A project begins when you have a commitment to proceed on a project.  A schedule needs to be initiated and structured from this point in order to determine all of the steps, milestones and activities required to get the project ready for construction.

We place an emphasis on Pre-Construction scheduling as this phase is critical to preparing the foundation of a successful project.  Too little attention is paid to the early stages of project development. 

We have broken down the scheduling process down into two major phases:

Pre-Construction Requirements

This phase has all of the tasks and milestones required by all development team members, owners or other required to prepare the project for construction.  For your use we have listed common task items in our templates and files required for each type of project.  You can add, edit, and modify these task items as needed to meet the needs of the specific project.  The pre-construction task list requires the most editing as each project is different in nature.  This phase is scheduled separately but is directly linked to the Project Duration - Construction Phase.

Project Duration

This phase is the construction phase of the project.  In our templates, we provide different levels of detail for various types of construction projects.  Each item listed under this phase is coded with a CSI Division # and CSI Code # to provide a consistency and a coding structure for your schedules.  The task list is prepared and modified to establish the construction steps required to complete the particular project.  Because we separate the Pre-Construction Requirements from the Construction Phase you can quickly view the construction duration time on the summary bar for the Project Duration.  This is very helpful to determine the length of construction time.  We all are familiar with average periods of time it takes to complete certain types of projects so it is useful to see and use the total days required to complete the project as a check and a guide separate from the Pre-Construction phase.

Scheduling typically is prepared just prior to the actual construction phase and only represents the Construction Phase items.  Preparing a schedule at this time and not in coordination with the scheduling required at the pre-construction phase - it is often too late and the project is destined for failure and no one knows it.  The Pre-Construction Phase should be scheduled the same way and with the same emphasis as the actual Construction Phase.