Changing the duration of activities in resolving scheduling conflicts

There is a growing interest in the characterization and modelling of activity scheduling and re-scheduling behaviour. In this paper, a specific aspect of that research stream is studied: the resolution of activity scheduling conflicts. Using empirical data collected in an Internet survey, the modification of the pre-planned activities' duration to accommodate a new activity in the schedule was analysed. That schedule adjustment was studied as an end-of-duration process using a parametric hazard duration modelling approach. The results indicate that the process of lengthening/shortening the earlier pre-planned activity depends on the amount of modification of the pre-planned activity's duration. But this is not the case of the later pre-planned activity, which is not a function of how much the duration was modified. The characteristics of both the implicated activities and the schedule modification are the most important factors that explain the process of schedule change.