Advanced practices in construction project management are enabled by several fundamental shifts. The course will explore the interplay between two of the most significant shifts. First, smart hardware (from virtual reality to robotics and IoT), which are transforming site technology and construction methods. Second, and probably more importantly, advanced data analytics and the use of machine learning are revolutionizing work processes and decision making.

This course creates a co-learning environment for students to explore state of the art in the virtualization and analytics systems in the industry, and to critically analyze the enabling factors and the building blocks behind these two shifts. The course will enable students to evaluate the contribution and role of several types of technologies and data systems in virtualization and analytics. The course will provide students with means to compare diverse trends in these two domains, and to synthesize how the interaction between them can create changes to project planning and management and the overall organizational culture. Ultimately, the course will provide students with a chance to discover the paradigm shifts in our models (or lack, thereof) of knowledge that underpin advances in these two domains.