Ontology-Based Representation Model to Support Cause and Effect Analysis

Quality management is one of the most essential topics in the construction industry. Cause and effect (CE) analysis is one of the tools and techniques for quality management, and is widely used in construction quality management practices for identifying all possible causes associated with a particular problem. CE analysis requires participation and brainstorming of domain experts and experienced practitioners; however, such a brainstorming session is usually time-consuming and cumbersome, making the CE analysis process inefficient. Therefore, an ontology-based representation model is proposed in this paper that can be applied to organize experts and practitioners' CE analysis knowledge as an ontology to benefit the reutilization of the knowledge. A case study is performed to demonstrate how the model works and can benefit the brainstorming session of a CE analysis process as well as the limitations of the model. Further studies on incorporating an automated reasoning mechanism into the model, including its implementation and advantages, are briefly discussed as well in this paper.