Effective Updating for Construction Schedules

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Effective Updating for Construction Schedules

• Saleh Mubarak, PhD
• PMI-Tampa Bay Chapter
• 7 October 2006

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Seminar Outline

• Why update projects
• Definitions
• Info needed for project updating
• The interval between updates
• Steps for updating schedules
• Hints for Creating and Storing Updates
• Myths about updating
• Example for updating a schedule
• Example discussion
• Updating pitfalls
• Project control
• Baselines
• Percent complete
• Methods for measuring work progress

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Why Update Schedules?

• Schedules (like cost estimates) are always
  prepared before construction begins. However,
  updates must take place routinely for the
  following two reasons
• Unintentional Things never happen as planned,
  and
• Intentional Changes will likely happen during
  construction.
• Schedules without updating, monitoring,
  controlling, and corrective action are useless.

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Updating Schedules Definitions

• An updated schedule is A revised schedule
  reflecting project information at a given data
  date regarding completed activities, in-progress
  activities, and changes in the logic, cost, and
  resources required and allocated at any activity
  level.
• Data Date The date as of which all progress on a
  project is reported.
• It is also called as-of-date or status date.
• It is NOT current date or time now.
• The bank statement example.

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Updating Schedules Info Needed

• When updating, the following information must be
  reported. This include two main categories
• Past What has happened since last update such
  as
• Activities that have started, their actual start
  date, percent complete and/or remaining duration.
• Activities that are completed and their actual
  completion date.
• Actual budget spending or resource consumption
  for each activity.

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Updating Schedules Info Needed-2

• Future Any changes to the schedule or to
  schedule-related items such as
• Activities that have been added, along with their
  information (duration, logic, budget, resources,
  constraints, etc.)
• Any activities that have been deleted (scheduler
  has to be careful in maintaining logic after the
  deletion).
• Activities that have changed in duration, logic,
  budget, resources, constraints, codes, or any
  other change.

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Updating Schedules Info Needed-3

• Future (continued)
• Any change to the imposed finish date for the
  entire schedule or the constraint date for
  certain milestones.
• Any schedule-related, but not activity-specific
  change such as
• cost and availability of resources,
• change in calendar work days,
• change in responsibility (e.g. a subcontractor
  took over a portion of the general contractors
  work or a subcontractors replacement.)

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Future changes

• Future changes are either
• Pure progress A changes that happens as a result
  of logic tie between the future activity and an
  earlier delayed activity (i.e. one delay triggers
  another delay.)
• Example Framing activity got delayed so Dry
  wall, Taping, and Painting were delayed as a
  result.

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Future changes - 2

• Or revisions intended changes.
• Painting was delayed for a reason that has
  nothing to do with the logical tie with its
  predecessor.

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Updating Schedule The Interval

• Current Data Date
• Anything left to this line is past.
• Anything right to this line is future

Previous Data Date
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Updating Schedules The Interval

• A suitable time interval has to be chosen for
  schedule updates. It can be weekly, bi-weekly,
  monthly, or other.
• Sometimes, this interval is shortened towards the
  end of the project.
• In some industries, the project has to be updated
  daily.
• Balancing between
• A long interval Things may be forgotten by the
  time the update is due. Also, it may be too late
  to take a corrective action.
• A short interval Too much paperwork and wasted
  time a possible distraction.

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Updating Notes

• Most software programs provide a space for log or
  notes, at the project and/or activity level.
• Project managers and field crews must provide
  notes along with updates, particularly when
  things dont go as planned or simply need
  explanation or justification.
• Why?
• Documentation and accessibility.
• Internal vs. external reporting
• Show / mask notes.
• Electronic recovery
• Florida Sunshine Law

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Steps for Updating a Schedule

• The Scheduler produces a list of incomplete
  activities and submit it (on paper or electronic)
  to the project manager.
• For an attempt to shorten the list and allow the
  focus on a certain group of activities, you can
• Filter out completed activities
• Filter out far-future activities
• Possibility that PM/superintendent wants to
  change past events or make changes to far-future
  activities.
• See sample.

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Example 1 No Cost
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Example 2 With Cost
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Steps for Updating a Schedule-2

• The PM (or superintendent) fills up the form in
  red ink, signs and dates it and submit it to the
  scheduler.
• It is a good idea for the PM to keep a copy for
  himself.
• Electronic (Excel) sheet?
• The scheduler enters the info in the computer and
  updates the project (see hints), signs and dates
  the forms preferably using green or blue ink.
• Should the PM do his own update?

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Steps for Updating a Schedule-3

• The scheduler prints a preliminary report and
  discusses it with the PM.
• It is a good idea to produce a summary report
  (what happened between last update and this
  update).
• Based on this discussion, the scheduler makes any
  necessary adjustments to the schedule or reports.
  
• Any changes to the schedule requested by the PM
  have to be documented by the scheduler.

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Steps for Updating a Schedule - 4

• The scheduler produces new reports
• Different reports for different parties
• Reports have to be identified (title, date, etc.)
• If the scheduler receives info on changes in
  between two updates, he (along with the PM) has
  to make a decision
• To wait till the next update, or
• Make a special update.

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Multi-projects The Checklist Report
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The Schedule Update Form
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The Cost Update Form
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Hints for Creating and Storing Updates

• Always make a copy of the schedule before you
  make any changes.
• Establish a policy (for the company) for naming
  the updates and storage location. Be consistent
  with this policy.
• P3e/P3ec Baselines.
• If you are making schedule for a what if
  scenario, make sure you label it differently and
  rename (or move / delete) it after a decision has
  been made to accept the changes.
• For completed projects, archive them in a secure
  and retrievable manner.

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Myths/Misconceptions About Schedule Updating

• We always produce a complete schedule before the
  commencement of construction. We just dont
  update it, We trust our field staff and
  subcontractors to follow it.
• We update projects only when there is a need
  for the update.
• Everything is going well. There is no need for an
  update.

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Updating Schedule An Example
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Updating Example10 Days Later

• Ten days after the project has started, you
  received the following report
• Activities A and D are complete. Actual dates
• A (0, 2), D (5, 9),
• Activity B started on day 5. Remaining duration
  2.
• Activity C started on day 2. Some problems
  encountered. Remaining duration 4.
• Activity Fs duration was adjusted to 8 days.
• Activity J was canceled.
• New activity P, duration 4. IPA E and F. ISA
  K.

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Updating the Network
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The Updated Network
10, 12
12, 18
22, 26
26, 31
B 2
E 6
P 4
K 5
29, 34
25, 29
19, 25
17, 19
14, 22
10
10, 14
34, 37
F 8
PC
N 3
C 4
22, 34
14, 22
I 12
34, 37
10, 14
10
22, 26
14, 22
22, 34
M 4
G 8
22, 28
10, 19
30, 34
14, 22
L 6
H 9
28, 34
19, 28
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Example Quiz

• The projects calculated finish date has been
  delayed by two days for the following reason
• The addition of new activity P.
• The change of the duration of activity F from 5
  to 8 days.
• Activity C took two more days than planned.
• Combination of the above.
• Blame it on someone else.

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Updating Schedules Example Discussion

• Project finish date may change
• Good news or bad news?
• Justification Data versus information
• Critical path may change
• Another path got extended
• An existing activity took more days than planned.
• A new activity was added.
• The critical path was shortened
• An existing activity took less days than planned.
• A new activity was deleted.
• A combination of the above.

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Example Discussion - 2

• Any changes in imposed finish date?
• Change orders.
• Approved additional rain days / unused rain days.
• Unforeseen site conditions.
• Other.
• Note that adding or deleting activities has an
  impact on the predecessors and/or successors.
• Dissolve versus delete.
• Redundancies.
• Possible change in the critical path and float
  amount to other activities.

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Delete vs. Dissolve Activities Deleting Activity
B
A
B
C
C
A
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Delete vs. Dissolve Activities Dissolving
Activity B

• The dissolve works only with FS type relationship
  and does not transfer lags.

C
A
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Updating SchedulesExample Discussion - 3

• Check constraints
• Late Finish lt Early Finish!
• People in charge of future activities have to be
  informed about the impact of the changes on their
  activities.
• Comparison may be made to 2 baselines
• The original baseline, and
• The previous update.
• For example, if the current update shows a
  negative float of 30 days, it is initially
  considered bad news. However, when it is compared
  to the previous update that had a negative float
  of 42 days, it shows that the contractor is on
  the right track.
• Claim digger.

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Progress Override or Retained Logic?
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Start Date Delayed Keep Durations or End Dates?

• Construction start is delayed by 2 months
• Keep end date (then duration will shrink to fit),
  or
• Keep duration 6 months (then construction
  completion will be delayed too).

NTP
Construction
9/1/04
3/1/05
5/1/05
11/1/04
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Quiz 6

• True or False
• Updating is needed for projects that have
  duration of at least one year or a minimum budget
  of 1 million.
• Data date is the date all information was entered
  in the computer.
• In updating schedules, we must not only enter
  work progress but we must also enter any changes
  to future work.
• Switching your computer default rule from
  Retained Logic to Progress Override will
  most likely- result in an earlier completion
  date.
• Pay requests and schedule updating are totally
  independent processes.
• Negative float is an indication that the schedule
  is not meeting its expected completion date or an
  interim imposed date.

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Project Control

• Project control is the continuous practice of
• monitoring work progress,
• comparing it to baseline budget and schedule,
• finding any deviations and their causes, and
• taking a corrective action wherever and whenever
  necessary.
• The ability to determine a project status as it
  relates to the time and schedule selected.
  (Popescu)
• Also called project tracking.
• Project control is done by the contractor. The
  owner may do project monitoring (steps 1 and 2,
  and possibly 3, above).

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Why Project Control?

• Project control is needed because projects never
  run exactly as planned.
• Project control is a cyclical iterative task do
  small part of the work and compare to baseline,
  do corrective measure, adjust plan (if needed),
  do another part of the work, and so on.
• Project control requires measuring work progress
  and calculating the projects percent complete.

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Baseline Schedule

• Baseline The original approved plan for a
  project including approved changes. It usually
  includes Baseline Budget and Baseline Schedule.
  It is used as a benchmark for comparison with
  actual performance.
• Baseline Budget The projects original approved
  budget including any approved changes.
• Baseline Schedule A schedule prepared by the
  contractor before the start of the project and
  usually approved by the owner- typically used for
  performance comparison.
• Also called Target Schedule.

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Definition of Percent Complete

• Percent Complete (PC or PCT)
• An estimate, expressed as a percent, of the
  amount of work which has been completed on an
  activity or group of activities (or work
  breakdown structure component). (PMBOK 2000)
• A ratio comparison of the completion status to
  the current projection of total work. (PMBOK
  1987)
• One measure of completion used to determine the
  remaining duration of a partially completed
  activity. (Welcom PM Glossary, Project Management
  Solutions, Internet 1998)
• Percent complete can be for an activity, work
  package (or assembly), or the entire project.

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Methods to Measure Work Progress

• Units completed
• Start/finish
• Supervisor Opinion
• Cost/Budget or Manhours Ratio
• Actual
• Baseline
• Duration Ratio
• Actual
• Baseline
• Incremental milestones
• Weighted or Equivalent Units
• The Work-Day Unit Method

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So, Which One Should I Use?

• None of the previously discussed methods is
  wrong. None of them can be considered the right
  method.
• Most importantly
• The project management team has to know exactly
  what each percent complete means.
• The project manager has to pick one or two
  parameters to use.
• The project manager has to be consistent with the
  chosen parameters throughout the project.

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Conclusion

• Comments
• Keep in touch
• salehmubarak_at_hotmail.com
• [phone]