In order to minimize overall construction cost and time subject to local resource constraints, oil sands projects in Northern Alberta have generally been executed using a modular approach, which involves fabricating and assembling modules and shipping them for installation on-site. However, despite potential cost and time savings, for a mega project with hundreds of engineered modules, a modular approach presents a significant challenge: how can one optimize cost and schedule while adequately meeting field construction demands and satisfying constraints such as budget, contractors' production capacities, road bans and transportation conditions, module size, freight shipping limits, site layout and capacities of temporary site facilities. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a quantitative methodology which combines resource-constrained scheduling and Monte Carlo simulationbased risk analysis. This proposed methodology is applied in a case study of an Alberta-based Owner Company using realistic oil sands project data. This methodology could potentially improve overall project management for owner companies through streamlining decisionmaking and planning processes, most notably for the modular construction of mega projects.
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