CVEN481: Project Planning and
Scheduling
Topic 1 (Introduction to Project
Scheduling)
Instructor: Dr. Abid Nadeem
Qatar University
Civil Engineering Department
Fall 2012
Lecture Handouts Acknowledgement: Dr. Saleh Mubarak
Topic I: Introduction to Project
Scheduling
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
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Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
Slide No. 2
Types of Management
Types of Management
General management
Program management
Portfolio management
Project management
Specialty management
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Slide No. 3
Introduction to Project
Management
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.
Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
Slide No. 4
Introduction to Project
Management (Contd)
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
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Slide No. 5
Introduction to Project
Management (Contd)
Portfolio is a collection of projects or programs
and other work that are grouped together to
facilitate 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
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Slide No. 6
The Hierarchy
Portfolio
Program
Project
Project
Subproject
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Program
Project
Subproject
Project
Tasks
Subproject
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Slide No. 7
Project Management
Project Management
is the application of
knowledge, skills,
tools, and techniques
to project activities
to meet the project
requirements
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Cost /
Budget
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Time /
Schedule
Scope /
Quality
Slide No. 8
Scheduling as Part of Project
Management
Project management in construction includes:
Scheduling / Time Management,
Budget / Cost Management,
Document Management
Project administration,
Risk Management
Quality management,
Procurement management,
Safety management,
Change / Scope management,
Other
Project controls
They are all interrelated
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Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
Slide No. 9
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 overall
completion time
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Slide No. 10
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 different
contents depending on:
The purpose of the plan
The timing of the plan
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The level of details needed
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Slide No. 11
Planning and Scheduling
Planning is the process of determining how a
project will be undertaken. It answers the
questions:
What?
Why
How?
Where?
Who?
By whom?
How much?
When? (in general terms)
Scheduling deals with when on a detailed level
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Slide No. 12
Planning and Scheduling
Schedule
when
The Plan
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Slide No. 13
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
plan
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Slide No. 14
Why Do Owners Schedule Projects?
1.
Get an idea on projects expected finish date
2.
Ensure contractors 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 contractors delay claims
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Slide No. 15
Why Do Contractors Schedule
Projects?
1. Ensure ability to meet owners 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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Slide No. 16
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
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Slide No. 17
The Scheduler
The three types of knowledge:
1.
Knowledge in the principles of scheduling and
project 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
cons
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Slide No. 18
The Tripod of Good Scheduling
System
Project Scheduling
System
The Human
Factor
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The
Technology
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The
Management
Slide No. 19
Question
Do all projects (of all types and sizes) have a
need for CPM scheduling?
Does the need vary?
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Slide No. 20
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
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Slide No. 21
Can the Following be Considered
Projects?
1. I like to improve my education
I plan to obtain my MBA from an accredited school by
end 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 of
2012
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Slide No. 22
Topic 2: Steps for Scheduling a
Construction Project
The basic four steps
The additional steps
Optional Steps
Myths about scheduling
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Slide No. 23
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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Slide No. 24
Factors to Be Considered in
Defining 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
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Slide No. 25
Definition
Activity: A basic unit of work as part of the
total project that is easily measured and
controlled
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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Slide No. 26
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
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Slide No. 27
Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
100000
Tampa
Office
Bldg
Level 0
Site Work
Mechanical
/ Electrical
Interior
finishes
Beams/
Girders
One-way
Slab and
beam
Waffle
Slabs
123140
Concrete
123130
Post-tension
cable
Flat Slabs
123400
123113
123114
Work Breakdown
Structure, WBS,
Example
Reshores
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123112
160000
125000
123300
Shores
Level 5
Soffit and
edges
123111
Rebar
123120
Scaffold
(tables)
Level 4
123110
Falsework
Level 3
123200
Posttensioned
Slabs
123100
124000
123000
Elevated
Slabs
122000
Shear
Walls
Level 2
Columns
121000
150000
140000
Exterior
closure
Building
shell
Foundation/
Substructure
Level 1
130000
CIP Stairs
120000
110000
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The CSI Masterformat in WBS
Format
Title
Level
03 00 00 Concrete
03 10 00 Concrete Forming and Accessories
03 11 00 Concrete Forming
03 11 13 Structural Cast-in-Place Concrete Forming
03 11 13.13 Concrete Slip Forming
03 11 13.16 Concrete Shoring
03 11 13.19 Falsework
03 11 16 Architectural Cast-in Place Concrete Forming
03 11 16.13 Concrete Form Liners
03 11 19 Insulating Concrete Forming
03 11 23 Permanent Stair Forming
1
2
3
4
5
5
5
4
5
4
4
Dont forget level 0!
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Slide No. 29
Steps to Schedule a Project
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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Slide No. 30
Activitys Durations
Activities that dont 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: dont accept unrealistic durations!
Calendars choice and impact on duration
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Slide No. 31
Steps to Schedule a Project
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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Slide No. 32
Steps to Schedule a Project
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
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Slide No. 33
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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Slide No. 34
Additional Step 2:
The Implementation
2. Implementation of the schedule: Taking the
schedule 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
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Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
Slide No. 35
Additional Step 2:
The Implementation
Print different reports to different parties
The final form is going to be your baseline
schedule
This is more than just a decoration to the walls of
the site trailer
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Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
Slide No. 36
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
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Slide No. 37
Additional Step 4:
Database Feedback
4. Database Revisions and Feedback
Project / activity notes
Documentation and organization
Archiving
Accessibility and confidentiality
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Slide No. 38
Budgeting and Resource Loading
Optional steps when scheduling a project:
Cost loading
Resource loading (allocation)
Resource leveling
Cash flow analysis / forecast
Materials procurement schedule
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Slide No. 39
Cost Versus Resource Loading
Resource leveling:
Stored in the
Resource
Dictionary
Activity
Install8CMUfor4thfloorexteriorwall
Duration
5
days
Workhours
8
perday
Resource
Foreman
Mason
Helper
Crane(1hour/day)
CMU(includingmortar,
grout,andrebar
How
Cost/unit
many?
1
$40.00
3
$32.00
2
$27.50
0.125
$800.00
2300
$4.00
Hour
Hour
Hour
Day
Extended
Cost
$1,600.00
$3,840.00
$2,200.00
$500.00
Each
$9,200.00
Unit
ActivityTotal
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Cost loading:
Cost = $17,340
$17,340.00
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Slide No. 40
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 subcontractors work
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Project Scheduling Dr. Mubarak
Slide No. 41
Project Schedule versus
Construction Schedule
The scheduler may want to include all projectrelated activities:
Design
Design review
Construction
Owners activities (review, approval)
Vendors (for owners purchased equipment)
Other agencies activities (e.g. government, test
labs)
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Slide No. 42
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 dont need an expensive system
it is all up here
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Slide No. 43
Quiz Exercise 2
Are the following statements True or False:
1. There is one standard way to break down the project into
activities 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 periods
5. Determining activities durations is primarily the schedulers job
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Slide No. 44
