20 Key Steps for Creating an Effective Project Time Schedule.

Introduction:

Project scheduling is a critical component of successful project management, this article will guide you through the steps of creating a project schedule, starting from the Bill of Quantities (BOQ) and contract, and ending with the Baseline (BL) schedule. Let's dive into the process.

1.????? Project Initialization:

• To get started, create a new project, First provide essential project high-level details, such as the project name, client and Engineer information, Project start, and finish dates, and project code The information will be provided in the tender package or in the project charter. This initial setup lays the foundation for your project schedule.

2.????? Reviewing the Contract:

• Carefully review the project contract to ensure that all contractual obligations and milestones are accounted for in the schedule.
• Provided in some contracts a specific duration for submission and approval of transmittal document (TD), as well as the duration for submission of the time schedule itself.

According to the F I D IC Red Book (1999 Edition), Clause 8.3 titled "Programme for the Works," the Contractor is required to submit a detailed time schedule within 28 days after receiving the Engineer's Notice to Commence.

3.????? ?Define Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):

• Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) that represents the project's scope and organizes the levels into a hierarchical structure, starting with the Control account reaching the Work Package based on the BOQ and contract scope.

• For a higher degree of control, it is advisable to break down the project scope into distinct levels, including Phases, Zones, Areas, Buildings, Floors, and specific trade-related work segments.

4.????? Creating Activity List:

Based on the drawings, BOQ, and contract requirements, create a comprehensive list of project activities in an Excel sheet to be used in upcoming steps.

4.1.?????Construction activities,

Read well the BOQ Most of the mentioned items are possible to split into more than one activity, such as (concrete work for columns) you will find as one item, but it’s preferred to split it into Formwork, steel fixing, pouring, and curing to get more control over the project.

4.2.?????Engineering activities,

You should request from the technical office team a list/package of drawings that will prepared for the project with its trade and the sequence of submission to the Engineer (Architecture, Electrical, Civil, and Mechanical) to fit with the schedule.

4.3.? Procurement activities,

From BOQ, define the items that will need to be delivered to the site from the local/global market and prepare activities for it such as (Delivery to site steel fixing, Masonry, Wires, Pumps, etc.

5.????? Resources Availability Assessment:

Now after defining the activity list, you know what resources are required.

• First before calculating your activity's duration, you need to define which activities need a subcontractor or Company’s resources (direct laborers).
• In the tender package, you will find the recommendation of some of the trade by works nominated by subcontractors.
• Ask the site team and prepare the resource assignment of activities with them.
• In the (Method Statements), you will find the strategy for carrying out the tasks of the mentioned activities with the necessary resources. This can be useful.

6.????? Define Production rates:

?Production rates are typically measured in units of work completed per unit of time (e.g., cubic meters of concrete poured per hour /day, linear meters of pipe installed per day).

• First, check if your company has historical data for a similar project or a resources-specific production rate sheet.
• After defining the production rates, it’s advisable to review them with the site team.
• Productivity may not always match theoretical rates. Adjust production rates for factors like learning curves, inefficiencies, and interruptions.

7.????? Estimating Durations:

7.1.???? Construction Activities:

• Now that we have the available resources and production rates, we can proceed to calculate the duration.
• Estimate the duration for each activity, In project management, we have more than one technique, but the most popular techniques are (historical data, expert judgment, and Bottom-Up Estimating), and the most effective one is Bottom-Up Estimating.
• Continue your calculation for the duration using the same Excel sheet mentioned in point 4, using this simple equation

Ensure that your duration estimates are realistic and achievable.

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7.2.???? Engineering Activities:

• As mentioned in point 2, check the contract for a specific duration for submission and approval of transmittal documents, drawings, etc.

7.3.???? Procurements Activities:

• Requesting from the Purchasing/Procurement Department outlining the durations expected from our suppliers for the required materials, to be considered in our time schedule.

8.??? Set Up Calendars:

1. 1.????? Working Days:

? Working days are essential for determining task durations. Common working days in construction projects in Egypt for example from Saturdays to Thursdays.

1. 2.????? Working Hours:

The hours within a working day when project work can proceed. Common working hours are typically 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

1. 3.????? Non-Working Days:

? such as weekends and public holidays.

1. 4.????? Shifts:

?In some projects, multiple shifts might be employed. Each shift has its working hours and rest days.

Multiple calendars may be necessary to better align with the specific conditions of the project, such as a calendar tailored for sub-contractors, suppliers, specific resources, etc.

9.??? Project Team Sessions:

Now we have most of the required data to create the schedule, but before proceeding we should prepare a session with the project team (Project manager, technical office manager, construction manager, etc.)

1. 1. Review the previous points and prepare the modifications if needed.

1. 2.?To buts the basis of the constructability method and the sequence of the phases based on their respective priorities.

10.? Sequencing Activities:

Sequencing activities is a critical step when preparing a time schedule for a project. Here are the key steps for establishing the sequence of activities in a time schedule:

1. 1.?????? Review the contract regarding contractual milestones and the handing over of each phase.

1. 2.?????? Check if you have external dependencies by any other stakeholders, to be a constraint in the schedule.

1. 3.?????? Ask the site team and prepare the sequence of activities with them, especially in the soft logic relations like (Finishing works).

1. 4. ?Check the method statement of work, you will find the strategy for carrying out the tasks of the mentioned activities that helps you to link the activities by knowing the sequence.

1. 5.? Use the (Services-Planning-Manual) of your company, it’s a book that contains examples of activities and what successors and predecessors, especially in MEP activities.

11.? Scheduling:

After completing the previous steps and creating the activities and the relationships in Primavera P6 software, Primavera will use the critical path method to calculate the forward and backward paths.

1. 1.?????? Time Frame and Dates:

?Primavera P6 will provide you with planned start and finish dates for all project activities. You will also have access to information such as total project duration, early start and finish dates, late start and finish dates, and float (slack) for non-critical activities

1. 2.?????? Output:

?The output of the scheduling process in Primavera P6 is a detailed project schedule that includes a timeline, showing when each activity is planned to start and finish. You will also have a clear view of the critical path activities and milestones.

12.? Verify the scheduled dates:

In this step, check if the project’s finish dates/milestones of the project fit the contractual dates.

1.?????? Review Contractual Agreements:

reviewed the project's contractual agreements, statement of work (SOW), and any other relevant documents. Mentioned on the specified milestones, deadlines, and completion dates outlined in the contract.

1. 2.?????? Identify Schedule Variances:

?Identify any variances between the contractual dates and the project schedule. These variances could include tasks or milestones that are behind, ahead of schedule, or not aligned with the contract at all.

1. 3.?????? Analyze the Impact:

?Assess the impact of schedule variances on the overall project timeline. Determine if any delays or changes in milestone dates will affect the project's successful completion and its compliance with contractual obligations.

1. 4.?????? Adjust the Schedule:

If it is determined that the project schedule doesn’t align with contractual dates, you may need to adjust. Depending on the nature and severity of the variances, this could involve (Revising Task Dependencies and reallocating Resources.)

13.? Assigning Resources:

1. 1.?????? Resources Availability:

?Before assigning resources, it's essential to assess the availability of resources as clarified in point 5

1. 2.?????? Excel Spreadsheet:

?You can create a table in Excel where the columns represent project activities, and the rows represent available resources. This table will help you organize and assign resources more easily.

1. 3.?????? Budget Allocation:

??Assigning resources with the budget units for different categories (material, labor, and non-labor) Each activity should have a clear allocation of budget units

1. 4.?????? Primavera Integration:

?You can utilize the import and export features of Primavera to streamline the resource assignment process:

a.?????? Export Excel Sheet:

You can export resource assignment sheets from Primavera to Excel.

b.?????? Import Excel Sheet:

You can import the Excel sheet containing resources again after assigning the resources.

14.? Resource levelling:

• The primary objective of resource leveling is to resolve resource overallocation issues by redistributing tasks or adjusting schedules to achieve a more balanced allocation of resources
• Identify resource overallocation by flagging instances where a resource's work exceeds its available capacity within a given time

15.? Checking the Critical Path:

?Any delay in these activities will directly impact the project's completion date so we need to make sure of the health of the path.

1. 1.?????? Primavera P6 allows you to easily visualize the critical path.

1. 2.?????? Identify and analyze the critical path of the project.

1. 3.?????? Review the number of critical paths and whether they are correct.

1. 4.?????? If there is more than one critical path, review the longest path

1. 5.?????? Determine which buildings will be critical and present them to the project team.

16.? Define Cost Breakdown:

• when (BOQ) provides a high-level item like "Slab Concrete item," and you have a detailed schedule that breaks down this item into individual tasks like (Formwork, Steel fixing, and pouring) so it's necessary to have a cost breakdown for these activities.

• Creating a cost breakdown, allows you to allocate costs to specific tasks or activities within the project schedule.

17.? Cost Loading:

where you allocate or "load" the budgeted costs to individual tasks or activities in your project schedule. This allows you to track and manage the financial aspects of your project, ensuring that costs are distributed appropriately across various project components.

18.? Verify the Funding limit reconciliation:

Ensuring that the value of the work falls within the financial constraints

• After the cost loaded, we need to check what is the amount of cash that will be spent each month and compare it with the project's limit.
• If the amount of cash exceeds the limit, we need to modify it by changing the relationship of the activities until we reach the available limit.

19.? Review and Adjust:

Carefully review the initial schedule and make necessary adjustments to align it with project constraints and objectives. This may involve resource leveling, resolving conflicts, or revising activity sequences.

20.? Display and Printing:

1. 1.?????? Print the time schedule, critical path, S-curve, and resources as PDFs.

1. 2.?????? After printing or exporting, review the data to ensure it meets your expectations in terms of content and formatting.

Conclusion:

?Creating a project schedule is a structured and iterative process that involves careful planning, resource allocation, and continuous monitoring. Starting from the BOQ and contract, and culminating in the Baseline Schedule, this comprehensive approach helps you manage complex projects effectively and achieve project success. Mastering Primavera P6's features empowers project planners to streamline their scheduling processes and deliver projects on time and within budget, while also keeping a close eye on the critical path to ensure project success.