

Guilherme Luiz Canzian Marion, Tarcisio Abreu Saurin and Daniela Dietz Viana

Construction Management and Economics, 2025, vol. 43, issue 11, 883-900

Abstract: Production planning and control (PP&C) in construction projects addresses a wide diversity of variabilities that must be matched by a corresponding wide diversity of controls. These diverse controls might be accounted for by the concept of slack practices and resources (SPR), an extension of the buffer concept. Decision-making on the allocation of SPR often occurs under time pressure and without monetary data, demanding a suitable analytical approach. This paper introduces a method for assessing the cost-benefit of SPR in PP&C in construction. The method includes a questionnaire designed to be answered by practitioners involved in the creation of SPR. It enables the assessment of the net benefit value of each SPR, which - along with other data (e.g. monetary costs, if available) and consideration of contextual factors - supports decision-making regarding resource allocation. The application of the method in a construction project revealed 15 SPR, 11 of which should be maintained as they were. This suggests that the unstructured decision-making by employees was often effective, though not always. The findings also led to five propositions that guide the method′s application, emphasizing the cost-benefit of opportunistic SPR, the different perspectives on SPR allocation, and the value of human-based slack.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2025.2529505

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