Planning and Scheduling

1. Planning and Scheduling

2. Project Planning • Selecting Construction Methods and sequence of work • Must complete planning before doing scheduling • Steps • Develop work breakdown structure • Acquire input from key members of project team • Company specialists, field supervisors, subcontractors, suppliers

3. Project Planning • Acquire input from key members of project team • Company specialists, field supervisors, subcontractors, suppliers • Making decisions with field supers • Site layout, sequence in which work will be performed, direction of work flow – bottom –up, left –right, means and methods of construction, type of concrete forming system to be used, Type of equipment to be used, safety requirements • Making decisions regarding performing work • GC’s own workers or subs • Id’ing all restraining factors such as: • Skilled labor: crew & make-up, Mat’l and equip delivery date estimates, weather, permits, financing • Preparing estimate

4. Types of Schedules • Formal schedules – developed and provided to the owner as required by contract • Summary schedules – presentations and meetings – F5-1 • Detailed schedules – show all activities – field office uses • Short interval – look ahead – developed by foremen and subs on weekly basis – what is next week

5. Types of Schedules • Mini-scehdules – area or system schedules – give additional detail • Submittal schedule, buyout schedule, material delivery schedule, equipment start-up schedule, close-out schedule

6. Schedule development • Need to determine activities • What are they • Depends on schedule type • Need to determine order of activities • Relationships – go thru SS, FF, FS • Logic- concurrent, multi-successors, multi-pred, do loops

7. Bar charts • Go for summary schedules • Show relationships between activities • F-2 is bar chart

8. Network Schedules • Show relationships with arrows • Also show free float and total float for each activity • Can find critical path • Helps planning

9. Activity Numbering • Numbering Activities can make it easier to use schedule • Group like activities under the same general numbers • Activity Category • WBS can make it easy to categorize resources used to each activity • Work Classification • Numbers refer to a class of activity

10. Activity Numbering • Location • Number activity based on location on project • Responsibility • Numbers refer to who is responsible for work

11. Activity Numbering • Numbering Conventions • Directional • Numbers increase from start to finish of project • Numbering gaps • Leave gaps between numbers to allow for additions to schedule • Even/Odd Numbering • Even # = part of base contract • Odd # = additional work

12. Constructing a AON • Critical Path • Path through schedule which provides the shortest time to complete project • Total Float • Amount of time that activity can float without impacting CP • Free Float • Amount of time an activity can be delayed without effecting the early start date of the predecessor activity

13. Constructing a AON

14. Constructing a AON

15. You need to schedule the following project: • Excavate footings – 4 quadrants 2 days each • Form ftgs each quadrant 1 day each • Pour footings each quadrant 1 day each • Form & reinforce walls 3 days each quadrant • Pour walls – 1 day per quadrant • Strip forms 1 day /quadrant • Backfill – must wait 5 days after stripping 2 days/quadrant

16. Reviewing the Schedule • Is Schedule complete • Are Activity Duration Reasonable • Are Activity Relationships Complete • Are Activity Relationships Valid • Is Project Calendar Correct • Is Schedule Duration within Contract Time • Are Contractual Milestones Met

17. Analyzing the Schedule • Is Critical Path Reasonable • Does it go through the right activities? • Are there Multiple Critical paths • Avoid if possible • What Activities are Near Critical • Why? • How does Work Flow • Does work flow make sense? • Are you using resources smartly?

18. Are there Conflicts Among Concurrent Activities • How do you find out if there are conflicts • Two types of conflicts • Space • Resources • Space conflicts are found by looking at where activities are happening • Resource conflicts are found by looking at resource usage graphs

19. Is there an Excessive amount of Work at any Time • Problems? • Do you have adequate capital to do all the work • When do you get paid for work? • What does contract say

20. Resource Lists & Usage • MS Project allows you to move resources between activities by adjusting % used • If you split a backhoe between 2 jobs do you get 100% usage? • How far does it move? • Similar jobs • Efficiency • Can take into account when determining split

21. Updating Schedule • Frequency • Depends on • Complexity • More complex -> more updates • Unexpected events • Update after event to determine new completion date • Helps team evaluate strategies to mitigate impacts • When specified • By contract documents

22. Updating Schedule • How • Gather Activity Status Info • Update Date – when the info is gathered • Activity status • Actual start date – meaningful work begins • % complete • Work in place -> work in place/planned work quantity • Time expended -> time expended/ planned duration (only good for time dependent activities like concrete curing) • Cost Incurred - >cost incurred/planned cost (depends on actual resource productivity being constant and resource costs not varying) • Resource used -> Resource Used/Planned resource amount

23. Updating Schedule • How • Activity status • Remaining duration – Remaining Work quantity/Anticipated Productivity • Actual finish date – all completed activities • Provides data for future jobs • Gathering Data • Direct observation, Update meetings, field reports, turnaround reports, photos and videotape

24. Analyzing Schedule Status • What is the basis for evaluating schedule status? • Usually the original schedule is the baseline • What is planned completion date • Is updated schedule completion date same as baseline • If not – why not (is there an error)

25. Analyzing Schedule Status • Has the critical path shifted? • If so – why • Are CP activities really “critical” • Has the float changed on any activities? • Has weather become a factor for any activity • Are there trends worth watching • Any changes since last update?

26. Modify and Revise Schedule • Revise network logic • Change duration to meet contracted completion • Reflect changes in planned means and methods for completing activity • Shift activity to better time (summer for concrete)

27. Modify and Revise Schedule • Revise Activity Durations • Planned quantity of work has changed • Amount of resources has changed • Productivity is either higher or lower than planned • Add & Delete Activities • Scope of work changed • Activities divided into smaller activities

28. Review and Analyze Schedule • Make sure new schedule does not contain errors • Implement updated schedule

29. Out of Sequence Work • Why? • Keep crews busy • Preparatory work starts early • Gives crew a chance to test means and methods • Preserve Schedule Logic • Shorten successor activity caused by out of sequence work • Keep all other logic intact