Ashutosh

Until recently, MS Excel and MS Project were the primary tools for construction managers. While these tools remain essential, the advent of AI has not only made them more accessible but also unveiled numerous innovative use cases that previous generations could only have dreamed of. This blog has historically explored potential use cases in construction projects and provided essential templates in their simplest forms, available in both MS Project and Excel formats—each ready for an AI-powered transformation. Let us start exploring possibilities.

The 3D Map feature in Excel allows us to quantify parameters with context to their location. In the figure, below the feature has been used to calculate the volume of water stored in a peri-urban lake.   

We have been using complex statistical methods to answer questions like — what the probability of is completing a project in a given timeframe?   We employed the critical path method, incorporating weighted average task durations and the standard deviation of each task, utilizing the mathematical formulas presented in our Project Management course materials. The average project duration is the sum of all the average activity times along the critical path.   Knowing the average project duration and the variances of activities along the critical path allowed us to calculate the probability of completing a project using standard statistical tables.  If you are not well-versed in statistical concepts, the methods outlined in textbooks for project management may appear overly abstract and complex .  In many situations, considering the possibility of alternative critical paths becomes crucial. This can lead to additional abstractions, making it challenging to com...

  Many solutions using the Excel solver tool as used in the field have been presented in this blog. The application ranges from structural design optimisation to revising weights to green building parameters . Solver works like magic; results are too good to be believed. Once you start using it, you understand problem formulations and asking the right questions as the only thing you ever need to know and develop. If you have never used solver, you would like to read a solver primer    first. Problem Statement Task Allocation optimisation to contractors' of specialised trade in the present scenario*. Assumption Tasks and skilled trade workforce are available in plenty. Constraints  Each contractor would take up only one or two tasks simultaneously. (They tend to grab many jobs, and all task's schedule and quality suffer as a result)  In the hypothetical problem in the sheet, " o ne Contractor 1 task, "  five tasks are allocated to five trade contr...

Most of India's habitat and civil infrastructure is yet to be built. The existing ones need rehabilitation and to be built better. The " LiFE mission " without enabling and integrating the construction industry is incomplete.     The model above depicts an integration of the two and is considered the first practical step towards a circular economy. Civil Infra Life Cycle need to assimilate and integrate with LiFE.  The above model for  moving towards sustainability and the Circular Economy is an extension of the earlier p roposal in the  Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav conference on Indigenous Engineering Solutions . Does writing integration of LCC with the LiFE mission make sense when we have not even started with Life Cycle Costing in construction practice?

 A no-code development for Construction Billing was earlier demonstrated. The data model was restricted to the consolidation of Excel Billing files and an excel file containing theoretical consumptions of various basic inputs. The technique frees us from the tyranny of long looped Lookup formulas , the limitations of sheet rows, and how it slowed down the computer system.    However, Power Query's data extraction is not restricted to merely Excel files and folders. Here lies the opportunity to integrate the evolutionary knowledge of sustainability into construction practices and research.  In the current illustrative solution, a relevant table in the updated ECBC code, freely available on the BEE website, has been converted into a sort of App in just one sitting...and typing no code. You can download the Excel file here and the presentation showing the stepwise development of the table into a lookup-like app here . The application uses Power Query and your version ...