Planning and

Scheduling
Lecture 1
Professor: Tom Stephenson

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Tom Stephenson’s contact information:

 E-mail tstephen@georgebrown.ca
 Office E228
 Telephone 416 415 5000 ext. 2210
 Note for fastest response use e-mail
or drop by office if I’m in.

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 Introductions
 Course overview check course outline

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 Objectives for Session 1
 To provide participants with an overview of planning,
scheduling and control of projects
 Review the principles of project management
 Review the objectives of planning and scheduling, how it
should work and the need for it.
 Review the level of detail required for effective planning
 Dispel the opinion held by some site superintendents that
planning and scheduling is a waste of time. That events
change so fast you can’t keep up with them.

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 Project
 What is a project?
 The textbook definition is :
 That it is a one time job
 That it has a definite starting point

 That there is a clearly defined scope

 That there is a budget

 That it is multitask in nature

 A project is a temporary endeavor

undertaken to create a unique product or
service or result.”
 (PMI definition)

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 Project
 Usually all of the criteria that define
the text book example are not clearly
spelled out in the real world.
 A repetitive job is not a project.
(example bank manager)
 Neither is performing a single task
over and over.

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solution.

-J.M. Juran

Pareto principle
It was in 1941 that Juran discovered the
work of Vilfredo Pareto.
Juran expanded the Pareto principle
applying it to quality issues (for
example, 80% of a problem is caused
by 20% of the causes). This is also
known as "the vital few and the trivial
many". In later years Juran has
preferred "the vital few and the useful
many" to signal that the remaining 80%
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of the causes should not be totally
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 Why Plan?
 The previous photos are an excellent example of why it is
important to plan, schedule and control your projects

 Moving ahead without seeing the consequences of/for

your actions, or lack of action, can be quite costly
 IF you don’t plan, schedule and control your projects, THEN you
will become imprisoned by your projects - reacting like a
firefighter trying to put out fires all the time
 This places a great deal of unnecessary stress on you and everyone that
works/deals with you
 While some people do develop great firefighting skills, your projects will not
be as efficient OR as profitable

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Challenges of Project Management
 Primary challenge is to
achieve all project goals and
objectives while honoring the
project constraints, which
typically are scope, time &
budget (cost)

 The secondary and more ambitious challenge is

to optimize the allocation and integration of
inputs necessary to meet pre-defined objectives

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 Two Approaches to Project
Management
1. Proactive Project Management: aggressive
daily management ensuring that the job
proceeds as planned by the Project Manager
OR
2. Reactive Project Management: the act of
fighting fires on a continual basis, spending
money and reacting as events occur, letting
circumstances run the job and run you

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 The Benefits of Proactive Project
Management
 Forces better organization
 Forces better coordination
 Facilitates identification of problems early
on, so that corrective action can be taken
 Better information leads to better decision
making

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It’s About Integration
Project Management is the integration of the
following:

• Tools
• People
• Process
• Best Practices

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What is a Project?
“A project is a temporary endeavor
undertaken to create a unique product
or service or result.”
(PMI definition)

• Every project has a definite beginning and a

definite end
• The purpose of a project is to attain its objective(s)
and then terminate

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Project Management Trade-Off
Triangle
Note the
interrelationship that
continually takes
place between the
constraints Quality

Scope

Cost Time

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Project Management Teams
Adhere to Time, Quality,
Cost, and Scope
 Time, Quality, and Cost are the three
constraints that are typically adhered to by
the project manager
 The forth constraint is the scope of the
project, this must be accurately defined or it
will effect change on the other three
constraints.
 Scope is the most likely to change during a
construction project, and involves unforeseen
circumstances, changes, and deletions to the
project.

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 Time
 Time is defined as the time required for the project.
 The importance of meeting time requirements will be
defined by the type and purpose of project.
 For example an institutional project such as GBC’s E
building may have a time requirement with penalties
attached if the construction does not have occupancy by
a certain date.
 A commercial project dealing with retail stores may
have a time requirement with penalties attached due to
loss of sales.
 An Industrial project, e.g. Kodak may have time
requirements with penalties attached due to loss of
processing time.
 A custom home being built on Spec. may not have as
tight a time frame requirement.
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 Quality
 Traditionally quality is defined as meeting specification
requirements and meeting client requirements.
 A more thorough definition says that quality is a state in
which value entitlement is realized for the customer and
provider in every aspect of the business relationship (Harry
and Schroeder)
 This definition recognizes the need and motive for profit
 If you improve quality, you reduce total project costs
 The cost of having to rebuild something is much higher than the cost
of building it right in the first place
 Companies need to strive for CANI, stands for Constant and Never
Ending Improvement (developed by American Charles Demming and
utilized greatly by Japanese manufacturers)

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 Cost
 Cost can be defined as the amount of money
budgeted to complete the project.
 Keep in mind that projects can be brought in
under cost and over cost.
 There is a limit to how much under cost a project
can be completed for.
 There is however no limit to how much over cost
a project can be completed for. E.g. Montreal
Olympics, Athens Olympics

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 Scope
 Scope sets out and defines the
magnitude of the project and the work
that encompasses it.
 Defining the project scope sets the
stage for project planning
 The primary purpose is to define as
clearly as possible the deliverables for
the client and to focus project plans

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Cost, Time, Scope Scope
(Quality)
Relationships

Time – Scope Curve

(Fixed Cost)

Cost – Scope Curve

(Fixed Time)

Cost – Time Curve

(Fixed Scope)

Cost Time

Cost -
T ime Cu
rv e

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Discussion Question

For Projects that you have worked on,

which one of the constraints do you
typically deem the most important?

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 Time Cost Trade Off
 In today’s work environment the pressure is on to complete
projects in record time while reducing costs and improving
quality.
 In utopia this may be possible, but in the real world
sacrifices usually need to be made
 Understanding of the project is necessary to maximize
project efficiency and reduce rework
 Bad News: Studies show that rework ranges from 5-20% in
new construction projects
 Good news this leaves room for improvement

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 Project Costs to Consider When
Planning
Direct Project Cost:
 Resources (Material, Labour & Equipment)
 Construction Technology & Methodology
 Working overtime / weekends
 Etc.

Indirect Project Cost:

 Temporary office rent, hydro, water, phone & data
 Administration fee & office staff
 Insurance
 Bonding
 Inflation
 Holdback
 Overhead
 Etc.
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Optimization of Project Time & Cost:
Subcontractor wants to
achieve minimum direct cost
$$$
Estimated Project Cost

Optimum Project
Duration

Time
Estimated Project Duration This delays project & increases
project indirect costs
Direct Cost Indirect Cost Total Cost

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Ability to Influence Construction Cost
Over Time

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 Project Management
Defined
 Project Management is facilitation of
the planning, scheduling, and
controlling of all activities that must
be done to meet specific project
goals

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 Project Management
Entails:
 Establishing and focusing on goals, which may be
general at first but will then become more specific
and job oriented
 Establishing an effective project management
process, that will operate in a systematic manner
 Use this management process, or system to make
the best possible decisions for effectively using
resources, coordinating personnel, and planning
and controlling the work

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 Project Scope Checklist
 Project goals
 Deliverables
 Milestones
 Technical requirements
 Limits and exclusions
 Reviews with client

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 Project Goals
 The first step of project scope
definition is to define the major goals
to meet your clients needs.
 For example: To build a custom designed
home according to the plans and
specifications as related to the contract
with a start date of April 1, 2011 and a
completion date of Sept 20, 2011 at a
cost of $550,000.
 Project goals answer the questions of
what, when, and how much.
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 Deliverables
 Deliverables:
 Next define major deliverables along
with time, quantity, and/or cost
estimates.

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 Milestones
 A milestone is a significant event in the project and
occurs at a moment in time.
 The milestone schedule is built using the
deliverables as a platform to identify major
segments of work and an end date point in time
 E.g. framing could be considered a deliverable, and the
framing inspection could be considered a milestone.
 In construction projects inspections and approvals are
sometimes used as milestones, for example occupancy
could be used as a milestone in a institutional building

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 Technical Requirements
 Products or services typically must meet
technical requirements and approvals, the
process and testing that needs to take place
must be considered in order to ensure that the
project meets the technical requirements.
 E.g. A high tech building may have specific
requirements regarding the network cabling, for
example the cabling must meet CAT6 requirements
or it will not be approved.

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 Limits and Exclusions
 The limits of scope should be defined
including things such as:
 Painting not included
 Landscaping not included

 Security devices installed by owner

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 Reviews with Client
(Consultant)
 Completion of the checklist ends with the client,
either internal or external
 The main goal here is to clarify and reach
agreement with the expectations
 Is the client getting what they desire with regards
to deliverables? Are the project objectives
agreed to, are the deliverables agreed to, does
the client understand the limits and exclusions of
the project
 The project manager must ensure that
communication is clear on the above topics
otherwise there may be misunderstandings or
legal claims

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 Establishing Project
Priorities
 The quality and success of a project are usually
defined as meeting and or exceeding the
expectations of the customer and senior
management in terms of:
 Cost
 Time
 Quality
 Scope
 The process of setting expectations is really helpful
in facilitating the process of a successful project.

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 Brooks Law
 Adding people to an already late
project may only make it later

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 Regarding Project Management
here are a few things to think
about
 If you always do what you have always done, you’ll
always get what you’ve always got
 Insanity is continuing to do what you’ve always done
and hope for a different result
 If what you are doing isn’t working then you need to
change the process by which it is done
 Careful planning and scheduling will help you to
reduce errors, and correct them for future projects

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 The Benefits of Effective
Planning & Scheduling
 Forces better organization
 Forces better coordination
 Facilitates problems early on, so that
corrective action can be taken
 Better information leads to better
decision making

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Project Management Main
Accountabilities
1. Setting Goals

2. Creating a Project Management

System

1. Managing the Project

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#1 – Setting Goals
 Certain goals are already spelled out on the tender
estimate and contract documents, including the budget
cost for the work and the time for completion

 Although neither of these can be altered significantly by

the Project Manager or Superintendent, intermediate
goals for the construction process itself are of the utmost
importance if the final requirements are to be met

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#2 – Project Management System
Time:
Design
 A plan of action must be established to assure the work is done in
the correct order or sequence, and within the time allowed
Cost:
 The work must be performed efficiently and within budget if the
contractor's goals are to be met
Resources:
 Must determine in advance when and how much of each resource
(eg categories such as labour, equipment, or materials) is needed
to do the work
 Resource management supports efforts to control time and cost -
information used by the PM to perform this task is developed from
the time and cost information data
Finances:
 Ultimately, time and resources translate into dollars
 The financial control function means accurately predicting the
amount of cash needed to support all the work done on the job

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#3 – Managing the Project
To manage and control a construction
project, the Project Manager and
Superintendent are required to perform
the following tasks:

 Planning the job

 Communicating

 Monitoring and Controlling

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Managing the Project
Planning:
 Realistic, usable schedules and budgets must be established for
all phases of the job

Communicating:
 Once developed, the plans must be communicated clearly,
effectively and timely to the people who will be executing them
 Emphasis must be placed on providing clear, usable visual
displays, particularly for scheduling

Monitoring & Controlling:

 Take steps to ensure that the project goals are met
 Bring the job back in line with the original plan, or revising the
plan to fit the new situation
 PM and Superintendent maintain an up-to-date schedule

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Project Life Cycle Baseline
Established

Feedback
Loop
Plannin
Initiatio g&
n Design

Monitorin
Executin g& Closing
g Controllin
g

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Module 1 Group Discussion
Questions
1. In groups discuss what is the number one issue you
think that there is with regard to planning,
scheduling and control on projects.

2. Discuss and give examples of the types of

construction team goals that the Project Manager
and Superintendent can set other than the overall
prescribed project goals.

3. Make a list of best practices that could be used by a

Project Manager and Superintendent with regards
to effectively managing projects.

4. Provide examples of where feedback from a

previous project has provided you with valuable
information that you were able to implement in a
new project.
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 Homework
 Read Project Management E-Book:
Chapter 1 Owners Perspective
http://pmbook.ce.cmu.edu/index.html

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