Chapter 2: Construction Planning and Scheduling

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 Scope Creep

100 m
Level Dif
91.8 m = 8.6 m
91.4 m

51 cr. liter per day

= 5902 lps
Melamchi 17 cr
Yangri – 17 cr
Larke - 17 cr = 51
Construction level 40 cm up
bhayo = LD = 8.2 m 51 cr. liter per day
= 5400 lps = < 51
cr liter per day

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 2.1 Construction Planning

• Planning is the mental process deciding about

the future line of actions.
• It sets a clear road map that should be
followed to reach a destination.
"If you fail to plan, you are bound to fail”
• Fail mean - Not complete in Time, Exceed
Budget or Scope Change or Quality not met,
• Planning is the most important constituent of
the construction management.
Generally, planning answers three main questions:
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What is to be done? How to do it? Who does it?
 Construction Plans - What is to be done? How to do it? Who does
it?

In construction, plans may exist at several levels:

• corporate strategic plans by the Organization itself how to get Contract?
Etc..
• pre-tender plans, - Once Tender Notice is Published …
• pre-contract plans – Once get the Contract – What to do next?,
• short-term construction plans, as well as and long-term (For whole
Construction period) construction plans.
These plans are different from each other; however, all these plans involve
four main steps: Planning & Scheduling
• Performing breakdown of work items involved in the project into activities
– Work Breakdown Structure - WBS.
• Identifying the proper sequence by which the activities should be
executed.
• Activities representation – Scheduling by Bar/Gantt Chart, CPM etc.
• Estimating the resources, time, and cost of individual activities.
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 Objectives of planning

• Is to execute the project/work most Effectively and

Efficiently .
• The effective planning depends upon the following
factors:
– Proper selection of plant and equipment and
arrangements of repair of plant and equipment at site
– Procurement of required materials well in advance
– Ensure employment of skilled and unskilled
employees/Labour
– To arrange constant flow of funds in entire project
duration
– To provide required level of safety and compensations
– Proper arrangements of communication and mobility in
site

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 Planning Inputs and Outputs

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 Priced Bill of quantity - Estimate
• SN ITEM Qty Rate Amount Remarks
• 1 DI Pipe 1400mm dia 16 m 1200000 1200,000

Contractor lai dine info

Unpriced BOQ
• SN ITEM Qty Rate Amount Remarks
• 1 DI Pipe 1400mm dia 16 m Contractor le bharne

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 2050 DDC Rukum
Turnover – Karobar
A – Contractor 2076 – 50 cr Tender
But completed Rs 40 cr ko kaam
So he received Rs 40 cr – is turnover

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 2.2 Steps and Stages in Planning
• Steps involved in planning
– Identifying the likely problems to be OR ALTERNATIVELY
encountered in the execution of the 1. Define the scope of work, method
work. statement, and sequence of work.
– Ascertaining alternative feasibility of 2. Generate the work breakdown structure
(WBS) to produce a complete list of activities.
execution of work 3.Develop the organization breakdown
– Fixing the time of starting the structure (OBS) and link it with work
breakdown structure to identify
execution of work responsibilities.
– Deciding the time of delivering the 4. Determine the relationship between
materials at site activities.
– Deciding the quantities and duration of various 5. Estimate activities time duration, cost
expenditure, and resource requirement.
types of machines and equipment
6. Develop the project network.
– Deciding the number of different
types of labors for various works and
duration of their employment
– Estimation of financial need
– Estimation of the duration of completion of the
work
– 03/08/2024
Evaluation of the effectiveness of plan adopted 12
 What is The % Contingency Used Nepal ?
3% – 5% in Book
In Practice,
10% – Physical Contingency
10 % price Contingency
Total Cont = 20% of the Estimate

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 • Usually the stages of
Stages of planning planning are:
– Preliminary planning
• Setting out objectives
• Cost benefit analysis
• Project go / no-go decision
– Detailed planning
• Detailed design and drawings
• Specifications
• Quantities calculation
• WBS is done
• Sequence and scheduling of the
activities are done
– Monitoring and controlling
• In this phase, the progress of
construction is monitored as per
proposed scheduled.
• Updating of schedule can be
carried out according to the actual
progress of work.
• Preparation of the revised forecasts
regarding the availability of
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 Planning by the Client /Owner/Employer

• Pre-tender stage planning

– Clients sets clear objectives of the project
– Client communicate the objectives to all the parties
and stakeholders
– After proper investigations of the project, client
prepares quantity estimates and determines the
quantum of money required for the completion of the
work.
– Take respective approval of the project from
concerned authority ?
– Selection of project team and project appraisal
– Select the consultant (if required)
– Bidding and contract award (Selection of Contractor)15
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 Planning by Client Contd..
• Construction stage planning
– Revision in objectives in responding unexpected events
– Make site available for the contractor ??????
– Timely payment and settlement of claims …What happens
if not paid in time ….?
– Keep the changes less
– Update performance bond and ….. ? of the contractor
– Timely decision
• Post construction stage planning
– Prepares project operation schedule …?
– Prepares project maintenance schedule
– Project ownership
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 Planning by the Contractor
Pre tender stage planning
• The planning undertaken by the contractor after receipt of tender
notice and before submitting the bid is known as pre tender stage
planning.
– Careful Study of tender documents and drawings to find out
the quantities of each item of work
– Study of specifications and workout the detailed quantities of
materials required for different items
– Determine the availability of construction materials at site or
nearby site.
– Determine the method of work execution i.e. by labor or equipments
– Thorough study of site and site investigations
– Finalize the item rates
– Try to find the potential competitors and get idea about their quotes!
– Finalize rates and submit the Tender/Bid
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 Planning by the Contractor contd..
Construction stage planning
• After the acceptance of the tender, the contractor further needs in-depth
planning. This stage of planning is also known as contract planning.
– Studying the alternative methods of construction and to decide about
subcontracting
– Working out detailed quantities of materials required and examine and
fixing the methods of procurement and sources of them
– Working out in detail about construction workforce (skilled and unskilled)
– Working out in detail about plants, equipment their layout and
repair & maintenance strategy
– Planning for camp facilities, access, accommodations, site offices and
layout
– Planning for surveillance like proper lighting, ventilation, drinking water,
sanitation, first aid treatment
– Study interdependence of different items of works and fixing the sequence
of them
– Finalize the work program of each item of work and to decide the dates of
their starting and completing
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Post construction stage planning Planning by the Contractor contd..
• Demobilization of plants and
equipment
• Demobilization of labors
• Clearance of materials inventory and
its stock
• Test and Operation for agreed period
• Rectify if any
• Handover the project to client in
targeted date
• Responsible for the defect
liability construction within its
period
The post-construction phase happens
after your building construction is
complete. Maybe you find that
something isn’t meeting your needs,
or you quickly realize that you are
going to require an expansion.

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 2.4 Preparing Schedule
Scheduling
A construction schedule is a graphic representation which shows the phasing
rate of construction with the starting and completing dates of each activity
and the sequential relationship among various operations in a construction
project.
Use of scheduling
• Following are the use of scheduling
• The quantity of work involved, labor, material, equipment and money
required at each stage of work can be determined by scheduling.
• The actual progress of the work can be checked from time to time by
scheduling
• The project can be carried out in systematic manner by the use of
scheduling

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Classification of scheduling
Schedules can be classified into groups according to the
requirements as follows:
– Construction schedule
– Materials schedule
– Labor schedule
– Equipment schedule
– Financial schedule
– Control schedule
– Organizational schedule
– Summary schedule
Methods of scheduling
Bar chart or Gantt charts
Milestone charts
Network analysis

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Construction schedule and its preparation
Before preparing construction schedule following information must be
known
– Various operations to be done in a particular project
– Quantum of works to be done in each operation
– Unit of measurement
– Rate of progress of work with due allowance of weather conditions
– Number of labors required
– Number and types of plants and equipment required
– Date of starting and completing the activity
– Correlation between different operations

The procedure of preparing construction schedule is as follows:

– The work or project is divided into number of operations and their inter
dependence or relationship is studied. After the careful study of their
interdependence the sequence of operation is decided
– The quantity of work involved in each operation is to be determined
– The time required for the completion of each operation as well as the
completion of total project is determined. This can be done by knowing the
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 Material Schedule
S.No Descriptions Total
of Materials Quantity Month
I II III IV

2
3

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 Equipment Schedule
S.N Types of Total Total Time
Equipment Number Required Month
Required
I II III IV

1
2
3

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 Labor Schedule
S.N. Descriptions Total time
of Labor Required Month
I II III IV

1
2
3

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 2.5 Time Cost Trade- Off
Direct Cost: Those Items of Cost which can be calculated
easily for the specific Job are Direct Cost or also known
as Prime Cost. It includes Material cost, Labor Cost ,
Equipment Cost Etc.
Example: Cement in PCC, Brick in Masonry, etc, No of
Labour in Excavation.
While Estimating, All the components mentioned
specifically in Norms are Direct Cost Such as
In RCC: Cement, Sand, Aggregate, Rebar, Mason, Labor
etc. i.e. Quantities are taken from Norms ; Rate are
taken from District Rate and Rate Analysis is done.
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Indirect Cost: Those Items of Cost which Cannot be
calculated Exactly for Specific Job and Approximation is
necessary to Estimate the Amount, such cost are Indirect
Cost.

It Includes Indirect Labor Cost such as Supervisor Cost;

Indirect material Cost such as plastic sheets, nails; Indirect
equipment cost, Insurance Cost; Office Expenditures etc.

Indirect Cost is also known as Overhead Cost

In Rate Analysis: Contractors Overhead is Considered as

15%; But in Some International Contract it is more i.e. 20% to
50% also. It includes Profit also
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 Terminologies Related to Direct Cost

Normal time
The time usually allowed for an activity by the estimator is known as
normal time. It is the standard time for that activity and is denoted by
(Tn).
Crash time
The minimum possible time in which an activity can be completed
by deploying extra resources is known as crash time. Beyond the
crash time the duration of an activity cannot be reduced or shortened
by any amount of increase in mobilization. It is denoted by (Tc).
Normal cost
The direct cost required to complete the activity in the normal
duration is called normal cost and is denoted by (Cn).
Crash cost
The direct cost corresponding to the crash time of completing an
activity is known as crash cost and is denoted by (Cc).
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Direct Cost Increases with Decrease in
Duration

Eg: Travel Cost from Ktm To Bhairahawa

1. Plane: 30 minutes – 4000 Rs
1. Bus: 8 Hrs – 800 Rs
Crash Time : 30 mins and Crash Cost = 4000.
Normal time: 8 hrs and Normal Cost = 800
Calculate Cost Slope and Explain = 426
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Cost slope
• The direct cost curve generally is a curve as shown below. But this
curve can be approximated by the straight line or more than one
straight lines depending upon the flatness of the curve. Thus the
slope of this straight line is cost slope.
• Cost slope (CS) =

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 2.5 Time Cost
a. Parabola
Trade- Off b. Hyperbola
Project cost c. U shape
For any project total expenditure incurred in terms of d. None
man power, equipment, machinery and materials
and time to achieve a particular goal is known as
total cost of the project. The total sum of the Total cost
project is the sum of two distinct costs. Minimum cost
Direct cost A
• The cost of materials, equipment and money spent B
on man power form the direct cost. The direct
costs of project are of major concern and behavior Direct C
pattern of direct costs with time is of importance.
Direct cost of a project depends on the completion
time of project, but the variation is not linear.
Indirect cost
• The expenditures which cannot be allotted clearly
to the individual activities of the project, but are Indirect
assessed as a whole are called indirect costs. The
indirect cost includes overhead charges,
administrative and establishment charges,
supervision charges, loss of revenue, loss in profit
and penalty etc. Crash Optimum Normal
duration duration duration
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 Time cost trade-off
• Time and cost are the two most important resources that a
project manager deals with. Both of these resources have
constrains and the job of a project manager is to have Total cost
judicious balance between them. The judicious balance Minimum cost
between time and cost is called Time-Cost trade-off and it A
B
can be achieved by studying the availability and demand
Direct C
of these resources for the given project.
• From the total cost ACB, it can be seen that the total cost
of a project is minimum for certain time duration. This
duration is known as optimum duration for the Indirect
corresponding minimum cost. Further if the project
duration is increased, the total cost will also increase. On
the other hand if the project duration is decreased to the Crash Optimum Normal
crash value, the project cost will be the highest. The duration duration duration
optimum duration is less than the normal duration
corresponding to the direct costs. This is due to the fact
that both direct and indirect cost increases beyond the
normal duration, whereas below the normal duration
indirect cost decrease, but the direct cost increases.
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 Numerical
Perform Time Cost Trade off and Calculate Minimum
Cost and Optimum time and Minimum Time

A B

normal Time normal Cost Crash T Crash C

A 5d 8000 3d 10000
B 6d 6000 3d 15000

Cost Slope of A = 1000, B = 3000

A can be reduced by 2 days (5-3) & B – 3 days
Indirect Cost = Rs 2000 Per Day
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Step 1 Estimate Project Duration using Normal Time
Project Duration = 5 + 6 = 11 Days
Direct Cost: 8000 + 6000 = 14000 Rs
indirect Cost : 11 x 2000 = 22000
Total Cost = DC + IC = 36,000
Step 2: Find Cost Slope of Each Activities:
A= 1000 B = 3000
Now, Reduce Activity A by 2 days
Project Duration 3 +6 = 9 days
Direct Cost = [8000 + 2x1000] + 6000 = 16000
Indirect cost = 9x2000 = 18000
Total Cost = 16000 +18000 = 34000
Step 3: Reduce Activity B by 3 days , B-3 [A-3, B-3]
Project duration = 3 +3 = 6 days
Direct Cost = 10,000 + [6000 +3x3000] = 25000
Indirect Cost = 2000 x 6 = 12000
Total Cost = 37000
Minimum Cost = 34000, Optimum duration = 9 days, Minm Dur= 6 d
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Perform Time Cost Trade off and Calculate Minimum Cost and Optimum
time and Minimum Time. Indirect Cost is Rs 1500 per day.

A c

B D

Act Tn Cn Tc Cc
A 5 8000 3 12000
B 4 10000 3 13000
C 6 4000 4 5500
D 3 6000 2 8000

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 Steps in optimization of cost (Cost optimization through Network)

• First of all the critical path along with critical activities and non-critical activities which
are likely to become critical during the course of crashing are identified from
calculation.
• Calculating the cost slopes of all activities and ranking of activities in ascending order of
cost slopes is done.
• Calculation of direct cost by adding normal cost of all activities. Calculation of indirect
cost by multiplying the longest duration times the overhead expense.
• Crashing the project activity as per ranking, crashing is done starting from the activity of
critical path having least cost slope to the maximum possible extent. Calculate the direct
cost by adding the extra cost of crashing to the normal cost and corresponding indirect
cost of reduced project duration.
• During the process of crashing of critical activities, there is possible of emerging new
critical path. Therefore the crashing of project is done simultaneously by re-crashing the
parallel activities.
• The activities for crashing are considered serially in the ascending order to their cost
slope so far . The activity lying in common path is selected for optimal solution.
• While crashing activities on the critical path or paths which became critical, the activity
on this possible. critical path are also crashed in the same way. If there are more than
one critical path then one activity form each path is selected at one time for crashing
(simultaneous crashing) and so on. This process is continued till the project shortening is
possible.
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 Numerical
1. The following table shows the costs and duration of each activity of a
project. The network is shown. The indirect cost may be taken as Rs. 3150.-
per week. Determine the optimum duration of the project and
corresponding minimum cost.
Activity Normal duration Normal cost Crash duration Crash cost

A 7 8000 4 15500
B 9 5000 6 9500
C 5 7000 2 10000
D 6 9000 4 16000
E 6 6000 4 12000

2. If the indirect cost per week is Rs. 300, find the optimal crashed project completion
time and corresponding minimum cost.
Activity Immediate Time (weeks) Cost (Rs)
predecessor Normal Crash Normal Crash

A – 8 5 2000 2300
B – 10 8 4000 4300
C A 6 5 3000 3125
D A 9 6 5000 5225
E B 10 9 2500 2700
03/08/2024F B 13 13 5000 - 38
G D. E 5 3 1000 1700
 Cost Slope

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