IndexSl. no. Description Slide No.

THE BASICS

1 Definitions 3

2 Planning Process 4

3 Project Scheduling 5

4 Tools and Techniques used 6

5 Terminology used 7

6 Network Diagrams 8

7 PERT Networks 14

THE PRACTICAL ASPECT OF SCHEDULING

8 How do we start development of a schedule 18

9 Baselines updation and Tracking 19

10 How to cope up with a delay 21

The DefinitionsThe Definitions

Project

It is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.

Project Planning

It is a part of Project Management, which relates to the use of schedules(e.g. Gantt Charts) to plan , report progress and subsequently control theprojectproject.

2

The Planning ProcessThe Planning Process

Define Objectives, Project Scope and System Requirements

Define specific work activities

Creation of Project Organization

Preparation of Schedule

Preparation of Budget and Resource plan

Preparation of a plan to review and control work performance

3

Project SchedulingProject Scheduling

It is an integral part of Project Planning which is concerned with the techniquesthat can be employed to manage the activities that need to be undertakenduring the development of a project.during the development of a project.

Objectives:Completing the project as early as possible by determining the earliest startand finish of each acti itand finish of each activityCalculating the likelihood a project will be completed within a certain timeperiodFinding the minimum cost schedule needed to complete the project by ag p p j ycertain dateInvestigating the results of possible delays in activity’s completion timeProgress controlSmoothing out resource allocation over the duration of the projectSmoothing out resource allocation over the duration of the project

4

Tools and techniques used in schedulingTools and techniques used in scheduling

N kNetwork diagrams

PERTGantt Chart

PERT

CPMMilestone Chart

5

Terminology usedTerminology used

Float/ SlackThe amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project(t t l fl t) th l t t f ti it (f fl t)(total float) or the early start of any successor activity (free float)

MilestoneAn activity with zero duration which indicates the start or finish of a major taskac y e o du a o c d ca es e s a o s o a ajo as

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)The overall project is subdivided into smaller elements called WorkBreakdown Structure (WBS) Its purpose is to divide the total project intoBreakdown Structure (WBS). Its purpose is to divide the total project intopieces of work called work packages which makes it easier to prepare projectschedules, cost estimates and to assign management and taskresponsibilitiesp

Critical PathIt is a sequence of project network activities having zero float. It determinesthe shortest time possible to complete the project

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the shortest time possible to complete the project

Network DiagramNetwork Diagram

It is a graphical representation of the project and it consists of a series ofactivities arranged in a logical sequence and show the interrelationshipbetween the activities.between the activities.Types:

AON(Activity on node) or PDM(Precedence Diagramming method)

A

C

D F

START FINISH

AOA(Activity on Arrow) or ADM(Arrow Diagramming Method)B E G

2 5A

DE H

1 3 6 8A

B

C

EF

G

H

I

J

7

4 7C G

Activity RelationshipsActivity Relationships

Finish to Finish (FF) Finish to Start (FS)

Activity A

Acti it B

Activity A

Activity B

Start to Finish (SF) Start to Start (SS)

Activity By

Start to Finish (SF) Start to Start (SS)

Activity A Activity A

Activity B Activity B

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Network AnalysisNetwork Analysis

Forward Pass: It gives the earliest expected event times i.e. Early Start (ES) and Early Finish (EF) for each activity.

Backward Pass: It gives the latest allowable event times i.e. Latest Start (LS) and Latest Finish (LF) for each activity.a d a es s ( ) o eac ac y

T t l Fl t LS ES LF EFTotal Float = LS- ES =LF- EF

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Critical Path Method (CPM)Critical Path Method (CPM)

Forward pass through the network and evaluation of ES & EF

Backward pass through the network and evaluation LS & LFLS & LF

Float = LS-ES= LF-EF

Identifying Critical Activities and Critical path

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90,10595,110

105,110110,115

149,170173,194

B15

C5

H21

0,900 90

90,11590 115

115,129115 129

129,149129 149

149,177166 194

194,204194 204

A90

D25

F14

G20

I28

K10

0,90 90,115

90 120

115,129 129,149

149 194

166,194 194,204

E30

J45

90,120119,149

149,194149,194

ES,EFLS,LF

30 45

Activity nameDuration

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Interpreting a schedule

The following parameters are essential to interpret a schedule

1. BL1 Early Start or Early Finish – Indicates when the activity should have started or finished

2. BL1 Late Start or Late Finish – Indicates maximum extent an activity can be delayed as per original plan

3. Total Float – Indicates how much float is available at a particular point in the schedule

4. Free Float – Indicates how much float can be actually used

5. Schedule Percentage Complete – How much should have been complete

6. Actual Percentage Complete – How much is actually complete

What does the Critical Path mean practically ?What does the Critical Path mean practically ?

• A set of activities that have no float connecting the START node with the FINISH node

• Longest path of the network

• The sum of the completion times for the activities on the critical path is the minimal completion time of theproject

• Delay of an activity on the critical path directly impacts the planned project completion dateDelay of an activity on the critical path directly impacts the planned project completion date

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The Baseline

Updated Schedule

Updated Schedule

ProgrammeProgramme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

Use of probabilistic time estimates

For non-repetitive jobs (research and development work), where the time and cost estimates tendto be quite uncertainto be quite uncertain

Use of 3 time estimates :

• Optimistic time (to) : shortest possible time• Most likely time (tm) : best estimate of activity timeMost likely time (tm) : best estimate of activity time• Pessimistic time (tp) : longest time considering all odds

Expected time (te) = (to + 4tm + tp)

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Variance = ((tp – to)/6) 2

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Gantt chartGantt chart

• The Bar or Gantt Chart is used as a visual aid for tracking the progress of project activities

• Appropriate percentage of a bar is shaded to document the completed work• Appropriate percentage of a bar is shaded to document the completed work• The manager can easily see if the project is progressing on schedule

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Milestone ChartMilestone Chart

• A Milestone chart is similar to a Gantt Chart with the emphasis placed on taskcompletion• Milestones allow project management to much more accurately determineMilestones allow project management to much more accurately determinewhether or not the project is on schedule

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PRACTICAL ASPECT OF SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT

How do we start development of a ScheduleHow do we start development of a Schedule

Fixing the milestones• It is very important that the activities are maintained within the milestone dates• These may be based on expert advise , thumb rule or any previous project• If LOI has been issued or the contract has been signed already then these dates should be taken into consideration• If owner approved vendor schedules are available then dates prescribed herein may also be used

Package Philosophy of the project should be frozen• Details on various packages should be available at your disposal

Any interfaces within the packages should be noted down since these may be critical in package interfacing in the schedule• Any interfaces within the packages should be noted down , since these may be critical in package interfacing in the schedule

Scope and WBS• Develop the Work Break Down Structure as desired and well within in the scope that has been frozen• Scope of the project should be understood well before one starts schedulingp p j g• WBS should be further broken down into smaller activities with tentative durations• Activities should belong to 3 basic areas viz Engineering , Procurement and Construction• Load the resources required for each activity individually

R i i d C tRevisions and Comments• Schedule should be further refined based on comments from all the package owners• Comments should be sent to all the concerned personnel via an official mail• Received comments should be incorporated wherever applicable , else the reasons for not incorporating the comments

should be given in a comment sheet

Baseline , Baseline , UpdationUpdation and Trackingand Tracking

Baseline Development and Updation• Once the schedule is developed it should be frozen into a baseline• Based on the project progress the schedule should be updatedp j p g p• Updation should be done either weekly or monthly based on the requirement

Tracking the schedule • Check for the critical path• Note the activities wherein zero or negative floats exists• Check if the milestone dates or the project end dates have moved

Information source for Information source for updationupdation

Major Information sources• Approved vendor reports• Updated Approved schedules from the vendor• Updated Approved schedules from the vendor• Consultant reports on drawings and documents• Vendor manufacturing data • Package owner inputs • Inputs from project owner

Vendor Reports• Vendor reports are essential inputs for the updation process• Vendor reports are essential inputs for the updation process• Standard report formats should be prescribed in the contract document• Contact persons should be detailed out in the “Co-ordination Procedure”• Vendor reports should be commented upon receipt and clarifications sought • Vendor reports should at least contain the Engineering , Procurement and Construction data • Reports have to be submitted at least on monthly basis

How to cope up with a Delay ?How to cope up with a Delay ?

• An activity is said to be delayed when it consumes all float available to it• Activity with zero float is a critical activity

The Critical Activity

• Any delay here can affect the project schedule

Delay Analysis and SolutionL k f h l i i f h h d l d k h “D i ” f h i i• Look for the last activity of the schedule and track the “Driver” of the activity

• Check if the driver has adequate float to crash the duration• Try to reduce dependency of the particular activity by using a different sequence of

execution • Check if the resources can be increased to reduce the duration of an activity

Final thought on schedulingFinal thought on scheduling

Schedule predictions will be accurate only when all the personnel involved in the project contributeto development and updation process

Schedule development should be started at Level 1 (L1) and further drilled down to other detailedSchedule development should be started at Level 1 (L1) and further drilled down to other detailedlevels like L2 , L3 , L4 etc. this results in a more precise and accurate schedule development

L1 dates may not be very accurate but the milestones should lie within the limits defined by LOI’sor contracts available

Schedules submitted by the contractors in later stages may be within limits defined by the L1schedule

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