Project Planning Midterm

Critical Thinking

Self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.

Critical Thinking Phases

1. Problem Identification

2. Creative Thinking

3. Logical Analysis

4. Decision Making

5. Coordination/Implementation

Phase 1: Problem Identification

(visualization and fact finding) Clarifying the problem by considering goals and objectives, visualizing the ideal outcome, and gathering information through fact-finding to determine root causes for the gap between current situation and ideal outcome

Phase 2: Critical Thinking

(green light thinking, brainstorming) Inventing or identifying possible solutions to root causes through brainstorming and "green light thinking," which suspends judicial thinking to focus exclusively on generating ideas rather than evaluating them.

Phase 3: Logical Analysis

 (red light thinking, reasoning) Recognizing and testing assumptions, thoroughly evaluating options, controlling for biases, and ensuring conclusions are not drawn from incorrect beliefs or mistaken observations

Phase 4: Decision Making

(gain consensus, decision matrixes) Determining methods and criteria for deciding on the path forward through team consensus, taking advantage of collective knowledge and experience to assess risks and likelihood of success, building commitment.

Phase 5: Coordination/Implementation

(plan implementation) Setting timeframes, clarifying roles, establishing expectations, and executing the decision ("Once a decision is carefully reached, act! Get busy carrying out your decision and dismiss all anxiety about the outcome").

Early Team Integration

Get the team together as early as possible: Architects, Engineers, Consultants (Feasibility Studies, Programming, Property Procurement/Due Diligence, Mortgage Packages) and Builder / Construction Manager.

Open Communication

Mutual Trust and Respect: Formal Kick-Off meeting to discuss goals and expectations, include Executives and Managers, understand roles/responsibilities, identify problems/barriers, maintain accountability, and engage in social interaction.

Keys to a successful project

• Early team integration

• open communication

• early subcontractor participation

• budget

• schedule

Early Subcontractor Participation

 Procurement strategy (self-perform vs. subcontract) and selection process (RFQ/RFP).

Budget

Understanding numbers at Executive Summary level, Phase Level (by Building Component, Site, etc.), Detail level, Variance Report tracking, Total Project Cost vs. Cost of Work.

Schedule

 Initial Project Schedule and Master Schedule (Design, Procurement, Permit, Construction)

Evolution of a Schedule Progression Sequence

Request for Qualification -> Request for Proposals -> Concept -> Basis of Design -> Schematic Design -> Design Development -> Construction Documents (permit, GMP) -> Baseline Schedule -> Schedule Updates and Maintenance -> 3-week lookahead -> Schedule Postmortem

Importance of Critical Thinking

Employers/workplace view critical thinking skills as essential, expecting them to be increasingly important for workplace success; enables effective problem solving, creativity, and supports rational decision making

What is a schedule

Simply a tool. A tool developed and used by the Project team to plan, coordinate and communicate the plan for a successful project

Why plan and schedule

It is required or you want to do it; while it may be a requirement, it is good practice and essential to properly plan and coordinate the work. Helps identify problems as they begin, and develop a plan to mitigate and minimize the impact.

Baseline Schedule

Baseline schedule set at Construction document/Permit/GMP; must establish and stick to baseline rather than jumping straight in.

Contract Requirements MIGHT Include

• RFP/RFQ

• Construction Agreement

• Uniform General Conditions (UGC)

• General Conditions

• Government Contracts

• Private Contracts

• Company Policy & Procedures

• Other Considerations

RFP/RFQ

Very general in nature, requiring Contractor assumptions based on available info and experience; provides initial guidelines for project scope and desired duration. As set of plans progresses, the schedule gets broken down and becomes more live-item detailed, with individual activities target duration < 4 weeks long.

Construction Agreement

General regarding schedule requirements; provides definitions impacting or dictating decisions during project plan and schedule development.

Uniform General Conditions

Entities (e.g., Texas A&M, Univ. of Texas) have specific UGCs defining schedule requirements: Methodology, Submission Requirements, Update Requirements, Float Ownership and Calculation, Modifications of Contract Time, "No Damages for Delay", and Concurrent Delay.

General Conditions (AIA A201)

 Level of detail varies depending on agreement

Government Contracts

Very specific requirements including scheduling methodology, software, scheduler minimum qualifications, naming/submission requirements, activity coding, cost loading, time extension and delay analysis.

• (USACE, VA, TxDOT, TDCJ)

Private Contracts

Requirements vary from broad and non-specific to detailed.

Company Policy & Procedures

 Software, reporting requirements, level of detail, update frequency, posting requirements (ProCore).

Other Considerations

Definitions and anticipated weather.

Schedule Methods - Early 1900s

Bar Charts (Gantt Charts) developed by Henry Gantt & Frederick Taylor.

Schedule Methods - 1956

Critical Path Method (CPM) / Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM) developed by Morgan Walker (DuPont) & James Kelly (Remington Rand).

Schedule Methods - 1957

Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT) developed by US Navy Bureau of Ordnance.

Schedule Methods - Early 1960s

Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) developed by James Fondahl (Stanford) / HB Zachry.

Postmortem Purpose

Explicitly noted as capturing lessons learned for the next project.

Litigation and Risk

Most litigation occurs when schedule steps are stopped or skipped; the schedule acts as legal/insurance protection.

Project Triple Constraint

Time, Quality, and Budget are noted as the three most important aspects.

Planning

Asks Who? What? Where? How?

Perspective is macro / total project (10,000 feet).

Includes phasing, site logistics, material availability, trade/manpower, alternates/allowances.

Stakeholders include Owner, Design Team, Builders, Agencies (local AHJ, state, federal), Providers (electrical/gas, water/sewer)

Design Planning

 Assessing impacts of design choices (e.g., placing a basketball court above a classroom).

Owner Planning

Selecting project phasing and duration strategies: 1. Move occupants out for simultaneous renovation/expansion; 2. Split renovation so occupants stay on-site; 3. Complete expansion first, then renovate.

Construction Planning

 Managing logistics and site execution: Crane sizing and job trailer placement; BIM model scope and direction of work (e.g., East-West vs. North-South); Ordering cast-in-place panels

Scheduling

Determines When?

Perspective is micro / focused (10 feet). Requires practitioners (experienced construction professionals).

Focuses on Master and Lookahead schedules.

High Risk Activities

Permits, permanent utilities, occupied spaces, long-lead items, shutdowns, inspection requirements, design decisions. Every project is unique.

Risk Strategy

Identify high-risk tasks early, review plans/specs/contracts, ask "What could go wrong / delay / increase cost?", include them as schedule activities from the front end, link them to affected tasks, communicate early and often with stakeholders, and document all delays to maintain an offensive position.

Desired Outcomes of Risk Planning

Finish on time, continuous workflow, reduce rework, minimize confusion, increase project status knowledge, remain proactive vs. reactive, hold trades accountable, build momentum and work satisfaction.

Activities out of your control

End user decisions, city permitting, permanent utilities, delivery times.

Where does change come from

People, societal, codes, environmental, unknown conditions, uncontrollable changes (covid).

Determining Risks

Review the drawings, specs, contract; ask questions: what could go wrong, what could delay progress, what could increase costs.

Why is scheduling necessary

1. Size & complexity of projects (e.g., a ten-story office building comprises >85,000 materials and activities).

2. Timely completion requirements.

3. Optimize use of resources.

4. Requirements of financiers.

5. Transiency of project personnel.

6. Legal issues.

Who should be involved when developing a schedule

 Schedulers, Superintendent, Project Managers, Estimators, Key Subcontractors ("Bad input will cause bad output")

Legal obligations of scheduling

1. Duty to plan, schedule, and coordinate the work.

2. Duty not to delay, hinder, or interfere.

3. Duty to cooperate with subcontractors & suppliers.

4. Duty to grant reasonable time extensions.

Bar/Gantt Charts

Visually plots an activity against a specified timeline based on duration.

Gantt Chart Advantages

 Easily developed, visual clarity, ability to relay info, ease of progress monitoring, wide acceptance, simplistic nature.

Gantt Chart Disadvantages

Not dynamic, no defined relationships between activities, difficult to update, simplistic nature.

Gantt Charts Effective Uses

 Planning (master plan, input tool) and Communication (summary level, breakout areas, lookaheads generated from CPM)

Gantt Charts Components

Scaled timeline (project-specific, ordinal or date format), activity description, activity bar (left end = start date, right end = completion date).

Gantt Charts Preparation Parameters

 Activities (plans/specs review; scope: pre-construction, procurement, construction, closeout), Scaled timeline (lookahead schedules and overall), Durations (hours, days, weeks, months. Based on quantity of work, crew size, production rate), Sequence, Activity Bars (total time estimated to complete that activity).

ADM

Arrow Diagram Method (ADM): network of activities tied together with relationships. Activities are arrows, relationships are nodes.

PDM

Precedence Diagram Method (PDM): network of activities tied together with relationships. Activities are nodes, relations are arrows (AKA PERT).

Site Logistics Plan & Purpose

Sequencing and movement of materials, people, and resources on and around construction sites. It is a communication tool.

Site Logistics Key Performance Benefits

• Safety (defined access, traffic patterns, laydown zones, pedestrian routes reduce conflicts/near-misses);

• Transportation/Delivery Efficiency (planned routes, staging, delivery windows reduce congestion/delays); Worker Productivity (logical site flow reduces walking/searching time);

• Material Handling (strategic laydown/lift paths minimize damage/double-handling);

• Security (controlled access, fencing, storage zones prevent theft/vandalism);

• Inventory Control (easy tracking of materials and early identification of shortages);

• Housekeeping (planned waste/recycling/washout zones keep site clean/safe);

• Trade Stacking Reduction (coordinated zones prevent overcrowding);

• Communication (shared expectations align field execution).

Items to include on a Site Logistics Plan

Pedestrian walkways, Muster Point (designated evacuation location), Flagger, Spotter, Signage, Job Trailers, Fences/Gates, Traffic Flow, Parking (on/off-site), Crane locations/routes/swing radius, Laydown areas, Noise Control, Hoists, Phasing, Dumpsters/washout, SWPPP, Eye Wash/First Aid/AED, Rest areas/restrooms, Tilt-Up panel plan, Temporary/permanent utilities, Security cameras, Neighbors.

Site logistics planning cycle

 Plan -> Communicate -> Implement -> Adjust (repeat)

Who benefits from a site logistics plan

General contractor, trades, owner, visitors, neighbors, drivers (delivery).

Schedule Levels and Activity Types

Schedule Levels: Summary, Project Level Detail, Lookahead. Activity Types: Summary / "Roll Up" (Foundations, Structure, Finishes), Task Detail (Form Grade Beams, Install Sheetrock 2nd Side, Install Carpet), Milestones (Start & Finish: Notice to Proceed, Top Out, Permanent Power, Conditioned Air, Dry In, Substantial Completion)

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Visual, hierarchical, deliverable-oriented deconstruction of a project into manageable components

WBS Function & Tradeoff

• Functions: Breakdown complex projects, estimate costs, allocate resources, track progress.

• Advantage: Organized layout/grouping in logical manner.

• Disadvantage: Reorganizing layout requires reorganizing the WBS structure itself.

Activity Codes

Defined to follow WBS structure; allow easy reorganization of activities.

• Phase: Design, Pre-Construction, Permitting, Procurement, Construction, Close Out. Location/Level: Sitework, Building Area #, Level #, Elevation #. System: Site Utilities, Foundations, Structure, Exterior Skin, MEP Rough In, Drywall, Finishes, Hardscape, Punch

Activity IDs

Numbering provides location, level, scope information via prefixes/suffixes (e.g., SW-3000 = Sitework Earthwork; A3-7000 = Area A Level 3 Finishes).

Required Information to Calculate Activity Durations

Quantity of Work (from take-off: SF, LF, EA, CY), Production Rate (standard crew efficiency in crew-hours), Crew size/mix, Productivity factor, Hours per workday.

Productivity Factors

Normal = 1.0; 10% faster = 1.1; 10% slower = 0.9.

• Influenced by weather/temperature, space congestion, site/room layout, material handling, crew expertise, task complexity/quality, safety requirements.

Duration Formulas

• Adjusted Production Rate = Normal Production Rate * Productivity Factor;

• Duration (Hours) = Quantity of Work / Adjusted Production Rate;

• Duration (Days) = Duration (Hours) / Hours per Workday.

Duration Calculation Example

 300 doors, rate of 10 doors/hr per crew, 20% slowdown (0.8 factor) -> Adj Rate = 8 doors/hr. 300 / 8 = 37.5 hours. At 8 hrs/day -> 4.7 days.

Jobsite Labor Inefficiencies

Cost US contractors $30B–$40B annually due to missing info, waiting for decisions/direction, fetching materials, rework, and poor workflow

Jobsite Lifehacks

Stock common tools, limit cellphones, order missing materials for delivery, fuel trucks at shop, batch communicate, ask crews weekly how to help them save 15 minutes.

PDM Network

Nodes represent Activities; Arrows represent Relationships. Predecessors must occur before successors can proceed.

Finish to Start (FS)

Successor activity cannot begin until Predecessor is complete

Start to Start (SS)

Successor activity cannot start until Predecessor has started

Finish to Finish (FF)

Successor activity cannot finish until Predecessor has finished

Start to Finish (SF)

Successor activity cannot finish until Predecessor has started (seldom used in construction).

Lag

Minimum period of no activity that must elapse between tasks based on physical constraints (e.g., cure time, dry time). No negative lags.

Open Ends

Every activity shall have at least 1 predecessor and 1 successor (except Project Start and Completion Milestones).

• Traditional Open End: Activity has NO predecessor or successor at all.

• Discreet Open End: Activity has a Start Successor but no Finish Successor, or a Finish Predecessor but no Start Predecessor ("No Finish Successor" is most critical because delays won't reflect downstream).

Physical v. Crew Relationships

• Physical: Dependent on physical completion/progress (e.g., rebar complete before concrete placement).

• Crew: Dependent on resource/crew availability moving between areas. Without crew logic, delays falsely require hiring multiple parallel trade crews.

Critical Path

Longest continuous chain of activities through the network schedule that establishes minimum overall project duration.

• ZERO float

Characteristics of Critical Path

 Longest path, continuous start to end, zero total float, experiences convergence (multiple predecessors) and divergence (multiple successors)

Why does critical path matter

Establishes project duration, focuses on key tasks, improves resource allocation, enables better decision-making, facilitates tracking, assists risk management. Identification: must have activities, durations, relationships/logic/order before forward and backward pass.

Forward Pass (Early Dates)

 Early Start (ES) = Earliest an activity can start after all predecessors finish. Early Finish (EF) = ES + Activity Duration.

• Goal: Calculate ES & EF, determine total project duration.

• Rule: Take highest number to pass forward.

Backward Pass (Late Dates)

Late Finish (LF) = Latest date activity can finish without delaying overall completion. Late Start (LS) = LF - Activity Duration.

• Goal: Calculate LS & LF, identify critical path and float.

• Rule: Take lowest number to pass backward.

Critical Activity Condition

 ES = LS, EF = LF, Total Float = 0.

Float/Slack

Task Slack / Total Float = LS - ES or LF - EF (delay allowed without delaying overall project completion). Free Float = delay allowed without impacting immediate successor tasks. Positive float = ahead of schedule; Negative float = behind schedule.

Float Ownership

Can be owned solely by Owner, mutually managed, or unspecified. Float-allocating clauses prevent contractor/owner claims for compensation due to loss of float.

Project Calendars

Defines working and non-working days for activities to account for weekends, holidays, shifts, special events, and anticipated weather.

• Task durations are quantified in WORKING days, not calendar days.

• Types: Standard (Mon-Fri), Trade Specific (4x10s or 6-day work weeks), Special Conditions (7-day calendar for review/curing).

Weather Day (State of Texas)

 A working day where weather/site conditions prevent 7 continuous hours of critical path work between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Excusable delays requiring immediate notice to ODR and monthly reconciliation for Change Order time extensions.

Incorporating Weather and Holiday into CPM

1. Work Calendar Non-Workdays: Mark assumed/contract weather non-working days directly in the calendar

   1. (Pro: dispersed throughout project; Con: lack of visibility).

2. Weather Contingency Activity: Add a single weather task duration at end of schedule and reduce it as weather occurs

   1. (Pro: transparent; Con: all time placed at end).

3. Increase Activity Durations: Expand durations of weather-sensitive tasks

   1. (Pro: simple; Con: inaccurate individual durations).