Analysis of critical path in construction projects based on effectual criteria under uncertainty

Determining the construction project's critical path (CRP) plays a vital role in planning the construction project better. Applying the other effectual criteria such as risk, cost, safety, and quality (RCSQ) would lead to better construction projects scheduling. This paper finds practical factors such as time, and RCSQ to specify the construction project's CRP. Moreover, to tackle the construction project's natural uncertainty, Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PYFSs) are applied. PYFSs consider scales of non-membership, membership, and doubt. PYFSs are more useful than intuitionistic and classic fuzzy sets. Furthermore, a comprehensive decision model, including two-part, is introduced for CRP selection. In the first part, DMs' objective weight is specified based on the preference ranking method of the complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method under PYFSs. In the second part, the CRP is determined by applying the combination of ELECTRE and VIKOR methods. Eventually, a case study of construction projects is solved for better representing the presented approach's benefits and profitability.