The
first step in the scheduling process is to determine the goals
of the project. The main goal of any project usually consists
of the end date of the project or the date of substantial
completion. This is the date that the rest of the schedule is
intended to meet.
Effective project scheduling and management requires the
involvement of other people. Having and communicating clearly
defined goals is essential to the success of the project. You
may have all the skills, resources and capabilities to perform
the construction activities, but it is not sufficient to
ensure the project's success without an effective map (your
schedule).
In establishing the projects'
goals, your are actually focusing yourself, your customers and
everyone else that is a part of the construction team. With
the effective communication of these goals you will create a
commitment, agreement and an accountability to the project.
This process involves communicating back and forth with other
people, including your customer, while working to establish an
agreement of how the project is to be structured.
Your project schedule must be
realistic. If it is not, you will set up the project
for frustration, delays and increased costs. This is the
reason that Pre-Construction Scheduling is so important to the
project. By establishing the Pre-Construction activities and
having everyone adhere to them, the actual construction
process will flow much easier. The Pre-Construction planning
phase must include everything that is necessary to the
construction phase, i.e. design, drafting, permits, approvals,
order dates of lead time items, etc.
You should never commit to a
completion date until you have had the opportunity to figure
one out. Too often, people commit to an end date without
actually knowing if it can be accomplished. People will
respect the person who says they have to check on and figure
out the schedule prior to committing to a date.
The initial process can
include a summary or detailed version of the Construction
phase, but should always include a detailed Pre-Construction
schedule. This is why all of the scheduling templates that we
have include a detailed Pre-Construction task listing. We are
all familiar with typical construction duration times, but the
Pre-Construction phase is always different.
If you have to figure out a
completion date or deliver a schedule to a customer, architect
or other prior to the knowledge from and communication with
other team members of actual construction details, use a
summary Construction schedule with a detailed Pre-Construction
task listing. You can always develop the Construction phase
details later when you have had the time to communicate with
and get feedback from the other team members. You can then use
the original summary schedule with the detailed
Pre-Construction scheduling and link it to a more detailed
Construction phase schedule.
In this example, the summary
schedule outlines the tasks necessary and the responsible
person or group for completing them. You can use the
Responsibility field for people or groups that you have on
board and leave the field blank or TBD (To Be Determined) for
unresolved tasks and trades.
Summary:
Project Scheduling and
Planning starts with the end in mind and tries to work
backward.
An effective schedule is established
with clear goals in coordination and communication with all
other team members.
A well laid out and
communicated schedule creates a commitment and a
responsibility to the projects' goals.
Effective Project Managers
constantly keep their eyes on the interim goals and makes
sure that all team members are working in accordance with
the schedule.
Creating a common plan and
vision (your schedule) forces action and focuses every
member of the project team to work on one agenda and in the
same direction.
Scheduling
is under your control and can be used to your advantage.
There will usually be 3 types of schedules that you will
need to prepare. The key is to balance the time investment
and liability versus the payback on how detailed you need to be.
Preliminary
Schedules
Preliminary schedules
are used primarily for Bidding, Proposal, Customer
Request and Your Need to figure out where the schedule
fits into your current workload so that you can schedule
around your available workload and/or resources:
These types of
schedules should typically be a Summary schedule
(unless otherwise directed) with as much detailed
Pre-Construction task listing as necessary. Using a
Summary schedule with key elements and milestones will
create an accurate picture of the critical items that
need to be completed in order to finish the schedule
within the stated time.
Example: Let's assume that Steel delivery is
critical to your project. You need to allow for
engineering, approvals, ordering, fabrication and
delivery. If you do not allow the time to complete
these items, the schedule will not reflect an accurate
time frame.
Preparing a
preliminary schedule for your potential projects and
for figuring out how the project fits into your
current workload is invaluable. You can do this
effectively by inserting the preliminary schedule into
a Master 'Consolidated' Project file so that you can
make any necessary adjustments prior to finalizing the
schedule and making it public.
Schedules For
Construction
Schedules for
construction should be as detailed as possible to
include all Pre-Construction requirements. Outlining
detail increases your ability to control the project and
increases the liability of the people and groups that
are working on the project.
Preparing the common
plan that all team members 'buy into' will increase
communication and the ability to control the project.
You may not have a schedule attached to your contract,
however it is always recommended that you attach your
schedules to your major subcontracts so that they are
contractually liable.
Scheduling for
construction should be a tool that you use to reduce the
physical effort of having to react to circumstances and
provide the ability to look ahead, communicate and
adjust accordingly.
These schedules should
keep everyone accountable including; owners, architects,
engineers, subcontractors, suppliers, etc. If your
schedules are structured effectively and updated
regularly you will establish a team environment that
will create action and enthusiasm.
Contract
Schedules
Contract schedules are required by or included with your
contract documents. Inexcusable delays that extend the
completion date of the contract can cause monetary
damages to the owner.
When you have to submit
a contract schedule it is in your best interest to
provide a schedule with as much detail as possible. A
summary schedule or milestone schedule gives the
advantage to the owner and it will increase your
personal responsibility to manage and control the
project without proper documentation of responsibilities
and delays.
The
schedule belongs to the contractor or person who
prepares and maintains the schedule. No one else has the
right to modify, disrupt or change the schedule without
paying for it. You should take advantage of this
position and with proper communication, you can control
your liability to a large extent.
You also
need to determine the aggressiveness of your schedule.
Each project is different in nature and estimating the
time frame is somewhat subjective. The project should
flow in a productive time frame that is realistic but
not overly aggressive. There should also be one schedule
that is used by the owner and team members. Dual
schedules with different time frames do not work and
create a potential nightmare in trying to maintain 2
schedules that are not in coordination with each other.
Scheduling
can be your best friend or your worst enemy. They can
provide insight, control, etc., but when they are public
you have the contractual responsibility to manage and
control the schedule.
The first schedule that you
submit to an owner or customer may have the biggest impact on
your compensation at the end of the project.
Communicating your schedules to
an owner is an art. Most customers are primarily interested in
the end date and typically do not know how or care how you get
there. The customer is critical to the communication and
success of the project. They need to review the schedule
regularly and also be held responsible for their required
tasks, i.e. executing contracts, selection of items, owner
provided permits and approvals, equipment deliveries, etc. You
should use this to your advantage and make them feel as though
they are an integral part of the success of the project.
The Pre-Construction
requirements of the schedule should be as detailed as possible
and include as many owner responsible items as necessary. The
owner is typically most active during this phase.
When you submit schedules to
owners you should show the schedule with a detailed
Pre-Construction task listing and a summary view of the
construction phase. It is not the owners right to judge your
everyday activities but rather to make sure that the project
is proceeding according to plan.
If the project is running
late, you should involve the owner so that they become part of
the solution. It is best to keep them updated regularly,
preferably weekly, if the project is active.
Using email to
deliver schedules is very effective and instantaneous. Outside
of posting your schedules on the internet, using email is the
fastest and most economical way to distribute your schedule.
There are generally 3 ways to communicate your
schedules via email i.e. the following in order of preference;
Attach a copy of your MS Project Schedule
in Adobe Acrobat format:
Using Adobe Acrobat software
is the best way to transmit schedules via email.
It does not require that the recipient
has Microsoft Project installed to open, view and print
the schedule.
You can print any version of the schedule, i.e.
filtered views, reports, etc. (anything that you can print
out of MS Project) to the Adobe Acrobat printer
(Distiller). The Adobe Distiller is not an actual printer,
it is a virtual printer that converts most any software
document into PDF format so that anyone that has the free
reader installed can open, view and print it.
You can copy information as a
static picture from any active Microsoft Project view and
paste it into any program capable of displaying graphics
information as images. You can also save the picture in a
Web-compatible file format. You can copy a picture of the
entire view or select and copy a portion of any view except
the Relationship Diagram, Task Form, and Resource Form views.
To copy all
visible portions of your plan, click Copy
Picture.
To copy only a portion of your plan, select the information
you want to copy, and then click Copy
Picture.
Specify how
you want the image rendered:
To copy the
information as displayed on a screen with all formatting
intact, click For screen.
To copy the
information as it would be printed, click
For printer.
To copy the
information as a GIF image file, for use in a Web
page, HTML Email and in other programs, click To GIF image file, and then
specify the path and file name.
To copy
information for a range of dates other than those currently
displayed in the timescale, under Timescale, type or select
a starting and ending date in the From
and To boxes.
Click
OK.
If you
clicked For screen or
For printer, switch to the program
into which you want to paste the Microsoft Project
information, and then paste the picture using the program's
Paste command.
Notes
If your picture exceeds
22 inches by 22 inches (56 centimeters by 56 centimeters),
you will be prompted with options to adjust the size
before displaying it in another program. The maximum
internal limit for a picture is 340 inches wide (864
centimeters) by 1000 tasks long.
If you have selected
To GIF image file, and if your
picture exceeds 100 inches by 100 inches (254 centimeters
by 254 centimeters), you will be prompted with options to
reduce the size.
Include the picture in your
HTML Email:
With Microsoft Word set as
your e-mail editor, create or open a message. You are now
using Word from within Microsoft Outlook.
With the message
open, on the Insert menu,
click Picture.
In the
Picture source box, type the path to the image on your
hard disk or click Browse to
locate the image.
Using a picture of your schedule in the body
of your email works well if the overall size is not too large.
Large images that have an extended timescale will get cut off
and you will lose part of the image in your email.
Attach a copy of your MS Project
Schedule:
This method is the easiest but
it requires that the recipients have Microsoft Project
installed and has several drawbacks. Transmitting the actual
file to someone opens up the structure, logic and any
proprietary information that you may not want to share.
You can send a project file to
people working on your project by attaching the file to a
MAPI-compliant e-mail message. To open and review the
schedule, recipients must have Microsoft Project installed on
their computers. Before sending a project file, check your
Internet Explorer settings and make sure that your MAPI client
e-mail system is set as the e-mail program in the
Programs tab of the
Internet Options dialog box.
Open the
project file you want to send.
On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Mail Recipient.
In the To box, type the e-mail
names of the recipients.
We
have designed a custom Toolbar so that you can download and
use just one toolbar that is productive and contains custom
buttons with macros that will automate some of the featured
tables and views in our templates with just one click.
A macro is a shortcut that
performs a series of commands. Rather than manually performing
each step necessary to complete a task, you simply tell the
software what each step is, what needs to be accomplished in
each step, and in what order the steps must occur. Then you
designate some way to set this series of commands in motion.
We have created these macros
for you with easy instructions on how to download and install
the custom toolbar with the macros at the following link:
Many times while you are
scheduling, you may have the need to zoom or view different
timescale views so that you can always see the taskbars when
paging up or down. This is also useful when you want to get an
overview of the project.
The typical process is to
click: View > Zoom > Entire
Project > OK
It takes four mouse clicks
every time. You can record a macro to do this quickly for you
with the following instructions;
Choose
Tools > Macro > Record new
Macro.
Under
Macro name,
you enter a name (no spaces), under
Shortcut key,
enter an "A"
(for All task bars), under
Store Macro in,
select Global File
and click
OK.
The macro recorder is now
on and you can click the menu items
View > Zoom > Entire Project >
OK.
Choose
Tools > Macro > Stop Recorder
to finish the macro recording.
Click Zoom In or Zoom Out to
change the timescale. Hold down the
CONTROL
key and press
A,
and the timescale will show all task bars. The macro will now
be available in all your projects since we stored it in your
GLOBAL.MPT.
Our
goal is to provide you with the useful information, techniques, tips and
tools that will be of benefit to you. If there is any specific information on
scheduling, project management or communication that you would
like included within this subscription, please send your
request and we will make every effort to include it on an
upcoming issue.
Scheduling Solutions
.