| Title |
A Method of Assigning Weight Values for Qualitative Attributes in CBR Cost Model |
| Authors |
Lee, Hyun-Soo ; Kim, Sooyoung ; Park, Moonseo ; Ji, Sae-Hyun ; Seong, Kihoon ; Pyeon, Jae-Ho |
| Keywords |
Cost Estimating ; Case-Based Reasoning ; Genetic Algorithm |
| Abstract |
For construction projects, the importance of early cost estimates is highly recognized by the project team and sponsoring organization because early cost estimates are frequently a foundation of business decisions as well as a basis for identifying any changes as the project progresses from design to construction. However, it is difficult to accurately estimate construction cost in the early stage of a project due to various uncertainties in construction. To deal with these uncertainties, cost estimates should be made several times over the course of the project. In particular, early cost estimates are essential process for successful project management. For accurate construction cost estimates, it is necessary to compare cost estimates with actual costs based on historical project data. In this context, case-based reasoning (CBR), which is the process of solving new problems based on the solutions of similar past problems, can be considered as an effective method for cost estimating. To obtain this, it is also required to define the attribute similarities and the attribute weights. However, no existing method is capable of determining attribute weights of qualitative variables. Consequently, it has been a well-known barrier of accurate early cost estimates. Using Genetic Algorithms (GA), this research suggests the method of determining the attribute weight of qualitative variables. Based on building project case studies, the proposed methodology was validated. |