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DO’s & DON’Ts

in Construction Scheduling

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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 2
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Behind every project

schedule there is the person,
or people, who created the
schedule, and that is the
place to start when exploring
best practices and pitfalls
that creep into project
schedules. That’s because it’s
usually human error, and the
thinking behind the
schedule that leads
to problems.
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CHIEF AMONG THOSE THOUGHT

PATTERNS IS POOR LOGIC
Logic problems in scheduling can
arise in many places in today’s
complex construction projects.

Assuming that most project planners

and schedulers are well trained
and experienced, they will carefully
construct a project that is both logical
in organization and in timing.

But even then, humans make mistakes

and sometimes overlook things, so it’s
usually the case that logic errors will
creep into the process of planning a
complex project schedule.

For example, it would be illogical to schedule a bath fixture to be

installed before the rough-in, but, it happens, and is an example of a
logic error arising simply from inattention to detail.

While poor logic can be difficult to prevent, there are some steps you
can take to correct the thinking behind it. Some examples include
creating template schedules that can be modified for projects,
implementing a peer review processes, and reviewing historical statistics
of schedule durations per square foot per dollar for the particular type
of work.

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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 4
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THE PRACTICE OF QUESTIONING

Other types of errors can be buried more deeply in the fabric of the
project schedule, such as when a decision is made based upon incorrect
assumptions during estimating, or very early in the project planning
stages.

That’s why adopting and nurturing a questioning approach to

scheduling is often more productive then just assuming everything
that’s been done before is accurate.

The superintendent on the project should

either create the schedule, or be deeply
involved in the creation of it, since he/
she will be doing the building and
closely considers how it will be
accomplished.

There’s a balance that has

to be struck because
schedulers shouldn’t be
going back and redoing
estimating’s work, or
project management’s
work, but they should
be inquisitive enough to
follow their hunches and
investigate when things
don’t seem quite right.
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FOR EXAMPLE,
permissions and permits are notorious for falling through
the cracks, especially when a builder is working in
unfamiliar territory.

This could happen if time in a schedule was not allocated

for in-wall or overhead inspections.

An error like this would cost the job multiple days, as

work could not progress until those inspections have been
realized, scheduled, and completed.

EXPERIENCED SCHEDULERS
WILL HAVE A LIST
of things they automatically check at the beginning of
every scheduling job just to be sure there weren’t obvious
errors that occurred before them.

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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 6
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DESCRIPTIONS MATTER
Another type of error is one of not being appropriately descriptive when
describing activities.

First of all,
you’ll need to create a
very detailed schedule,
sometimes even including
items as specific as
But most importantly,
deliveries of material.
all tasks or activities have to
be described in language that is
easily understood by installers and
everyone else, and should
be referenced to other
associated tasks.

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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 7
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The type of fixture should be named and any critical aspects of its
installation should be explained in the lines. For example, it could be
something like:

“Rough-in plumbing
in bathroom 15a”

and then a line that follows with:

“Install fixtures in
bathroom 15a”

This description, while on separate lines,

tells the full story of what needs to SHARE THIS eBOOK!
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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 8
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RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
When it comes to predecessors and successors, every task except
for the very first and very last must include them. Predecessors and
successors serve as the beginnings and ends to each task, and when
missing one or both, and activity becomes an orphan. The project itself
has a beginning and end, and so too must all the activities or tasks. Be
sure to link your predecessors and successors properly, or your critical
path won’t calculate correctly.

If you resource load

your schedule, it
can be tempting
to ignore assigning
resources to
individual tasks
In some cases, assigning
within a group.
resources to the group is fine,
but to do so without careful
scrutiny is dangerous.

Consider a concrete operation that requires the pouring of a slab. While

fewer resources are required initially to form the slab, you will need
numerous finishers scheduled on pour day that won’t be required on any
other day. Accounting for this in scheduling will prevent delays caused
by a manpower shortage.
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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 9
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PITFALLS OF NOT ESTIMATING

Perhaps one of the biggest errors that occurs in project scheduling is
not basing estimating on a schedule. A schedule is usually needed to
estimate general conditions, which specifically relates to how long your
team will be on site.

Occasionally, a schedule needs to be based on an estimate to ensure

that the amount of time assumed in an estimage matches the schedule.
However, if the estimate was wrong, the job still needs to be built
correctly, and the schedule will overrule the estimate.
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Any builder who’s done more than one project knows they are all
differrent.

Each one has its own

circumstances
its own
unique soil
characteristics
its
individual locale
and its
own history

and to approach the scheduling process without an estimate is the

act of simply creating “USELESS ARTS AND CRAFTS,” according
to J.F. McCarthy in “Choosing Project Success: A Guide for Building
Professionals.”

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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 11
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EVERY PROJECT HAS

LIMITING FACTORS
Forgetting to consider the constraints and logistics of the project site,
and the constraints of specific scopes within the project, are two more
prevalent pitfalls in construction project planning.

EXAMPLE 1
Consider a job site that is an existing multifamily renovation project
where the buildings will be renovated in phases - one or two buildings
at a time. The job site is going to have severe limitations on how labor,
materials and equipment move about, because there will always be
adult residents, children, the elderly, the disabled, and their movements
to consider. A logistics plan should be created and approved by all
parties prior to finalizing the schedule.

EXAMPLE 2
Suppose a job requires a concrete slab that will eventually be the
ground floor of a building. Time will be required for the slab to cure
before building on it. Likewise, using epoxy to set rebar into a block
wall will require a curing time that has to be factored into the schedule.
Work should be planned and phased to account for dyeing and curing
time of various material.

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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 12
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TRACKING RESULTS
Finally, don’t overlook the important management function of
controlling. A schedule comes to life once it is implemented, and that
means that things are going to begin changing.

Using tracking, you need to know what’s working and what isn’t, and
you need to know where there are too many resources assigned, where
there aren’t enough, along with answers to a hundred questions.

Use the reporting functions of your PM or

scheduling software to do the analysis.
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 DOs & DON’Ts IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING 13
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scheduling process more efficient.

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