OVERVIEW OF CONSTRUCTION

PROJECT PLANNING
TECHNIQUES – TIME
MANAGEMENT
 Introduction
 A Project is a planned undertaking which is a set of
interrelated and coordinated activities designed to
achieve certain specific objective, within a given
budget and period of time.
 Need to:
 Clearly define the objectives
 Basic Facts about Construction Planning

 Construction planning is an essential part of

construction project management in that it forms
the basis for determination of resources
identification, mobilization, utilization and control.
 Planning means deciding where you want to go and
then how you will get there. e.g. when constructing
a building, road or a water project.
Importance of Construction
Planning
 Construction managers often cite delivering
projects on time as one of their biggest
challenges;
 For example, construction projects overrun time
by over 40% in Tanzania
 Search: “Construction Projects Performance
Tanzania”;
 Time has the least amount of flexibility; it passes
no matter what; and
 Schedule issues are the main reason for conflicts
on projects, especially during the second half of
construction projects.
 Steps in Planning for construction projects

 GOOD PLANNING ENABLES

TIMELY PROJECT
COMPLETION – NO DELAYS
 Project Time Management Processes
6

 Project time management involves the processes

required to ensure timely completion of a project.
Processes include:
 Activity definition
 Activity sequencing
 Activity resources estimation
 Activity duration estimating
 Schedule development
 Schedule control

Leads to Good Resources Management

 Possible Causes of Delays in
Construction Projects
 Weather;
 Materials not being available;

 Materials being rejected;

 Breakdown of equipment;

 Unwillingness to cooperate;

 Inadequate detailing

 Delayed payment;

 Delay in obtaining relevant permits;

 Lack of cooperation of statutory authorities; etc.

 Advantages of planning to the Contractor

 Better familiarization of the project;

 Proper cashflow to prevent losses;
 Proper supply of required labour;
 Assist coordination of subcontractors;
 Provision of a standard against which actual work
maybe measured;
 Keeping of proper records of progress;
 Saving money on the project;
 Avoiding conflicts.
Advantages of planning to the Client/Owner

 Knowing exactly the duration of the project and the

length of time his/her capital will be unproductive
while tied up in construction work
 Having a clear framework for control – time and
cashflows.
 Advantages of planning to the Architect or
Engineer

 Knowing the anticipated rate of progress for all

main operations
 Knowing when each operation is to be carried out
so that he/she knows when each drawing will be
required
 Forecasting cashflows for the Owner of the project.
 Advantages of planning to other parties
connected with the Contract.

 These include – subcontractors, specialists,

suppliers & local authorities.
 Programme will help them to know in what stage and
when the work is to be carried out and thus plan
accordingly.
 The purpose of the
programme/plan
 Is the purpose to:
 Help in preparation of an estimate?;
 To show the sequence and ideally the interdependence
of operations?; or
 To show progress of the works?.
 The answer to these will determine the type of
programme.
 The Process of Preparing a Project Plan

 Understanding the project scope.

 Defining activities
 What is Project Scope?
14
 Scope refers to all the work involved in creating the
products of the project and the processes used to create
them
 Project scope management aims at ensuring that the project
includes all the work required, and only the work required,
to complete the project successfully.
 Project scope management includes the processes involved
in defining and controlling what is or is not included in the
project
 The project team and stakeholders must have the same
understanding of what products will be produces as a result
of a project and what processes will be used in producing
them
 Scope of Planning
 Idea Stage
 Briefing Stage
 Design Stage
 Implementation Stage
 Commissioning Stage
 Owner identifies a problem which requires a
IDEA solution

FEASIBILI Owner mobilises human resources to translate the

idea into a project proposal which is functionally,
TY technically and economically feasible

Experts mobilised complete the

DESIGNIN brief after approval by determining
G the layout, design, method of
implementation and the resources
required
Actual process of transformation of
working drawings into physical IMPLEMENTIN
objects within agreed time, cost and
quality targets
G
Aims to see that the objectives of
the Client are likely to be met by the COMMISSIO
facility provided either physical or
organisational.
N
Time
Planning for the Whole Project
 Planning has to include all activities that are
necessary to complete the project;
 A Plan that does not cover all necessary projects
will lead to partial implementation of the project.
 The Plan has to cover all the SCOPE of the project.
 The Work Breakdown Structure
18

 A work breakdown structure (WBS) is an

outcome-oriented analysis 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.
Project Management Phases

DESIGN IMPLEMENT COMMISSION OPERATIONS

FEASIBILITY
PLANNING

Fin.&Eval.
Organization
Risk
Estimating
Planning
Outline - Organisation

 Planning – Hierarchical Project

Structures
 Work Breakdown Structure
 Organization Breakdown Structure
 Cost Breakdown Structure
Planning Components
 What: Work Breakdown Structure
 How: Plans and Specifications
 Who: Organization Breakdown Structure
 How much: Cost Breakdown Structure (via
estimate)
 When: Schedule
 Outline

 Planning – Hierarchical Project

Structures
 Work Breakdown Structure
 Organization Breakdown Structure
 Cost Breakdown Structure
Work Breakdown Structure
 A WBS is a deliverable-oriented grouping of
project components that organizes and defines
the total scope of the project
 Work not in the WBS is outside the scope of the
project
 WBS is usually an operative tool used by
contractors
 First step towards constructing a schedule
 Central role in project monitoring and control
WBS Role
 Partition the major project deliverables into
smaller components to improve the accuracy
of cost estimates
 Provide a mechanism for collecting actual

costs
 Provide a mechanism for performance

measurement and control

 Good WBS Design Principles
 The 100% Rule
 The WBS defines 100% of the work of the project
 Anything that isn’t defined in the WBS is outside the scope of the project.
 The work content on any item is the sum of what is included under that work
item
 Upper Levels are Planned outcomes (deliverables), not
planned actions
 Ends of WBS include the work packages needed to create
the project deliverables
 Mutually-exclusive elements
 Work should only appear in one place in the WBS
 WBS must be consistent with the way the project will be
performed and controlled
 Must be easy to update
WBS: Example different
summary level

Source: Shtub et al., 1994

 Work Breakdown Structure
 Various construction activities can be identified by
systematically developing a work – breakdown
structure.
 This is done by dividing the project work into
areas, sectors or task groups or combination of
these.
 These are further subdivided into work packages,
work packages into activities and finally, activities
into operations or processes.
 Project Work – Breakdown
Levels
 Subproject Level
 Derived by dividing the project work into

independent large-volume mini projects or

task groups.
 For example in a housing project, each

group of major works which can progress in

a systematic manner, without interference
from other works can be termed as a
subproject.
 Project Work – Breakdown
Levels
 Task Level
 The Project or subproject can be split up into various
tasks.
 A task is an identifiable and deliverable major work. It
is an entity in itself and can be performed without much
interference from other tasks.
 Each task is assigned time and cost objectives and is
provided with planned resources for accomplishing it
 For a Housing Project – each residential building can be
grouped under three main tasks – Foundation,
Superstructure, and Finishes
 Project Work – Breakdown
Levels
 Work-package level
 A project task can be further subdivided into
one or more work packages.
 Each work package contains a sizeable,
identifiable, measurable, costable and
controllable package of work.
 Project Work – Breakdown
Levels
 Activity Level
 A work package can further be broken down into
various identifiable jobs.
 Operations and processes which consume time and
possibly other resources and are necessary for its
completion. Each one of this is called an activity.
 The breaking down of a work package into its
constituent activities requires a study of the
methodology of execution of work package –termed as
Method Statement.
 Project Work – Breakdown
Levels
 Operations level
 An activity comprises one or more operations.
 Each operation contains part of the work content of the
activity.
 In general it has a particular type or a fixed group of
resources associated with it.
 Operations are not considered during the network
modelling and analysis stage except that the sum of the
costs of operations equals the activity cost.
 Figure 6. Sample WBS Organised by Phases

33
 Road WBS in Tabular Form

34

1.0 Concept
2.0 Preliminary Design
2.1 Feasibility Study
2.2 Alignment
2.3 Geometric Design
3.0 Detailed Design
3.1 Drainage
3.2 Structures
3.3 Pavement
3.4 Engineers Estimate
3.5 Tender Documents
4.0 etc
 HOUSING PROJECT

Residential Public Educational External

Buildings Building Building Services

Sub-Project Level
Block A Block B Block C Block D

Task Level
High Primary Nurse
Offices
School School ry

Filtered Road/
Sewarage Gas Supply Electrical Service
water Pavement
System System System Building
supply s
 RESIDENTIAL
BUILDING

Tasks
Precast Super- Finishes
Foundation Tasks
structure Tasks Tasks

Base Raft Plinth Wall

Ground Floor
Constructio Constructio Constructio
Construction
n n n

Work packages
First Second Third
Parapet
Floor Floor Floor

Electrical
Carpentry Painting,
+ Roof
Staircase and Joinery Flooring Fitting &
Mechanica Treatment
Works Fixtures
l works
Ser Features Sub-Project Task Work Package Activity Opera-
No. tions
‘1. Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
designation
‘2. Work – Project to Sub-project to Tasks to Work Work Packages to Activities
Breakdown Sub-project tasks, project to Packages Activities to
Hierachy tasks (directly) operations
‘3. Management Project Team Task- Work centres Work Centres Site
Responsibility responsibility Foreman
unit
‘4. Planning Corporate Project – Project Master Project Detailed
Level Plan summary plan, plan, constructed plan, Contracted
Design works mile stone Works control
Preparation Plan, plan, project plan, Short term
contract budget work programmes,
finalisation plan Resources
Mobilisation plan

5. Plan Duration Months Months/ weeks Weeks Weeks /days Days/

Unit hours
6. Project Corporate Management Cost Control Time + Productivit
Control Basis Control Control Productivity + y
Sales Control
7. Work Inter- Independent, Generally Mostly inter- Interdependent Interdepen
dependency can proceed independent dependence dent
with other jobs without
interference
 Types of WBS
 Project WBS
 Operative tool for monitoring and control
contractor work
 Contractual WBS
 Definesthe level of reporting that the seller
will provide the buyer
 May include less detail than Project WBS
 Agreed between owner and contractor
Physical Space Approach

Project
 Main building
1st floor
 Structures
 Plumbings
 Electrical
 HVAC
2nd floor
 Service building
 Structures
 Plumbings
 Electrical

 Procedure Approach
 Project
 Feasibility
 Design
 Basic
 Detail
 Bid documents
 Shop drawings
 Bid
 Construction
 Foundations subcontract
 Main building
 Piles
 Concrete foundations
 Service building
 Piles
 Concrete foundations
 Steel erection
 Finishings
 Commissioning
Standard Formats?

TASK:
ARE THERE STANDARD GUIDELINES
FOR PREPARING WBS?
Outline

 Planning – Hierarchical Project Structures

Work Breakdown Structure
Organization Breakdown Structure
 Cost Breakdown Structure
Organization Breakdown Structure

 Decomposition of necessary resources to perform job

 Identification & organization of the resources
responsible with carrying out activities associated
with the project
 Used to keep track of specific work assignments &
resource allocations
Organization Breakdown Structure
 Project resources
 Project management team
 Project manager
 Construction superintendent
 Field superintendent
 Office manager
 Scheduler
 Accounter/controller
 Field engineer
 Construction force
 Worker
 Subcontractor
 Electrical
 Plumbing
 Insulation
 Tankage
 Roads
OBS/WBS
Linkages

Source: Shtub et al., 1994

Hierarchy of Project Structures

 Planning – Hierarchical Project

Structures
Work Breakdown Structure
Organization Breakdown Structure
Cost Breakdown Structure
Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS)

 Breakdown of the costs of the various components

of the structure including all work done by the
subcontractors
 Serves as a basis for subsequent monthly pay
requests by the contractor
 Used to continuously compare costs as they
actually occur with the budget
Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS)
MASTER LIST OF PROJECT COST ACCOUNTS
Subaccounts of General Ledger Account 80.000
PROJECT EXPENSE
Project Work Accounts .100 - .699
100 Clearing & Grubbing 245 Precast Concrete
101 Demolition 260 Concrete forms
102 Underpinning .01 footings
103 Earth Excavation .05 grade beams
104 Rock Excavation .07 slab on grade
105 Backfill .08 beams
115 Wood structural piles .10 slab
116 Steel structural piles .11 columns
117 Concrete structural piles .12 walls
121 Steel sheet piling 280 Structural Steel
240 Concrete poured 350 Masonry
.01 footings .01 8 in. block
.05 grade beams .02 12 in. block
.07 slab on grade .06 common brick
.08 bcarns .20 face brick
.10 slab on forms .60 glazed tile
.11 columns 400 Carpentry
.12 walls 440 Millwork
.16 stairs 500 Miscellaneous Metals
.20 expansion joints .01 metal door frames
.40 screeds .20 window sash
.50 float finish .50 toilet partitions
.51 trowel finish 560 Finish Hardware
.60 rubbing 620 Paving
.90 curing 680 Allowance
685 Fencing
Source: Shtub et al., 1994
Diverse Combinations
 WBS + OBS: Task assignments
 CBS + OBS: Budget monitoring of crews, etc.
 OBS + Schedule: Time-specific crew assignments
 CBS + Schedule: Cost Budgeting and monitoring
 Way Forward - WBS

 Further Reading:
 Search NASA + WBS
Overview of Construction
Planning Techniques
(Lecture No. 6 Continued)
Scope
 Gantt Charts
 S- Curves;
 Line of Balance Chart;
 Time Chainage Charts
 Critical Path Method (CPM);
 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM);
 Programme Review and Evaluation Technique
(PERT)
 Other advanced methods
Gantt Chart
 A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart, adapted by
Karol Adamiecki in 1896 and independently by
Henry Gantt in the 1910s, that illustrates a project
schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and
finish dates of the terminal elements and summary
elements of a project.
 Gantt charts provide a standard format for
displaying project schedule information by listing
project activities and their corresponding start and
finish dates in a calendar format
Simple Gantt (Bar) Chart)
 Gantt Charts (Bar Charts) from MS Project *
56

 Symbols (based on say MS Project) include:

 A black diamond: milestones or significant
events on a project with zero duration
 Thick black bars: summary tasks
 Lighter horizontal bars: tasks
 Arrows: dependencies between tasks

*Microsoft (MS) Project is a project management

software.
 Illustration of Task Dependency
57
 Gantt Chart for Software Practical Project

58
 Sample Tracking Gantt Chart

59

white diamond: slipped milestone

two bars: planned and actual times
 S - Curves
• The S-Curve - representing the various
expenditures of resources over the projected time
of the project or as a means of charting the real-
time expenditure of resources.
• Can be used to monitor the project as is
progresses and compare it to the projected S-
Curve to determine whether or the project is being
completed within the time and budget limitations.
• Mathematically - a logistic function or logistic
curve is the most common sigmoid curve.
Typical Project Cumulative Expenditure Pattern
S- Curves – Planned vs Actual
Sample S-Curve Earned Value Management
 Time - Chainage Chart
Time Chainage Chart is a method of showing
planned, forecast or actual progress in chart form
using distance (or chainage) on the horizontal axis
and time on the vertical axis.
Unlike bar charts (Gantt Charts), time chainage
charts show location and 'rates' of progress in
addition to start and end dates.
This makes time chainage charts extremely useful
when planning or analyzing a construction project.
Also known as time-location charts and time -
distance charts.
Simple Time-Chainage Chart
Typical Practical Time-Chainage
Chart
 Line of Balance Chart
A line-of-balance chart is an extension of the Gantt
Chart used for repetitive operations/tasks in a
project;
This type of programme allows the different rates
of productivity of parts of an activity to be modeled,
depending on its location on site or the period of
year when the activity is carried out.
It also allows the inter-relation between different
trades in an area to be modelled.
Simple Line of Balance Chart
Typical Practical Line-of-Balance
Chart
Project Network Diagrams

 Project network diagrams are project activity

dependence models.
 They are the preferred technique for showing
activity sequencing.
 A project network diagram is a schematic
display of the logical relationships among, or
sequencing of, project activities
 They are developed using accepted convetions
or rules.
 Representation of the Activity
71
 . Sample Activity-on-Arrow (AOA) Network
Diagram for Project X
72

Note that PMBoK 2008 is no longer advocating the use of this tool!
 Simple Example of Determining the Critical
Path
73
Consider the following project network diagram based on
(activity on the arrow). Assume all times are in days.

a. How many paths are on this network diagram?

b. How long is each path?
c. Which is the critical path?
d. What is the shortest amount of time needed to
complete this project?
 Determining the Critical Path for Project X
74
 Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)
75

 Also called activity-on-arrow (AOA) critical path

method (CPM) project network diagrams
 Activities are represented by arrows
 Nodes or circles are the starting and ending points of
activities
 Can only show finish-to-start dependencies
 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
76

 Activities are represented by boxes

 Arrows show relationships between activities
 More popular than ADM method and used by
project management software
 Better at showing different types of dependencies
 Activity on the node (PDM)
77
 Figure 4-2. Task Dependency Types

78
 Sample Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) Network
Diagram for Project X
79
A D H

1 1 day 4 4 days 8 6 days

Mon 8/3/98 Mon 8/3/98 Tue 8/4/98 Fri 8/7/98 Wed 8/12/98 Wed 8/19/98

5 5 days
J
Wed 8/5/98 Tue 8/11/98

START B
10 3 days

2 2 days Thu 8/20/98 Mon 8/24/98

0 days

Mon 8/3/98 Mon 8/3/98 Mon 8/3/98 Tue 8/4/98

6 4 days

Wed 8/5/98 Mon 8/10/98

C G I

3 3 days 7 6 days 9 2 days

Mon 8/3/98 Wed 8/5/98 Thu 8/6/98 Thu 8/13/98 Fri 8/14/98 Mon 8/17/98
PERT

A PERT chart is a project management tool used

to schedule, organize, and coordinate tasks within
a project. PERT stands for Program Evaluation
Review Technique, a methodology developed by
the U.S. Navy in the 1950s to manage the Polaris
submarine missile program.
The programme (or project) evaluation and review
techniques is a statistical tool, used in project
management, which was designed to analyze and
represent the tasks involved in completing a given
project.
 PERT Formula and Example

81

 PERT weighted average formula:

optimistic time + 4X most likely time + pessimistic time
6
 Example:
PERT weighted average =
8 workdays + 4 X 10 workdays + 24 workdays = 12 days
6
where 8 = optimistic time, 10 = most likely time, and 24 =
pessimistic time
Using PERT one can analyse the probability of
completing the project within a given time.
Example of PERT Chart
 PERT Scenario
83

 A contractor is bidding for a job that has a fixed duration of 54

weeks.
 He analyses his chances of completing the project on time.
 He comes up with a probability of say 50% of completing the
project on time, i.e within 54 weeks.
 There is therefore 50% probability of him paying delay
damages;
 He is also reasonably confident (95%) that he can complete the
project within 70 weeks;
 He is therefore smart enough to include delay damages of 16
weeks in his price.
 If he gets the job and completes earlier than 54 weeks, his
profit increases.
Way Forward
 We shall spend sometime on each of these in some
more detail.

 THANK YOU