Mathematical Techniques Employed in Planning a Construction Project: Case Study on the Construction of Retaining Walls

The importance of planning and designing in construction projects is most apparent during the implementation of the respective activities; whereas the implications that normally arise from poorly controlled activities often result in overspending, delays, substandard products or complete failure of the project. There is the need for a comprehensive plan during the execution and control of construction activities; this is more so when the project is considered to be complicated by a variety of objectives. By employing mathematical techniques to the planning and designing of a project, it is theorized that this will enhance the administration of those matters influencing the project parameters of cost, time, quality and scope. The idea is applied to the study of a real project that involves the construction of retaining walls, so to justify the key steps in planning, moreover to integrate the parameters via mathematical techniques so to define the project baseline plan: inferential statistics applied in quality assurance, linear programming applied in the work breakdown structure, and decision theory applied in the networking/scheduling.