Bryan T. Adey: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Name | Prof. Dr. Bryan T. Adey |
| Field | Infrastructure Management |
| Address | Inst. Bau-&Infrastrukturmanagement ETH Zürich, HIL F 24.3 Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5 8093 Zürich SWITZERLAND |
| Telephone | +41 44 633 27 38 |
| adey@ibi.baug.ethz.ch | |
| Department | Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering |
| Relationship | Full Professor |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101-0031-AAL | Systems Engineering Enrolment ONLY for MSc students with a decree declaring this course unit as an additional admission requirement. Any other students (e.g. incoming exchange students, doctoral students) CANNOT enrol for this course unit. | 3 credits | 9R | B. T. Adey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | • Systems Engineering is a way of thinking that helps engineer sustainable systems, i.e. ones that meet the needs of stakeholders in the short, medium and long terms. • This course provides an overview of the main principles of Systems Engineering, and includes an introduction to the use of operations research methods in the determination of optimal systems. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The world’s growing population, changing demographics, and changing climate pose formidable challenges to humanity’s ability to live sustainably. Ensuring that humanity can live sustainably requires accommodating Earth’s growing and changing population through the provision and operation of a sustainable and resilient built environment. This requires ensuring excellent decision-making as to how the built environment is constructed and modified. The objective of this course is to ensure the best possible decision making when engineering sustainable systems, i.e. ones that meet the needs of stakeholders in the short, medium and long term. In this course, you will learn the main principles of Systems Engineering that can help you from the first idea that a system may not meet expectations, to the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of possible system modifications. Additionally, the course includes an introduction to the use of operations research methods in the determination of optimal solutions in complex systems. More specifically upon completion of the course, you will have gained insight into: • how to structure the large amount of information that is often associated with attempting to modify complex systems • how to set goals and define constraints in the engineering of complex systems • how to generate possible solutions to complex problems in ways that limit exceedingly narrow thinking • how to compare multiple possible solutions over time with differences in the temporal distribution of costs and benefits and uncertainty as to what might happen in the future • how to assess values of benefits to stakeholders that are not in monetary units • how to assess whether it is worth obtaining more information in determining optimal solution • how to take a step back from the numbers and qualitatively evaluate the possible solutions in light of the bigger picture • the basics of operations research and how it can be used to determine optimal solutions to complex problems, including linear, integer and network programming, dealing with multiple objectives and conducting sensitivity analyses. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | This is a self-study course, there are no lectures or help sessions. A Moodle page with the relevant literature, study materials, and course information is provided. For questions regarding course content or administration, students may approach the lecturers/teaching assistants. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | The script for the original course is in German. The English material that can be used for the self-study course is: 2 Books (provided as PDFs): • Blanchard, B.S., and Fabrycky W.J., (2008), Systems Engineering and Analysis, 5th International Edition, Prentice Hall, Chapters 1-7 • Revelle, C.S., Whitlach, E.E., and Wright, J.R., (2003), Civil and Environmental Systems Engineering, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, Chapters 2-5, 9, 12, 13 2 exams from previous semesters (2017 and 2021) for practice, with solutions provided. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101-0031-10L | Systems Engineering | 3 credits | 2G | B. T. Adey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | • Systems Engineering is a way of thinking that helps engineer sustainable systems, i.e., ones that meet the needs of stakeholders in the short, medium and long term. • This course provides an overview of the main principles of Systems Engineering, and includes an introduction to the use of operations research methods in the determination of optimal systems. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The world’s growing population, changing demographics, and changing climate pose formidable challenges to humanity’s ability to live sustainably. Ensuring that humanity can live sustainably requires accommodating Earth’s growing and changing population through the provision and operation of a sustainable and resilient built environment. This requires ensuring excellent decision-making as to how the built environment is constructed and modified. The objective of this course is to ensure the best possible decision making when engineering sustainable systems, i.e., ones that meet the needs of stakeholders in the short, medium and long term. In this course, you will learn the main principles of Systems Engineering that can help you from the first idea that a system may not meet expectations, to the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of possible system modifications. Additionally, the course includes an introduction to the use of operations research methods in the determination of optimal solutions in complex systems. More specifically upon completion of the course, you will have gained insight into: • how to structure the large amount of information that is often associated with attempting to modify complex systems • how to set goals and define constraints in the engineering of complex systems • how to generate possible solutions to complex problems in ways that limit exceedingly narrow thinking • how to compare multiple possible solutions over time with differences in the temporal distribution of costs and benefits and uncertainty as to what might happen in the future • how to assess values of benefits to stakeholders that are not in monetary units • how to assess whether it is worth obtaining more information in determining optimal solution • how to take a step back from the numbers and qualitatively evaluate the possible solutions in light of the bigger picture • the basics of operations research and how it can be used to determine optimal solutions to complex problems, including linear, integer and network programming, dealing with multiple objectives and conducting sensitivity analyses. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The lectures are structured as follows: 1. Introduction – An introduction to System Engineering, a way of thinking that helps to engineer sustainable systems, i.e. ones that meet the needs of stakeholders in the short, medium and long terms. A high-level overview of the main principles of System Engineering. The expectations of your efforts throughout the semester. 2. Situation analysis – How to structure the large amount of information that is often associated with attempting to modify complex systems. 3. Goals and constraints – How to set goals and constraints to identify the best solutions as clearly as possible. 4. Generation of possible solutions – How to generate possible solutions to problems, considering multiple stakeholders. 5. The principles of net-benefit maximization and a series of methods that range from qualitative and approximate to quantitative and exact, including pairwise comparison, elimination, weighting, and expected value. 6. The idea behind the supply and demand curves and revealed preference methods. 7. The concept of equivalence, including the time value of money, interest, life times and terminal values. 8. The relationship between net-benefit and the benefit-cost ratio. How incremental cost benefit analysis can be used to determine the maximum net benefit. Internal rates of return. 9. How to consider multiple possible futures and use simple rules to help pick optimal solutions and to determine the value of more information. 10. Once quantitative analysis is used it becomes possible to use operations research methods to analyse large numbers of possible solutions. Linear programming and the simplex method. 11. How sensitivity analysis is conducted using linear programming. 12. How to use operations research to solve problems that consist of discrete values, as well as how to exploit the structure of networks to find optimal solutions to network problems. 13. How to set up and solve problems when there are multiple objectives. The course uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | • The lecture materials consist of a script, the slides, example calculations in Excel, Moodle quizzes, and excercises. • The lecture materials will be distributed via Moodle before each lecture. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Appropriate literature in addition to the lecture materials will be handed out when required via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101-0509-00L | Infrastructure Management 1: Process | 6 credits | 2G | B. T. Adey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Infrastructure management is the process that ensures infrastructure provides desired service over time. This course provides an overview of the process and insight into some of the most important parts, i.e., defining service, justifying interventions, monitoring the infrastructure system, and ensuring a well function infrastructure management organisation. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the infrastructure management process. The high-level process can be used as a starting point to ensure that infrastructure management is done professionally, efficiently and effectively. This process can be used to help improve the specific infrastructure management processes in the organisations. More specifically upon completion of the course, students had their first experience with • defining the service to be provided by infrastructure, • developing and evaluating asset strategies, and converting them into programs / project portfolios • establishing a monitoring program for an infrastructure system, and • establishing basic rules and principles to ensure an infrastructure management organisation is running well. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The weekly lectures are structured as follows: 1 Introduction: An introduction to infrastructure management and the project. 2 Service: Determination of what service you are trying to provide with an infrastructure network is important in justifying the interventions you think are required and ensuring that investment decisions are aligned throughout an infrastructure management organisation. This lecture introduces the concept of serve and connects it to measurable indicators. 3 Help session 1: This session provides time for your group to ask questions as you define the service you want your infrastructure network to provide 4 Presentation 1: 4 groups will present their ideas on how they want their networks to provide service 5 Interventions: Justifying the interventions you want to execute to ensure you continue to provide the defined service requires you to model deterioration, determining economically justifiable strategies and explain which interventions will be postponed if you can’t do all you would like. This lecture is focused on explaining the main principles behind each of these concepts. 6 Help session 2: This session provides time for your group to ask questions as you justify the interventions you want to execute on your infrastructure network over time and explain what you will postpone if you cannot do all of them. 7 Presentation 2: 4 groups will present how they have justified interventions and how they have selected the ones they would like to postpone if required 8 Monitoring: To ensure you the infrastructure network is providing what you expect you need to monitor its performance and how projects are being done. This lecture is focused on the principles to ensure a monitoring system is set up that ensure that the infrastructure system is providing the expected service. 9 Help session 3: This session provides time for your group to ask questions on how to establish the monitoring systems for your infrastructure networks. 10 Presentation 3: 4 groups will present how they intended to monitor their systems and projects. 11 Organisation: Managing infrastructure only works well with great teams of people with great processes. This lecture focuses on the principles of ensuring a well function organisation and well-functioning processes. 12 Help session 4: This session provides time for your group to ask questions on how to ensure well-functioning organisations and well-functioning processes. 13 Presentation 4: 4 groups will present how they intended to ensure well-functioning organisations and well-functioning processes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | - The lecture materials consist of handouts and the slides. - The lecture materials will be distributed via Moodle by the beginning of each lecture. - The questions to be discussed in the discussion session will be distributed by the end of the day on the Monday before the discussion session. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Appropriate literature will be handed out when required via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | This course has no prerequisites. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101-0509-10L | Infrastructure Planning  | 3 credits | 2G | B. T. Adey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course explains how ideas for infrastructure emerge from strategic planning (macro scale), are taken up in the planning of systems (meso scale) and progress to approval through project evaluation (micro scale). It also provides infrastructure planners with principles for the appraisal of possible projects with and without the explicit valuing of costs and benefits. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Infrastructure planners ensure our built environment optimally meets our future needs. This is challenging, as the built environment is a large and complex system, which interacts extensively with the natural environment. Additionally, there is considerable uncertainty with respect to the expectations of the built environment in the future, due to the uncertain environment in which we live, e.g. changing technologies and the changing climate. It is in the face of this complexity and uncertainty that infrastructure planners need to help develop strategic goals, and propose and defend specific potential infrastructure improvements and to a large and diverse set of stakeholders. This course provide infrastructure planners with an understanding of how ideas for infrastructure emerge from strategic planning (macro scale), are taken up in the planning of systems (meso scale) and progress to approval through project evaluation (micro scale). It also provides infrastructure planners with principles for the appraisal of possible projects with and without the explicit valuing of costs and benefits. More specifically, upon completion of the course students will understand: - how ideas for infrastructure are generated at a strategic level, are interpreted in the development of system plans and reach concrete project proposals - how project ideas emerge from system plans and are iteratively developed and appraised until approval - the principles of system modelling and system modelling over time in appraising and defending infrastructure proposals - the advantages and disadvantages of explicitly evaluating the costs and benefits in the appraisal of infrastructure proposals and the advantages and disadvantages of not evaluating the costs and benefits in the appraisal of infrastructure proposals. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course consists of 5 lectures, 4 help sessions and 4 presentation / evaluation sessions. The two hour weekly lecture period is used as follows: 1-Introduction: Strategic planning to project appraisals – This lecture provides an introduction to the course and an explanation of how the impetus for infrastructure modifications emerge from strategic planning and evolve to the appraisal and approval of specific infrastructure projects. The requirements for successful completion of the course are discussed. 2-Project appraisals: Case for change to approval – This lecture explains how project ideas are generated from system plans and iteratively evolve to become an appraised project. 3-Modelling how a system works and doesn't work - This lecture explain the principles of how to model a system to facilitate the appraisal of the project. 4-Modelling how systems evolve over time - This lecture explains how to model how systems evolve over time using Monte Carlo simulations and both system changes and planner decisions triggered by system changes. 5-Appraising potential projects with/without cost benefit analysis - This lecture explains two way of appraising projects. The first can be used when it is possible to explicitly estimate the costs and benefits of the proposed modifications. The second can be used when it is not possible to explicitly estimate costs and benefits of the proposed modifications. 6-10-Help sessions – We use the lecture periods to answer any questions you might have on your project. Your project is due on Friday of week 9. 11-14-Project presentations – In these lecture periods each group will be asked to present their project and be asked to field questions from the lecturers and fellow students. The presentations will be graded by the lecturers. Fellow students will give their impressions of the presentations and ability of the group to answer the questions. The course uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The quantitative analysis required in the project requires at least the use of Excel. Some students, however, prefer to use Python or R. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | • The lecture materials consist of handouts, the slides, and example calculations in Excel. • The lecture materials will be distributed via Moodle two days before each lecture. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Appropriate literature will be handed out when required via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | This course has no prerequisites. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101-0515-AAL | Project Management Enrolment ONLY for MSc students with a decree declaring this course unit as an additional admission requirement. Any other students (e.g. incoming exchange students, doctoral students) CANNOT enrol for this course unit. | 2 credits | 4R | B. T. Adey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | General introduction to the development, the life cycle and the characteristics of projects. Introduction to, and experience with, the methods and tools to help with the preparation, evaluation, organisation, planning, controlling and completion of projects. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | To introduce the methods and tools of project management. To impart knowledge in the areas of project organisation and structure, project planning, resource management, project controlling and on team leadership and team work. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | - From strategic planning to implementation (Project phases, goals, constraints, and feasibility) - Project leadership (Leadership, Teams) - Project organization (Structure) - Project planning (Schedule, cost and resource planning) - Project controlling - Risk and Quality Management - Project completion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | This is a self-study course, there are no lectures or help sessions. A Moodle page with the relevant literature, study materials, and course information is provided. For questions regarding course content or administration, students may approach the lecturers/teaching assistants. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Material that can be used for the self-study course is: 2 Books: • Shtub, Bard and Globerson, 2nd ed. Chapters 1, 6-11 (provided as PDFs) • Nicholas and Steyn, 4th ed., Chapters 1, 5-15 (Available online) 2 exams from previous semesters (2012 fall and spring) for practice, with solutions provided. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||