Demystifying the Time-Effort Distribution Curves in Construction Projects: A BIM and non-BIM Comparison

MacLeamy proposed a set of time-effort distribution curves, with a view to mainstreaming the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Numerous researchers and practitioners have cited these curves, but no previous research has ever endeavored to draw actual time-effort distribution curves and analyze them. The aim of this paper is to introduce a novel approach to draw real-life time-effort distribution curves and understand their implications. A data collection form is developed in this paper to record the efforts contributed to a project by various parties. The time-effort distribution curve can be drawn by using both data plotting and mathematical curve fitting. Two public housing projects, one with BIM support while the other without BIM involved, were adopted in this paper for drawing the real-life time-efforts distribution curves. It is found that the time-effort distribution curves in real-life projects are of little similarity to those reported by MacLeamy.