Construction Project Scheduling: Starting with the Right Foot!

Project scheduling is one of the most important aspects of project management in the construction industry. It is the time management of the project. Time is money, but it is more than what many think.

Project scheduling is basically two parts: Creating the schedule before the construction phase starts, and then managing it during the construction phase. We must start the schedule with the right foot: An accurate and clear schedule that reflects the contractor's intent on the project work plan. The schedule must be simple and clear for the field crews. It must also possess the traits that make it dynamic and manageable. Starting with a schedule that has inaccuracies, errors, or has any characteristics that make its management difficult, will be a problem and even a disaster for the project.

Scheduling is a lot more than just a software program. It is concepts that must be well understood by the scheduler and the project management team. The team, particularly the project manager and the scheduler, must understand the concepts and the relationships and intricacies among the schedule components, so they can react, adjust, update, and report accurately.Hints also include owners since they usually review contractors’ schedules for accuracy.

This webinar will go over some important steps and hints that help improve the accuracy, strength, and clarity / simplicity of the CPM schedule. We will cover topics such as project breakdown, defining activities and milestones, determining activities’ duration, setting up the logic, cost / resource loading, calendars, and constraints, and more.

Webinar Objectives

This webinar will provide attendees with valuable insights and practical tips to enhance their project scheduling using the Critical Path Method (CPM). By focusing on improving the accuracy, strength, and simplicity of CPM schedules, participants will learn how to create schedules that are more effective and easier to manage. Through a detailed examination of project breakdown, activity definition, duration estimation, logic setup, cost/resource loading, calendar management, and constraint handling, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the key components of a successful project schedule. Additionally, the webinar will cover the importance of accurate and simple schedules, the art of activity breakdown, strategies for setting up logical sequences, and the impact of constraints on scheduling. Attendees will also receive valuable tips on software utilization, reporting, and documentation, equipping them with the knowledge and tools needed to improve their project scheduling practices.

Webinar Agenda

• History of scheduling:
• Importance of scheduling, scheduling systems, education vs. experience, don’t cut corners
• Pitfalls:
  • Owners
  • Contractors
  • All parties
• The “Tripod” of scheduling systems
• Documentation!
• Tips on successful project control

Webinar Highlights

• Importance of accuracy and simplicity of CPM schedules
• The art of breaking down the project into activities
• Hints on activities duration and attributes.
• Setting up the logic: Simplify without compromising accuracy.
• Impact of constraints on the schedule.
• Hints on cost / resource loading.
• Hints on software manipulation.
• Hints on reporting and documentation.

Who Should Attend

General contractors, subcontractors, project managers, planners, schedulers, project controls managers, architects, engineers.