Construction Project Planning

Dr. Ramya Kumanayake

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 Why is construction planning
necessary?
•The objective of any construction work is to
complete a prescribed amount of work within a
fixed duration at a previously estimated cost to
the required quality.
•To achieve this objective, project planning,
scheduling & controlling are required at different
stages by different parties involved in the
project. 2
 Client (Owner)

• Planning is required for arranging the

finance based on cash flows and for
taking strategic management
decisions.

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 Consultant/Architect

• Planning is required for the

preparation of tender documents etc.
• Most of the time the Consultant
provides plans to the client to satisfy
his requirements.

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 Contractor

• Planning is carried out by Contractor in three

stages.
1) Estimating stage (Pre-tender planning)
2) Pre- construction stage (after the award, before
commencement)
3) Construction stage (production planning)
• Proper planning is essential to reduce wastage
and meet client’s requirements at the same time
securing the profits expected.
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 Planning Techniques

• Bar chart(Gantt Chart)

• Critical path Method (CPM)
• Line of Balance (LOB) technique
• Programme Evaluation and Review
Technique (PERT)

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 The selection of a planning technique
mainly depends on,
• Size and complexity of project
• Type of project
• Availability of expertise
• Nature of project activities
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 Bar chart (Gantt chart)
• A bar chart is a graphical representation of
project activities, shown in a time-scaled bar
line with no links shown between activities.
• The bar chart was developed by Henry L.
Gantt in 1917 & also called as Gantt chart.
• It became popular especially in the
construction sector because of its ability to
graphically represent a project’s activities on
a time scale.
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Bar chart for placing a simple slab

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Bar chart representing the summery activities for
constructing a bridge

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 Preparation of Bar Charts

The steps in preparing a bar chart are as follows.

• Identify the level of details required.
• Breakdown the project into component activities.
• Determine the duration of activities considering
resource requirements.
• Establish sequential relationships between
activities and arrange them in sequence on the
bar chart depending on the relationships.
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Exercise 1:
For the project outlined in the following table, prepare a
bar chart. What is the total duration of the project?

Task Follow task(s) Duration (weeks)

A Start 6
B Start 5
C Start 5
D A 3
E A,B 6
F C,D,E 1

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 Exercise 2:
For the project outlined in the following table, prepare
a bar chart. What is the total duration of the project?
Activity Duration Follows Resource
(weeks) quantity
A-Construct foundation & base slab 4 Project start 4

B – Construct walls 1st storey 3 A 5

C – Construct columns 1st storey 2 A 2

D – Construct 1st floor slab 4 B,C 7

E- Construct walls 2nd storey 2 D 4

F – Construct columns 2nd storey 3 D 3

G - Construct stairs 1st flight 2 A 3

H – Construct stairs 2nd flight 2 D 3

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I – Construct roof 4 E 6
Task Task Description Duration(Days) Follows
(Weeks) task(s)
A Clear site 4 Start
B Obtain timber & other basic materials 3 Start

C Obtain other materials & components 4 Start

D Prefabricate wall panels 7 B

E Prefabricate roof trusses 4 B
F Form & pour footings & floor slab 3 A,B
G Erect wall panels 3 D,F
H Erect roof trusses 2 E,G
J Complete roof 3 C,H
K Finish interior 4 J
L Finish exterior 5 J
M Clean up site 3 L
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N Final inspection & approval 2 K,M

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Bar charts can represent various types of project
information
• Start & end of each activity
• Resources
• Budget
• Comparison of as-planned schedule with the
as-built schedule
• Non working periods
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• Since bar charts basically use the x-axis
only (to depict time), the y-axis is used (in
addition to showing individual activities) to
represent a variable across time such as
man-hours, budget, percent complete etc.
• This variable is usually shown as a curve
superimposed on the bar chart.

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Bar chart-loaded with man hours- for construction of a 2-storey
building

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Bar chart-loaded with the budget- for construction of a 2-
storey building

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Bar chart for replacement of an old roof, showing a comparison
between the percent complete of the planned (as-planned
activities) & that of the actual (as-built)activities.

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Alternative bar chart for placing a simple slab placed in two
parts

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 Advantages of Bar charts

• Simplicity
• Ease of preparation & understanding
• As bar charts are time-scaled, just by looking at the chart one can
get idea on he duration of each activity.
• Readily understood by people who do not have any technical
background.
• Additional information such as resource requirements can be
easily included.
• Shows the entire programme in a compact form so that it is easy
to use in the office & the field.
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 Disadvantages of Bar charts

• Lack of logical representation (relationships)

• Activity inter-relationships cannot be shown in
sufficient degree of accuracy.
• Bar charts may not be practical for projects
with large numbers of activities.
• No specific emphasis on critical activities.
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 Applications of bar charts

• As a planning tool
• As a scheduling tool
• As a coordinating tool
• As a pro-risk control tool
• As a tool for the preparation of resource
schedules

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 Linked bar charts

• One of the disadvantages of the normal bar

chart is its inability to display complex inter-
relationships. This can be overcome by linked
bar charts.

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 What is a Linked Bar Chart?

• A Linked Bar chart is an extension of a traditional

bar chart and has the following advantages.
• Shows the links between an activity and preceding
activities, which have to be completed before that
activity can start.
• Shows the link between an activity and succeeding
activities which are dependent on the activity being
completed.
• The linking shows the effects of delays of any activity in
the overall programme.
• Shows the float time available for each activity. 28
11 week float

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Computer software for developing bar charts
(MS Project, Primavera etc.)

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