3.

Construction Project
Time Management:
Construction Planning
Dr. Khaled Hesham Hyari
Department of Civil Engineering
The Hashemite University
 Project Time Management
• Project Time Management: It includes the
processes required to ensure timely
completion of the project.
• It includes:
– Activity definition
– Activity sequencing
– Activity resource Estimating
– Activity duration Estimating
– Schedule development
– Schedule control
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 Project Time Management II
• Activity Definition: Identifying the specific
schedule activities that need to be performed to
produce the various project deliverables
• Activity Sequencing: Identifying and documenting
dependencies among schedule activities
• Activity Resource Estimating: Estimating the type
and quantities of resources required to perform
each schedule activity
• Activity Duration Estimating: Estimating the
number of work periods that will be needed to
complete individual schedule activities
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 Project Time Management III
• Schedule Development: Analyzing activity
sequences, durations, resource requirements, and
schedule constraints to create the project schedule
• Schedule Control: Controlling changes to the
project schedule

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Planning and Scheduling What?

• What is Planning and Scheduling?

– Planning & Scheduling: provides a project
plan/schedule that is essential in project time
management.
• Project Time Management:
– Planning.
– Scheduling.
– Tracking and Control.
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 Planning and Scheduling Why?

• Why do we Plan and Schedule?

• Planning & Scheduling is needed for:
– Scope recognition.
– Task definition & responsibility identification.
– Effective utilization of resources (labor,
material & equipment).
– Tracking and controlling project time and cost.
– Claims analysis, quantification and defense.

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 Planning and Scheduling How?
• How do we Plan and Schedule?
• Planning Determines:
– What must be done?
– How it is to be performed?
– What sequential order it will follow?
• Planning Requires:
– Ability to visualize discrete work elements.
– Establishing interdependencies.
– Intimate knowledge of construction methods.

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 Planning and Scheduling How?

• Planning Steps:
– Generate WBS & Activity List.

– Estimate Activity Duration/Cost.

– Determine job logic (sequential relationships

among activities).
– Draw graphic presentation in a network.

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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Activity: a single work task that consumes time and
has a recognizable start and finish times.
• Activity: A component of work performed during the
course of a project (PMBOK)
• Schedule Activity: A discrete scheduled
component of work performed during the course of a
project. A schedule activity normally has an
estimated duration, an estimated cost, and
estimated resource requirements. Schedule
activities are connected to other schedule activities
with logical relationships, and are decomposed from
work packages.
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Guidelines for Identifying Activities:
– Area of responsibility (general contractor,
subcontractor).
– Location on site.
– Structural element (substructure,
superstructure, etc.)
– Craft or crew requirements.
– Equipment requirements.
– Material utilized (concrete, timber, steel, etc.)
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Factors Affecting Level of Detail (Number
of Activities):
– Nature and size of project.
– Required level of detail.
– Which level of management will use the schedule.
• Schedule Hierarchy:
– Master project plan/schedule.
– Master subproject plan/schedule.
– Detailed subproject plan/schedule.
– Detailed work plan/schedule.
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 Generating WBS and Activities

• Work breakdown structure (WBS):

Describes the project scope of work in a
hierarchy of work packages, where each
abstract work package in the higher levels of
the hierarchy is subdivided into more
detailed work packages in lower levels of the
hierarchy.
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Work breakdown structure: A deliverable-
oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to
be executed by the project team to accomplish the
project objectives and create the required
deliverables
• It recognizes and defines the total scope of the
project
• Each descending level represents an increasingly
detailed definition of the project work
• The WBS is decomposed into work packages
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Work Package:
– Is a well-defined scope of work that usually
terminates in a deliverable product.
– Each package may vary in size, but must be a
measurable and controllable unit of work to be
performed.
– It must be identifiable in a numerical accounting
system in order to permit the capture of both
budgeted & actual performance information.
– A work package is a work center. (Neil 1982)
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 Generating WBS and Activities

• Other Names of a Work Package:

– Estimating account.

– Line item.

– Cost account.

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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Uses of WBS:
– Identifying scope of work.
– Preparing preliminary budget.
– Cost estimating.
– Scheduling.
– Identifying cost & schedule at various levels of
details.
– Time & cost control.
– Identifying individual or departmental
responsibilities.
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Types of Coding Systems:
– Standard code
– Project code
• Standard Code: is a systematic classification
& categorization of all items of work or cost
pertaining to a specific type of construction
(e.g. Building construction, Heavy
construction).
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Purpose of Standard Code:
– Provides a comprehensive checklist of all items
of work that can be found in a specific type of
construction.
– Provides for uniformity, transfer & comparison of
information among projects.
• Example: Masterformat was developed through a
joint effort of 8 industry & professional associations
including:
– Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)
– Construction Specifications Canada (CSC)
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 Generating WBS and Activities
• Divisions: 9. Finishes.
1. General Requirements. 10.Specialties.
2. Site work. 11.Equipment
3. Concrete. 12.Furnishings.
4. Masonry. 13.Special Construction.
5. Metals. 14.Conveying Systems.
6. Woods & Plastics. 15.Mechanical.
7. Thermal & Moisture 16.Electrical.
Protection.
8. Doors & Windows.
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 Generating WBS and Activities

• Project Code: is
a systematic
classification &
categorization of
all items of work
or cost pertaining
to a specific
project.

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 Estimating Activity Duration
• Rules for Estimating Activity Duration:
– Evaluate activities one at a time.
– Assume normal level of resources.
– Assume normal working hours (No Overtime).
– Use consistent time units.
– Put project completion date OUT OF MIND.
• Activity Duration is often estimated based on:
– Experience and judgment.
– Quantity of work and crew daily output
Quantity of work
Activity Duration =
Crew daily output
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 Estimating Activity Duration
• Factors Affecting Activity Duration:

– Weather.

– Learning Curve.

– Overtime.

– Space Congestion.

– Design Changes & Rework.

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 Estimating Activity Duration

• Learning Curve:
based on the fact that
skill & productivity in
performing tasks
improve with
experience and
practice.
• Example: The tenth
activity takes less
time than the first.

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Estimating Activity Duration

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 Determining Job Logic
• Construction Planning Restraints:
– Physical: (formwork must precede pouring
concrete).
– Resource:
• Availability of material.
• Availability of equipment.
• Availability of labor.
• Availability of money.
– Safety.
– Environment:
• Weather.
• Economical.
• Social.
• Political. 25
 Determining Job Logic

• For each activity answer 3 questions:

– Which activities precede this activity?

– Which activities follow this activity?

– Which activities are concurrent with this

activity?

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