Topic 1 Introduction to Project Scheduling

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CVEN481: Project Planning andScheduling

Topic 1 (Introduction to ProjectScheduling)

Instructor: Dr. Abid Nadeem

Qatar University

Civil Engineering Department

Fall 2012

Lecture Handouts Acknowledgement: Dr. Saleh Mubarak

Topic I: Introduction to ProjectScheduling

Definition of Planning and scheduling

What is a project? What is project Management? Why Schedule Projects?

“What” is the Scheduler?

Successful Scheduling System

Scheduling as part of project management

Fall 2012 Slide No. 2Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak


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Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak Slide No. 3

Types of Management

Types of Management

General management

Program management

Portfolio management

Project management

Specialty management

Introduction to ProjectManagement

Important definitions from the Project

Management Institute, PMI, PMBOK, 4th

edition, 2008:

Project: A temporary endeavor undertaken to

create a unique product, service, or result

There are no two projects that are the same

Every project has A start a finish points, and

A deliverable.

Slide No. 4Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak


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Introduction to ProjectManagement (Cont’d)

Program: A group of related projects managed in

coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not

available from managing them individually. Programs

may include elements of related work outside of the

scope of the discrete projects in the program

Programs may be:

Temporary/one-time programs

Ongoing (usually periodic/annual)

A program can be a large and complex project

Slide No. 5Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak

Introduction to ProjectManagement (Cont’d)

Portfolio is a collection of projects or programs

and other work that are grouped together tofacilitate effective management of that work to

meet strategic business objectives. The

projects or programs of the portfolio may not

necessarily be dependent or directly related

“Programme” in the UK terminology

Fall 2012Slide No. 6Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak


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The Hierarchy


Program

Project Project TasksProject

Portfolio

Project

Subproject SubprojectSubproject

Program

Project Management

Project Management

is the application of

knowledge, skills,

tools, and techniques

to project activities

to meet the project

requirements


Cost /Budget

Time /Schedule

Scope /Quality


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Scheduling as Part of ProjectManagement

Project management in construction includes:

Scheduling / Time Management,

Budget / Cost Management,

Document Management

Risk Management

Procurement management,

Change / Scope management,

They are all interrelated

Fall 2012 Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak Slide No. 9

Project controls

Project administration,

Quality management,

Safety management,

Other


Planning and Scheduling

Planning and scheduling are two terms that

are often thought of as synonymous They are not!

Scheduling is just one part of the planning effort

Project scheduling is the determination of the

timing and sequence of operations in the

project and their assembly to give the overallcompletion time


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Project Planning

Project planning serves as a foundation for several

related functions such as cost estimating, scheduling,

and other functions related to executing the project.

The plan can include elements that has to do with

scope, design and alternate designs, cost, time,

finance, land, procurement, operations, etc.

The plan can take different shapes and have differentcontents depending on:

The purpose of the plan

The timing of the plan

The level of details needed



Planning is the process of determining how a

project will be undertaken. It answers thequestions:

What?

How?

Who?

How much?

Scheduling deals with “when” on a detailed level

Why

Where?

By whom?

When? (in general terms)


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when

The Plan

Schedule

Project Control

Project scheduling, like cost estimating, is a prediction

of future occurrence; time or money

Once project execution starts, actual performance may

not, and usually do not, follow the prediction (called

the baseline when it become an official part of the

contract)

Here comes Project Control to track both schedule and

cost, find variances (where, how much, and why), and

take corrective action to bring the project back to the

planFall 2012 Slide No. 14Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak


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Why Do Owners Schedule Projects?

1. Get an idea on project’s expected finish date

2. Ensure contractor’s proper planning for timely finish

3. Use for cash flow prediction (example1 ) (example2)

4. Use for project control and verification of progress

payment requests

5. Use for change orders’ impact (and what-if

scenarios)

6. Use to verify contractor’s delay claims


Why Do Contractors ScheduleProjects?

1. Ensure ability to meet owner’s schedule requirements

2. Calculate the start of end of a specific activity

3. Have an efficient work plan / Coordinate with

subcontractors

4. Use for cash flow prediction (example1 ) (example2)

5. Use for preparation of progress payment requests /

project control

6. Use to assess change orders’ impact

7. Use to prove a delay claim

8. Plan material procurement (order, deliver)


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The Scheduler.....

Is the “scheduler”:

an engineer / architect?

a computer whiz?

a mathematician?

a project /construction manager?

an artist? or

a communicator?

The Certification: AACE, PMI


The Scheduler

The three types of knowledge:

1. Knowledge in the principles of scheduling andproject control

2. Knowledge in the specific technical field

3. Knowledge in computer software

Knowledge acquired by education or experience?

Importance / priority of these types

Full-time, part-time, consultant? pros and

consFall 2012 Project Scheduling – Dr. Mubarak Slide No. 18


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The Tripod of Good SchedulingSystem


Project SchedulingSystem

The Human

Factor

The

TechnologyThe

Management

Question

Do all projects (of all types and sizes) have a

need for CPM scheduling?Does the need vary?



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Quiz Exercise 1

Are the following statements true or false:

1. There are no two projects in construction that are identical

2. Every construction project needs a CPM schedule

3. Planning and scheduling are two names for the same function

4. Projects in a portfolio are necessarily related

5. Projects in a program are necessarily related

6. All programs have specific limited lifespan

7. The maintenance of a large office building is considered a project

8. The renovation of a large office building is considered a project

9. The maintenance of city bridges can be a program


Can the Following be ConsideredProjects?

1. I like to improve my education

I plan to obtain my MBA from an accredited school byend of 2014

2. I want to save a good amount of my salary

I will save (at least) $400/month so I can have $5,000

in 2 years

3. We like to reduce the overhead of our company

We like to reduce the OH from 22% to 18% by end of2012



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Topic 2: Steps for Scheduling aConstruction Project

The basic four steps

The additional steps

Optional Steps

Myths about scheduling


Steps to Schedule a Project

1. Break down the project into activities:

Reasonable activity size Contract restrictions?

Simple versus complex activities

WBS, coding, activity description / title

Activity types: Task, milestone (start or finish),

Hammock (level of effort)



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Factors to Be Considered inDefining Activities

1. Nature of the work / Homogeneity

2. Location / Floor / Segment

3. Size / Duration

4. Timing / Chronology

5. Level of confidence in the duration

6. Responsibility

7. Phase

8. Contractual restrictions

Definition

Activity: A basic unit of work as part of the

total project that is easily measured andcontrolled

It is also called Task

It is time and resource consuming

Unit of measure: simple or complex:

Formwork + rebar + concrete + finish (4 activities), or

FRP Concrete (one activity)



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Events and Milestones

An event: a point in time that is usually the start or

finish of a certain activity(s)

Duration = 0

Important events are called milestones

start milestones such as NTP and

finish milestones such as Substantial Completion

An activity has a start date and a finish date. An event

(or milestone) has a start date or a finish date



160000

100000

T a m p a

O f f i c e

B l d g

110000

F o u n d a t i o n /

S u b s t r u c t u r e

120000

B u i l d i n g

s h e l l

130000

E x t e r i o r

c l o s u r e

140000

I n t e r i o r

f i n i s h e s

150000

M e c h a n i c a l

/ E l e c t r i c a l

S i t e W o r k

121000

C o l u m n s

122000

S h e a r

W a l l s

123000

E l e v a t e d

S l a b s

124000

B e a m s /

G i r d e r s

125000

C I P S t a i r s

123100

P o s t -

t e n s i o n e d

S l a b s

123200

F l a t S l a b s

123300

W a f f l e

S l a b s

123400

O n e - w a y

S l a b a n d

b e a m

123110

F a l s e w o r k

123120

R e b a r

123130

P o s t - t e n s i o n

c a b l e

123140

C o n c r e t e

123111

S o f f i t a n d

e d g e s

123112

S c a f f o l d

( t a b l e s )

123113

S h o r e s

123114

R e s h o r e s

Level 0

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Work BreakdownStructure, WBS,

Example


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The CSI Masterformat in WBSFormat


Title Level03 00 00 Concrete 1

03 10 00 Concrete Forming and Accessories 203 11 00 Concrete Forming 3

03 11 13 Structural Cast-in-Place Concrete Forming 403 11 13.13 Concrete Slip Forming 5

03 11 13.16 Concrete Shoring 5

03 11 13.19 Falsework 5

03 11 16 Architectural Cast-in Place Concrete Forming 403 11 16.13 Concrete Form Liners 5

03 11 19 Insulating Concrete Forming 4

03 11 23 Permanent Stair Forming 4

• Don’t forget level 0!


2. Estimate activity durations:

Time unit: hour, day, week, month? Duration = Total Quantity/Productivity

= 10,000 M3 / 800 M3 /day

= 12.5 days ≈ 13 days

Multiple crews – multiple shifts

Productivity adjustment factors: weather, height,

learning curve, local factors, etc.



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Activity’s Durations

Activities that don’t lend themselves to the previous

equation:

Breakdown to increase confidence

“Expert” subjective estimates: you may have to get a

second opinion

How much “time contingency” should be added?

Warning: don’t accept unrealistic durations!

Calendars’ choice and impact on duration



3. Set up the schedule logic:

Establish logic relationships Sometimes there is more than one way to depict logic

Tendency to overuse Finish-to-Start (FS) relationship

Lags & leads

External relationships

Logic (hard) versus resource (soft) logic

Imposed constraints



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4. Draw network & perform CPM Calculations(or input in the computer and execute):

Imposed finish date for the project?

Non-work days

Check software default rules / settings

Make sure any specific requirement is met


Additional Step 1:Review and Analyze

1. Review and analyze the schedule:

Check logic back & forth A second set of professional eyes is always a good idea

Make sure there are no errors, loops, omissions, or

redundancies

Check with leaders of teams involved with the

project



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Additional Step 2:The Implementation

2. Implementation of the schedule: Taking theschedule from paper to action

This is the most serious step in the process: it is

selling the schedule/plan to all parties

Adopt a single pair of dates (start – finish) for each

activity

Roles and responsibilities

Management commitment


Additional Step 2:The Implementation

Print different reports to different parties

The final form is going to be your “baselineschedule”

This is more than just a decoration to the walls of

the site trailer



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Additional Step 3:Monitor and Control

3. Monitor and Control: Choose a uniform time interval for periodic

updating

Define the update procedures

Communicate with all parties

Reporting / Documentation

Implement any changes


Additional Step 4:Database Feedback

4. Database Revisions and Feedback

Project / activity notes Documentation and organization

Archiving

Accessibility and confidentiality



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Budgeting and Resource Loading

Optional steps when scheduling a project: Cost loading

Resource loading (allocation)

Resource leveling

Cash flow analysis / forecast

Materials procurement schedule

Cost Versus Resource Loading

Resource leveling:


Activity Install 8” CMU for 4th floor exterior wall

Duration 5 days

Work

hours 8 per

day

How

many? Cost/unit Unit

Extended

Cost

1 $40.00 Hour $1,600.00

3 $32.00 Hour $3,840.00

2 $27.50 Hour $2,200.00

0.125 $800.00 Day $500.00

2300 $4.00 Each $9,200.00

$17,340.00

Resource

Activity

Total

Foreman

CMU

(including

mortar,

grout,

and

rebar

Mason

Helper

Crane

(1

hour

/

day)

Cost loading:Cost = $17,340

Stored in the

“ResourceDictionary


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Assigning Resources versus Assigning Budget

Why assigning resources is better than assigning budget:

1. Ease of changing/updating the cost of an activity

2. Ability to integrate with accounting and procurement

3. Ability to estimate and store (in database) productivities and

man-hours and to do cost analysis

4. Ability to do resource leveling and to set upper limits on

resource consumption

5. Ability to use "resource-driven" activities

Except for subcontractor’s work



Project Schedule versusConstruction Schedule

The scheduler may want to include all project-

related activities: Design

Design review

Construction

Owner’s activities (review, approval)

Vendors (for owner’s purchased equipment)

Other agencies’ activities (e.g. government, test

labs)


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Myths/Misconceptions About Scheduling

I should get a very accurate schedule… I bought the

most expensive software in the market!

I hired a computer specialist to handle Primavera!

CPM schedules are bunch of nonsense. We do it just

because the owner required it.

We don’t need an expensive system

…it is all up here


Quiz Exercise 2

Are the following statements True or False:

1. There is one standard way to break down the project intoactivities for the purpose of creating a schedule

2. A milestone is an important activity

3. With the use of advanced computers and computer software,

the trend in scheduling now is to break the project into large

number of small activities

4. A scheduler should not combine two similar activities if they are

to be performed at considerably different time periods5. Determining activities durations is primarily the scheduler’s job

Topic 1 Introduction to Project Scheduling

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