Project Planning & Scheduling

Lecture 02

Engr. Sheheryar
Lecturer,
Department of Civil Engineering,
University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar,
Topics Covered in this lecture;
• Overview of Project Planning and Scheduling
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Project activities and their types
• Project scheduling Process
• Overview of;
o Method (ADM) Arrow Diagramming
o Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
oBar Charts
oCritical Path Method
oPERT
oResource Levelling
 Project Planning & Scheduling- An Overview
Project planning has been defined as ‘‘the process of choosing the one method and order of work to
be adopted for a project from all the various ways and sequences in which it could be done’’
• Project planning serves as a foundation for several related functions, such as cost estimating,
scheduling, project control, quality control, safety management, and others

Scheduling is the determination of the timing and sequence of operations in the project and their
assembly to give the overall completion time
o Project planning answers the questions;
o What is going to be done?
o How?
o Where?
o By whom?
o When (in general terms, the project’s start and end)?

• Scheduling deals with when on a detailed level.

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 Project Planning & Scheduling- An Overview
Why Project Scheduling?
Contractors need project scheduling to:
• Calculate the project completion date: In most construction projects, the general contractor (GC),
including subcontractors and other team members, is obligated to finish the project by a certain date
specified in the contract.
• Calculate the start or end of a specific activity
• Coordinate among trades and subcontractors, and expose and adjust conflicts: In today’s
construction, the GC’s role is mostly to coordinate among different subcontractors.
• Predict and calculate the cash flow: The timing of an activity has an impact on the cash flow, which
may be an important factor for the contractor (or the owner) to consider.
• Improve work efficiency: By properly distributing workers and equipment and having efficient
materials management
• Serve as an effective project control tool:
• Evaluate the effect of changes
• Prove delay claims: due to delays on the part of client
 Project Planning & Scheduling- An Overview
Why Project Scheduling?
• Project owners and developers need project scheduling to: -
- Get an idea on project’s expected finish date:
• Ensure contractor’s proper planning for timely finish
• Predict and calculate the cash flow
• Serve as an effective project monitoring tool
• Evaluate the effect of changes
• Verify delay claims
The Scheduler: A civil engineer, an architect, a computer expert, a mathematician, a project manager, an
artist, or a communicator?
1. Knowledge of computer software
2. Knowledge of the principles of scheduling and project control (as part of project management)
3.Knowledge of the specific technical field, such as commercial building, industrial, transportation, and so
forth
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• The WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), also defined as “structured breakdown of the project“, results a
very helpful methodology, being employed for the structuring and definition of all the activities of a
project, while addressing all the project phases in a more comprehensible way.

• A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the work involved in a project
that defines the total scope of the project.

• It is a foundation document in project management because it provides the basis for planning and
managing project schedules, costs, and changes.

• The aim of the WBS tool is to organize work in more easily manageable elements and to simplify the
understanding of a project, so to seamlessly communicate the project phases and activities that needs
to be achieved to all the stakeholders involved.

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 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
How to represent??

Tree Structure
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
How to represent??

Index Structure
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Work Packages in the WBS
The main objective of WBS is to identify the so-called
“work packages” at the last level of the decomposition.
o In the work package all the instructions to be carried
out to achieve a specific activity and task are indicated.
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
WBS and the 100% rule
One of the basic rules behind the creation of WBS is the 100% rule
which states:
• A WBS must include 100% of the work defined by the project and all the
necessary – internal, external and contract aspects – to the realization of the
project, including the management of the project itself.
• The rule applies to all hierarchy levels: the sum of the “child” levels (lower
node) must be equal to 100% of the work represented by their “father” (upper
node).
• The rule also applies to the level of activity: the work represented by the
activities in each work package must be 100% of the work necessary to
complete the entire package.
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The advantages of WBS

As seen before, using a WBS within a project involves a number of advantages,
such as:
• identify responsibilities for each phase of the project
• describe activities to be carried out in a clear and complete manner, avoiding
any ambiguities
• assign a task to a specific person or resource avoiding duplication in the
assignment of tasks
• facilitate communication between the different professional roles involved in
project execution
• improve understanding of the project by all the subjects involved
• improve understanding of the project by external subjects
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Example
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Example
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Example
 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Example
 Project Scheduling Process

4. Draw the logic

1. Determine the 2. Determine 3. Determine logical network, and
work activities activities durations relationships perform the CPM
calculations

7. Revise the 6. Monitor and

5. Implement the
database and control the
schedule
record feedback schedule
 Project Scheduling Process
1. Determine the work activities:

Any project, no matter how large or small, must be divided into smaller entities, called
activities, or tasks
• Restrict the number of activities for the simplicity of the project schedule: In this
case, activities become ‘‘major’’ components. However in most case an activity
duration is 14-30 days
• Break the project down into small activities: This approach will result in a large
number of activities.
 Project Scheduling Process
1. Determine the work activities:
Types of Activities
1. Start Milestone A Milestone represents a point in time (event) when a pre-determined task or goal is started or
2. Finish Milestone achieved, i.e. a task which has some significance is either started or is completed. For example,
Start/Finish of a Project, Commencing execution works, Completion of a Phase, etc.

3. Resource Dependent When the number of resources assigned to a task determine the task’s duration, it is called a
Resource Dependent activity.

This Activity Type is used in cases where the allocated number of resources has no impact on the
determination of duration. In other words, the activity is supposed to take a certain amount of time
4. Task Dependent
to be performed irrespective of the resources it has.

Level of effort (LOE) is a support-type project activity that must be done to support other work activities
or the entire project effort. It usually consists of short amounts of work that must be repeated
5. Level of Effort periodically e.g Team leading, oiling machinery during manufacturing etc.
- Its duration is based on the duration of the discrete work activity it is supporting
- As a result, an LOE activity should never be on the critical path of the project schedule, as it never of
itself adds time to the project

A WBS Summary spans all the activities within a WBS, starting from the start of the earliest activity to
6. WBS Summary
the finish of the activity finishing last in that WBS, however, no actual relationships/links need to be
specified.
 Project Scheduling Process
1. Determine the work activities:

Factors in breaking down the project

• Nature of the work/Homogeneity: For example, wall construction involves framing, masonry wall,
and painting as basic different activities. Hence these will be treated separately
• Location/floor: Activities falling in different locations must be separated
• Size/duration: For large activities or those with large quantity, it is better to divide the activities into
small portions.
• Timing/chronology: For example, a portion of the slab on grade (SOG) for a building maybe delayed
till the end of the project because the area is being used as storage. Such portion must be
considered as an activity by itself.
• Responsibility: Schedulers must break down pieces of work that are done by different parties
(subcontractors).
• Phase: This can be a division made by the designer based on certain criteria such as timing, location,
or other aspects.
 Project Scheduling Process
2. Determine activities duration:

Techniques for estimation of activity duration vary from one situation to another,
depending on the type of work, the estimator, and other factors
Duration = Total quantity / Crew productivity:
• For example, for 10,000 CY (cubic yards) of excavation and a crew that averages 800 CY
per day, the following is true:
Duration = 10000 CY/800 CY per day = 12.5 days or say 13 days
 Project Scheduling Process
2. Determine activities duration:

- Expert Judgment: Activity durations are often difficult to estimate because of the number of factors that
can influence them, such as resource levels or resource productivity. Expert judgment, guided by
historical information, can be used whenever possible.

- Analogous Estimating : Analogous duration estimating means using the actual duration of a previous
similar schedule activity as the basis for estimating the duration of a future schedule activity. Analogous
duration estimating is most reliable when the previous activities are similar in fact and not just in
appearance, and the project team members preparing the estimates have the needed expertise.

- Parametric Estimating: Estimating the basis for activity durations can be quantitatively determined by
multiplying the quantity of work to be performed by the productivity rate. For example, productivity rates
can be estimated on a design project by the number of drawings times labor hours per drawing, or a
cable installation in meters of cable times labor hours per meter. The total resource quantities are
multiplied by the labor hours per work period or the production capability per work period, and divided
by the number of those resources being applied to determine activity duration in work periods.
 Project Scheduling Process
3. Determine logical relationships:
Again, this step is a technical matter. The scheduler should obtain this information from
project managers and technical team leaders
• A logical relationship exists between two activities when the start of one activity
depends on the finish of other
• Resource constraint: (or restriction) is when you can theoretically do two tasks at the
same time, but you schedule one as a predecessor of the other because of resource
(labor, equipment) limitation.

4. Draw the logic network, and perform the CPM calculations.

If you are using a computer program, it will perform these functions for you, provided
that you have input the correct data.
 Project Scheduling Process
5. Review and analyze the schedule:
First, review the logic and make sure that every activity has the correct predecessors and no
redundant relationships.
• Common errors are as follows:
• Wrong relationship
• Missing relationship
• Redundant relationship-Creating complications

6. Implement the schedule: Implementing the schedule means taking the scheduling from
paper to execution. This step is important for fulfillment of the schedule.
7. Monitor and control the schedule
8. Revise the database and record feedback
 Network Diagrams
A network diagram is a graphical representation of activities with their
relationships. A network diagram is used to develop a schedule and to do schedule
calculations to determine critical and near critical paths.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams

There are basically two types of network diagrams that are used in developing a schedule.

1. Arrow Network or AoA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)

2.Node Network or AoN (Activity on Node) or PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method)

 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
1.Arrow Network or AoA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)

ADM (Arrow diagramming method) is type of network

diagram in which activities are represented by arrows,
which are connected to each other through nodes.
• Tail of the arrow represents start of the activity and
head of the arrow represents finish of the activity.
• Length of the arrow is often proportioned to the
duration of the activity.
• An activity originates and ends at a node.
• Nodes are used to represent start or end of an
activity in a sequence.
• Starting node of an activity is also referred as
activity’s i-node. And ending node of an activity is
also referred as activity’s j-node. This method is also
known as I-J method of diagramming.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
1.Arrow Network or AoA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)

• Relationship between activities often needs

a dummy activity to correctly represent them. A
dummy activity has no duration.
• It is only introduced to establish complex
relationships between activities which cannot be
established otherwise.
• A dummy activity is represented by dotted lines in a
network diagram.
• In the current example, activity C will start when
both activity B and activity E will finish. And activity
F will start when activity E will Finnish. So there is
need of a dummy activity to establish relationship
between C and E which cannot be established from
activities.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
1.Arrow Network or AoA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)

Method to Create an Arrow Network Diagram

Consider the following data in which there are 6

activities from A to F. Predecessors of each activity
are written next to them.

• To create an arrow diagram draw a node to

represent project start.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
1.Arrow Network or AoA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)

Method to Create an Arrow Network Diagram

• In this case, node 1 is representing the project.
• Remember that you can number the nodes as you
like. You can number the nodes as 1, 2, 3 or 10,
20, 30 etc.
• Now see that activity A has no predecessor. So
draw an arrow originating from node 1 and ending
at node 2.
• As B and C both has predecessor A so they must
originate from node 2 (end of activity A) and end
at their respective nodes (3 and 4 in this case).
• Similarly draw activities D, E.
• As activity F has 2 predecessors so the arrow must
originate when both D and E will finish, or from
node 5.
• Node 6 is representing end of activity F and as well
as end of the project.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
1.Arrow Network or AoA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)

• Lags and leads can also be shown in ADM network, however a new activity is to be drawn in order to
show a lag or lead.
• In the example below, concrete is placed which requires 7 days cure time till forms can be stripped off.
This relationship can be shown in ADM as below.

• ADM method has a large contribution in network diagrams in past.

• However this method is no longer used. Now the network diagrams are created by precedence
diagramming method or PDM. Scheduling softwares like Primavera P6 also used PDM method for
network diagramming.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
2. Node Network or AoN (Activity or Node) or PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method)

PDM (Precedence diagramming method) is

type of network diagram in which activities are
represented by nodes, which are connected to each
other through arrows.
• These arrows show relationships between
activities. In precedence diagramming method, all
four types of relationships can be represented
between activities. These relationships are Finish
to Start ‘FS’, Start to Start ‘SS’, Finish to Finish ‘FF’
and Start to Finish ‘SF’.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
2. Node Network or AoN (Activity or Node) or PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method)

Method to create an Precedence Network Diagram

Consider the following data in which there are 6 activities

from A to F. Predecessors of each activity are written next
to them.
• To create precedence diagram, first draw a box to
represent activity A.
• You can also start by drawing a box of Project start and
connecting it with activity A.
• As B and C both have predecessor A so now draw two
boxes for B and C and connect them with activity A.
• Similarly draw boxed for D and E and connect them
with activity B and C respectively.
• Now draw a box for activity F and connect it to
activities D and E.
 Network Diagrams
Types of Network Diagrams
2. Node Network or AoN (Activity or Node) or PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method)

Method to create an Precedence Network Diagram

• Lags and leads can also be shown in PDM network. No

separate activity need to be added in PDM to show lags
or leads.
• These can be simply added on the relationship line
connecting the activities.
• In the example below, concrete is placed which
requires 7 days cure time till forms can be stripped off.
This relationship can be shown in PDM as below.
 Bar Charts/Gantt Chart

• A pictorial chart, also known as the “Bar

Chart” was for the first time developed by
Henry Gantt around 1900 and is used to
deal with complex activities.
• The bar chart consists of two coordinates,
the horizontal represents the time
elapsed and the vertical represents the
job or activities performed. The jobs or
activities are shown in the form of bars
shown in Figure.
• The length of the bar shows the time the
job or that activity takes for completion.
• In every project, some jobs are taken up
concurrently and some are to be
completed before others can begin.
 Bar Charts/Gantt Chart

• Hence in a bar chart, some of the bars

run parallel or overlap each other time-
wise and some run serially with one bar
beginning after another bar ends.
• In this example, activities A and B can
start at the same time and proceed
concurrently or in parallel, though they
take different time intervals for their
completion.
• Activity C begins 5 days after the start of
activity A and B. Activity D cannot be
started until activity B is over. The bars
representing B and D therefore run
serially.
 Critical Path Method
• Critical path is the sequential activities from start to the end of a project.
Although many projects have only one critical path, some projects may have more
than one critical paths depending on the flow logic used in the project.
• If there is a delay in any of the activities under the critical path, there will be a
delay of the project deliverables.
• Most of the times, if such delay is occurred, project acceleration or re-sequencing
is done in order to achieve the deadlines.

• Critical path method is based on mathematical calculations and it is used for

scheduling project activities. This method was first introduced in 1950s as a joint
venture between Remington Rand Corporation and DuPont Corporation.
• The initial critical path method was used for managing plant maintenance
projects. Although the original method was developed for construction work, this
method can be used for any project where there are interdependent activities.
• In the critical path method, the critical activities of a program or a project are
identified. These are the activities that have a direct impact on the completion
date of the project.
 Critical Path Method
Benefits of Using CPM

• It helps define the minimum total project duration in a logical manner.

• It helps the project manager define actual start dates for each subcontractor and phase
of the project, providing more accurate scheduling information.
• Determines what float or lag time exists on parts of the project. Knowing that allows
some flexibility in scheduling and prevents wasting time on fixing a scheduling problem
that doesn’t exist (fighting a problem that the lag time eliminates).
• Helps the project management team know where to focus their efforts, by knowing
which tasks are critical to the overall project.
• Demonstrates is there are multiple critical paths, or if the critical path has changed due
to a task being completed early.
• Helps reduce waste by providing the ability to schedule more economically.
 Critical Path Method
Critical Path – Definition of Terms

• Earliest start time (ES): This is simply the earliest time that a task can be started in your
project. You cannot determine this without first knowing if there are any preceding tasks,
or figuring out other constraints that might impact the start of this task.

• Latest start time (LS): This is the very last minute in which you can start a task before it
threatens to upset your project schedule. And you need to calculate what the latest finish
time is for the same reason. By having a clear picture of this timeframe, you can better
schedule the project to meet its deadline.

• Earliest finish time (EF): The earliest an activity can be completed, based on its duration
and its earliest start time.

• Latest finish time (LF): The latest an activity can be completed, based on its duration and
its latest start time.
 Critical Path Method
Critical Path – Definition of Terms
• Float. is a term that describes how long you can delay a task before it impacts the planned schedule
and threatens the project’s deadline. The tasks on the critical path have zero float. If an activity has a
float greater than zero, it means it can be delayed without affecting the project completion time.
o Total float represents the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the overall
project duration and is also called “float” or “slack”.
• Total float is measured as the difference between the early and late start dates (LS - ES) or the early
and late finish dates (LF – EF).
o Free float represents the amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without
delaying the early start date of any immediate successor activity within the network path.
 Free float is measured by subtracting the early finish (EF) of the activity from the early start (ES) of the
successor activity.

• Crash duration. This describes the shortest amount of time that a task can be scheduled. You can get
there by moving around resources, adding more towards the end of the task, to decrease the time
needed to complete the task. This often means a reduction in quality, but is based on a relationship
between cost and time.
 Critical Path Method
Critical Path – Definition of Terms
Forward Pass
The first step in the calculation process is known as the Forward
Pass. In the forward pass, the Early Start and Early Finish values for
each activity, along with the overall Project Duration, are
calculated.
Earliest Start Time (ES)
◦ earliest time an activity can start
◦ ES = maximum EF of immediate predecessors
Earliest finish time (EF)
◦ earliest time an activity can finish
◦ earliest start time plus activity time - 1
EF= ES + t-1
 Critical Path Method
Critical Path – Definition of Terms
Backward Pass

• The second step in the calculation is comprised of the Backward

Pass.
• Through this pass, the Late Start and Late Finish values are
calculated.
• The formulas for the backward pass are shown below:

Late Start = LF – Duration + 1

Late Finish = Minimum (or Lowest) LS value from immediate
Successor(s)
 Critical Path Method

EF = ES+D-1
LS = LF-D+1
TF = LF-EF or LS-ES

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PMBOK Guide 6th Ed.
 Critical Path Method
Critical Path Method

Calculates the following for each activity

• ES = Earliest Starting Time
• EF = Earliest Finishing Time
• LS = Latest Starting Time
• LF = Latest Finishing Time
• TF = Total Float
• FF = Free Float
 Critical Path Method
Example 01
 Critical Path Method
Example 01

Network Diagram for given activities

 Critical Path Method
Example 01

Layout of Data
 Critical Path Method
Example 01

Critical Path:
A,B,D,G,H

Project Duration/Min. Completion time: 19 units

 Critical Path Method
Example 01

Critical Path:
A,B,D,G,H

Project Duration/Min. Completion time: 19 units

 Critical Path Method
Example 01

Activities Total Float Free Float

A 0 0
B 0 0
C 6 0
D 0 0
E 6 6
F 9 9
G 0 0
H 0 -
Critical Path Method
 Critical Path Method
 Forward Pass/Path: For Calculating Early Start & Early Finish

ES EF EF = ES+D-1
D LS = LF-D+1
TF = LF-EF or LS-ES

LS LF 52
 Critical Path Method
 Calculating Free Float
FF(i) = ES (i+1)-1-EF(i)

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 Critical Path Method
 Backward Pass/Path: For Calculating Late Start & Late Finish

ES EF EF = ES+D-1
D LS = LF-D+1
TF = LF-EF or LS-ES

LS LF 54
Class Exercise

A C G
Start H
B D E

Activity ID Duration Dependency

F A 7
B 3
C 6 A
Early Start Duration Early
(ES) (D) Finish (EF) D 3 B
Activity ID E 3 D, F
Late Start Total Float Late Finish F 2 B
(LS) (TF) (LF)
G 3 C
Activity Identity Box H 2 55 E, G
 Critical Path Method
Assignment No 01

- Assume durations of each activity.

- Durations assumed by each student
should be different from other student.
- Determine;
1) Critical path
2) Min. Project duration
3) ES,EF,LS,LF for each activity
4) Free float and Total float for each
activity
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
PERT is a three point activity estimating technique that considers estimation uncertainty and risk by using
three estimates to define an approximate probability for an activity’s cost or duration.

PERT is based on the assumption that an activity’s duration follows a probability distribution instead of
being a single value

Three time estimates are required to compute the parameters of an activity’s duration distribution:
Pessimistic time (tp ) - the time the activity would take if things did not go well

Most likely time (tm ) - the consensus best estimate of the activity’s duration

Optimistic time (to ) - the time the activity would take if things did go well

tp + 4 tm + to
Mean (expected time): te = 6
2
tp - to
Variance: Vt = 2 = 6
Three Time Estimate Example
Time estimates Expected
Activity Predecessor
Opt. (o) Normal (m) Pess. (p) time
A — 2 4 6 4.00
B — 3 5 9 5.33
C A 4 5 7 5.17
D A 4 6 10 6.33
E B, C 4 5 7 5.17
F D 3 4 8 4.50
G E 3 5 8 5.17

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 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

• PERT is commonly used for research projects or the programs which have not been executed earlier.

• This means that, when an organization does not have any experience of implementing a program or working
on a specific project, PERT proves to be an appropriate statistical tool.

• When the organization undertakes a new project, it becomes difficult to determine the time within which
the project has to be completed.

• Therefore, to provide the deadline for every task involved in the project and guide them on the sequence of
all the activities, PERT analysis is considered to be the most suitable method.

• It is also a handy tool for budgeting such a project. This is because having an idea of the estimated duration
will help the management to ascertain the need for financial and human resources; and their acquisition.
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Working with PERT

• Sometimes, people categorize and put PERT and CPM together. Although CPM (Critical Path Method)
shares some characteristics with PERT, PERT has a different focus.

• Same as most of other estimation techniques, PERT also breaks down the tasks into detailed activities.

• Then, a Gantt chart will be prepared illustrating the interdependencies among the activities. Then, a
network of activities and their interdependencies are drawn in an illustrative manner.

• Next, the Earliest Time (TE) and the Latest Time (TL) are figured for each activity and identify the slack
time for each activity.

• When it comes to deriving the estimates, the PERT model takes a statistical route to do that.
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Working with PERT
• BETA probability distribution is what works behind PERT. The expected completion time (te) is calculated
for each activity.

• At the same time, the possible variance (Vt) of the estimate is also calculated.

• Now, following is the process we follow with the two values:

I. For every activity in the critical path, te and Vt are calculated.

II. Then, the total of all te are taken. This is the overall expected completion time for the project.

III. Now, the corresponding Vt is added for each activity of the critical path. This is the variance for the
entire project. This is done only for the activities in the critical path as only the critical path
activities can accelerate or delay the project duration.

IV. Then, standard deviation of the project is calculated. This equals to the square root of the variance
(Vt ).
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Working with PERT
• BETA probability distribution is what works behind PERT. The expected completion time (te) is calculated
for each activity.

• At the same time, the possible variance (Vt) of the estimate is also calculated.

• Now, following is the process we follow with the two values:

V. Now, the normal probability distribution is used for calculating the project completion time with
the desired probability.
 Resource Levelling
Resource leveling is a technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on
resource limitation with the goal of balancing the demand for resources with the available
supply.

• A project requires resources to execute the activities. These resources include the labor,
equipment and materials required to get the work done.

• Labor is the people, such as craft, engineers, programmers, systems analysts, etc.

• Equipment includes such things as cranes, test rigs, process simulators, etc.

• Materials includes such things as the concrete to be poured, the wire to be installed, etc.

• In the ideal world, resources are unlimited and available as required. Yet, resources are
generally not unlimited and the project team needs to “level” out the use and
consumption of resources.
 Resource Levelling
Resource leveling is a technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on
resource limitation with the goal of balancing the demand for resources with the available
supply.

• When performing construction project planning activities, the project manager will
attempt to schedule certain activities simultaneously.
• When more resources such as people or machines are needed than are available, or
perhaps a specific person is needed in both activities, the activities will have to be re-
scheduled in a concurrent way or even sequentially to manage the constraint.
• Project resource leveling is the process of resolving these conflicts.

• Resource leveling techniques are closely related to critical path method calculations. For
that reason, total float, activity sequences, and the network diagram logic affect the
required resource quantities per time.
 The project schedule is an output of a schedule model that
presents linked activities with planned dates, durations,
milestones, and resources. At a minimum, the project schedule
includes a planned start date and planned finish date for each
activity.
 Purpose of schedule: It enables construction managers to
determine the amount of time needed to complete the project.
 Managers use the schedule to determine when workers,
materials, and equipment are needed. Comparing actual progress
to the schedule indicates when corrective action needs to be
taken.
 The schedule can also be used to track the expenditure of money.

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 Preliminary Schedule: Initial schedule prior to the baseline
schedule reflecting how the contractor plans to proceed with
constructing a project.
 Preliminary schedule is prepared before awarding the contract
and it is submitted with proposal. It must not be confused with
the detailed schedule which is prepared after the contract is
awarded.
 Updated Schedule: A schedule that truly reflects the current
means and method how the project is progressing.

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 Baseline Schedule: A schedule baseline is the approved version of
a schedule model that can be changed only through formal
change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison
to actual results.
 It is accepted and approved by the appropriate stakeholders as
the schedule baseline with baseline start dates and baseline finish
dates.
 During monitoring and controlling, the approved baseline dates
are compared to the actual start and finish dates to determine
whether variances have occurred.
 The schedule baseline is a component of the project management
plan.
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Example

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 Graphical Example
Milestone charts or Master schedule: These charts are similar to bar charts, but only
identify the scheduled start or completion of major deliverables and key external
interfaces.
Bar charts: Also known as Gantt charts, represent schedule information where activities
are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and activity
durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates.
 Graphical Example Cont.
Project schedule network diagrams: These diagrams are commonly presented in the
activity-on-node diagram format showing activities and relationships without a time
scale, sometimes referred to as a pure logic diagram or presented in a time-scaled
schedule network diagram format that is sometimes called a logic bar chart.

Activity-on-Node Diagram Logic Bar Chart Example

PMBOK, Page 193, Figure 6-11 PMBOK, Page 219, Figure 6-21
Project Schedule Network Diagram Project Schedule – Graphic Examples
 Control Schedule is the process of monitoring the status of
the project to update the project schedule and managing
changes to the baseline schedule. The key benefit of this
process is that the schedule baseline is maintained
throughout the project.
 Number of techniques are used to control the project
schedule i.e. resource optimization, CPM, lag & lead and
schedule compression etc.
 Schedule compression techniques are used to shorten or
accelerate the schedule duration without reducing the
project scope in order to meet schedule constraints or
imposed dates.
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Schedule Compression

 Crashing: A technique used to shorten the schedule

duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources.
Examples of crashing include approving overtime, bringing
in additional resources, or paying to expedite delivery to
activities on the critical path.
 Crashing works only for activities on the critical path where
additional resources will shorten the activity’s duration.
 Crashing does not always produce a viable alternative and
may result in increased risk and/or cost.

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Schedule Compression (Cont.)

 Fast tracking. A schedule compression technique in which

activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in
parallel for at least a portion of their duration.
 An example is constructing the foundation for a building before
completing all of the architectural drawings.
 Fast tracking may result in rework and increased risk.
 Fast tracking only works when activities can be overlapped to
shorten the project duration on the critical path.
 Using leads in case of schedule acceleration usually increases
coordination efforts between the activities concerned and
increases quality risk.
 Fast tracking may also increase project costs.
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Schedule Compression (Cont.)

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PMBOK Guide 6th Ed.