Application of Artificial Neural Networks Technique to Project Management and Control: A Pilot Assessment of Some Firms in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have found wide application to a
variety of problems in project and construction management. This paper
describes how ANN can be applied in the areas of construction, project
monitory and control, which is capable of predicting project
performance and productivity such as cost/budget variance, risk
analysis and scheduling based on observations made from the project
environment of some firms in Lagos State. The data obtained from the
administered questionnaire were analyzed through descriptive and
factor analysis. The analysis shows that ANN has significant effect on
project productivity, schedule and cost estimation, and risk optimization.
It was also observed that application of ANN in project management has
not been considered in most firms in the country as the traditional
methods such as Critical Path Analysis, PERT are still well utilized. It
can be concluded that artificial neural network technique if applied in
construction and project management is productive.