CE7301 Construction Management

2. Planning Techniques

DR. S.W. SENEVIRATNE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Project planning
“ Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate
into hard work”
(Reader’s Digest, March 1998, p.49)

There is a great deal of research supporting the view that careful

planning is solidly associated with project success.
Planning
Correct Path
Planning
Correct path
The Primary Purpose of Planning
To establish a set of directions in sufficient detail to tell the project team
exactly

What must be done

When it must be done

What resources will be required to produce deliverables of the project successfully

When each resource will be needed

Project Planning
Project Activity and Risk Planning

Budgeting: Estimating Costs and Risks

Scheduling

Resource Allocation
Project Planning and Scheduling
Need to know exactly
◦ what is to be done,
◦ by whom and
◦ when..
◦ resource availability
WBS is a conceptually simple method to assist
in sorting out and planning all this detail.
By allocating time and cost estimates to
specific sections of the WBS, a project
schedule and budget can be developed.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Work Breakdown Structure
Definition:
The progressive hierarchical breakdown of
the project into smaller pieces to the
lowest practical level to which time, cost
and resources are to be applied.
Developing a WBS
Various aspects to consider

 Methods used to place the work

 Skills needed for the work

 Critical activities

 Administrative actions

 Deliveries
WBS Guidelines
 Must be clearly distinguishable from other work packages

 Must have scheduled start and completion dates

 Should have it’s own budget

 Should not be too small but large enough so that the work package can be
competitively bid

 Relatively short time span

 WBS
Hierarchy
Project

Work Packages 1 Work Packages 2 Work Packages 3

Activity 1 Activity 1 Activity 1

Activity 1 Activity 1 Activity 1

Activity 1 Activity 1 Activity 1

It is good practice to create a schedule for each major task level in the WBS that will cover the work
packages.
WBS

Can you develop a WBS for a house construction project?

SCHEDULING
Converts a project work breakdown structure (WBS) into an
operating timetable

Serves as the basis for monitoring and controlling project activity

and, taken together with the plan and budget, is probably the major
tool for the management of projects
 Scheduling
Scheduling–– Bar
Bar Charts
Charts

Definition
 Bar charts (Gantt chart) represent the project time plan and is the most common
method in management presentations.

 It breaks the project into elements that are appropriate for time control.

 The basic modeling concept is the representation of project work item/activity as

a time scaled bar whose length represent the planned duration.

 Bar charts are very easy to understand even by laymen

 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Commencement and completion date of activities can be read by projecting the start
and end of bars to the horizontal time scale.

Bar chart method was first developed by Henry Gantt and is one of the oldest
methods of planning scheduling and controlling of projects.

Bar charts can be used to plan comparatively small projects having smaller number of
activities or prepare an abstract plan. This is possible since the activity relationships are
not complex.
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Bar Charts Pros and Cons

 Pros
 Easy to Read (Simple) -- No Training Required
 Show Major Work Activities
 Clearly & Quickly Show Project Status

 Cons
 Difficult to Depict Complex Schedules
 NO RELATIONSHIPS SHOWN (generally)
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Bar Chart Models

 Plan Focus
 Can be located on a time line to indicate the schedule for planned
starting, execution, and completion of the project work item

 Work Focus
 Graphical representation of the actual performance towards
completion of project
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Bar Chart Models

Plan Focus

Work Focus
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

The Length of the Bar has two different meanings:

 Physical length of bar represents the duration of the work item

 Provides a proportionally scaled baseline on which to plot at

successive of time the correct percentage complete status of the
project work item
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Bar Charts
 Activities Ordered by ES
 Time Line
 Duration
 Bars Represent Starts & Finishes
 Title
 Legend
 Resources
Examples
Activity relationship Duration
(weeks)
A Starts at Project start 2
B Starts after A finish 2
C Starts after B finish 1
D Starts after C finish 2

21
Examples
Dependent activities
Activity B can start after 1 week of activity A finished

Concurrent activities
Activities A and B can start together

22
Examples
Both activities B and C depend on activity A

23
Exercise
Prepare a Bar chart showing following information.

Activity Relationship Duration

A At project start 2 weeks
B 1 week after A finished 3 weeks
C After B finished 2 weeks
D 2 weeks after B started 2 weeks
E After D finished 1.5 weeks
F After E finished 1 week

24
Answer for the Exercise

25
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Sample Bar Charts

Critical Activities
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Sample Bar Charts

Develop a resource histogram and a S-curve taking information from the above
bar chart.
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

Tabulation of the Period & Cumulative Amounts

Sample Bar Chart

For Histogram & S-Curve Demonstration

Duration in Days
ID DESC DUR RESOURCE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
10 A 3 2100 700 700 700
20 B 5 3000 600 600 600 600 600
30 C 7 3500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
40 D 2 4000 2000 2000
50 E 4 1600 400 400 400 400
Period Amount 700 1300 1300 1100 1100 1100 2500 2900 900 900 400
Cum. Amount 700 2,000 3,300 4,400 5,500 6,600 9,100 12,000 12,900 13,800 14,200
14,200
 Scheduling – Bar Charts

The Resulting Resource Histogram

 Scheduling – Bar Charts

The Cumulative S-Curve

 Scheduling – Bar Charts

A composite Graph- Histogram & S-Curve

Linked Bar Chart
One of the disadvantages of normal bar chart is its inability to display complex
inter-relationships.
Linked bar chart is an extension of traditional bar chart and has following
advantages.
Shows the links between an activity and the proceeding activities which have
to be completed before that activity can start.
Shows the link between an activity being completed.
The above linking shows the effect of delays of any activity on the overall
program.
Shows the time available (float) for each activity
 Network Based Scheduling

Typically based on the

previously determined
WBS.

Forms a network of
activity and event
relationships that
graphically portrays the
sequential relations
between the tasks in a
project
Terminology
Activity -A specific task or set of tasks that are required by the project, use up
resources, and take time to complete.
Event - The result of completing one or more activities. An identifiable end
state that occurs at a particular time. Events use no resources.
Network - The arrangement of all activities (and, in some cases, events) in a
project arrayed in their logical sequence and represented by arcs and nodes.
Path - The series of connected activities (or intermediate events) between any
two events in a network.
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Activity relationship representation of the project

Attention on the relationship between critical activities which must be

completed before other activities can begin

The logic diagram graphically portrays the activity relationships

The evaluation of critical tasks, those that control the project duration, allows
for the determination of project duration.
Transform a Project Plan into a Network
Must know what activities comprise the project and, for each activity, what its
predecessors (or successors) are.

An activity can be in any of these conditions:

(1) it may have a successor(s) but no predecessor(s) -an activity that starts a network
(2) it may have a predecessor(s) but no successor(s) - an activity that ends a network
(3) it may have both predecessor(s) and successor(s) – an activity in the middle of a
network
Activity Network – AON Format
Activity-on-node (AON) network

Events must be added as “zero-duration” activities in AON networks.

Activity Network – AOA Format
Activity-on-arrow (AOA) Network

AOA networks clearly identify events in the network.

Question
Develop AON and AOA networks for the following WBS.
Sample of Network Construction
Sample of Network Construction
Sample of Network Construction

Note that activity f must follow both c and d, but any given
activity must have its source in one and only one node.
Therefore, c and d must terminate at the same node.
 Dummy Activities
A dummy activity has no duration and uses no
resources.
AOA networks
Sometimes require dummy activities to aid in
indicating a particular precedence, via a dashed arc
Its sole purpose is to indicate a technological
relationship.
AON networks Proper way to use a dummy
AON networks do not require the use of dummy activity if two activities occur
activities. between the same two events

.
Dummy Activities

a precedes d; a and b precede e; b and c precede f

Activity c not required for e
(a does not precede f).
Benefits of Scheduling
It is a consistent framework for planning, scheduling, monitoring, and
controlling the project.
It illustrates the interdependence of all tasks, work packages, and work
elements.
It denotes the times when specific individuals and resources must be available
for work on a given task.
It aids in ensuring that the proper communications take place between
departments and functions.
It determines an expected project completion date.
Benefits of Scheduling
It identifies so-called critical activities that, if delayed, will also delay the
project completion time.
It also identifies activities with slack that can be delayed for specified periods
without penalty, or from which resources may be temporarily borrowed without
harm.
It determines the dates on which tasks may be started—or must be started if
the project is to stay on schedule.
It illustrates which tasks must be coordinated to avoid resource or timing
conflicts.
Benefits of Scheduling
It also illustrates which tasks may be run, or must be run, in parallel to achieve
the predetermined project completion date.

It relieves some interpersonal conflict by clearly showing task dependencies.

It may, depending on the information used, allow an estimate of the probability
of project completion by various dates, or the date corresponding to a particular
a priori probability.
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Definition
 Network based schedules are the basis of
Critical path method (CPM).

 Different types of networks:

Activity-on-arrows (AOA) network
Activity-on-node (AON) networks
Planning Evaluation and Review Techniques
(PERT) networks
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Activity on Node or Precedence Diagram

 Activities are represented by Nodes
 The arrows only connects the nodes (activities)
and make logical relationships
 No dummy activities (nodes) or arrows
 There are several ways of defining the
precedence diagrams
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Precedence
 Activity on Node (AON)
 Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)
ES EF
Activity ID ES - the earliest point in time, that an activity may start.
EF - the earliest time the activity may finish.
LF - the latest point in time, that the activity may finish
Description without delaying the entire project.
LS - the latest time the activity may start without delaying
the entire project.
Duration
LS LF
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Calculations
 Start at time zero
 EF(activity) = ES(activity) + Duration
 ES (successor) = EF (predecessor)
Event time numbers represent end of time period
 1 Start & 1 Finish
 Pseudo-dummy start & finish when needed
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of Calculations – Forward Path

 The Early Start (ES) and Early Finish (EF) times are
calculated on the forward path.

0 10 10 14
10-Mobilize 20- Site Survey
10 4
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of Calculations – Backward Path

 The Late Start (LS) and Late Finish (LF) times are
calculated on the backward path.

3 13 13 17
10-Mobilize 20- Site Survey
10 4
5 15 15 19
 Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Critical Path Calculations

The critical path is the longest time duration path through the network.

 Objective
To find the critical path that establishes the minimum overall duration of the
project.

 Methodology
 Calculate ES times for each activity (Forward path)
 Calculate LS times for each activity (Backward path)
 Calculate float, or time, available for delay for each activity
 Calculate the minimum duration of the project and identify the critical path
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Floats
All activities that are not on the Critical Path can be delayed a
certain number of time units without causing an extension of
project duration

 Three Types of Float in non-critical activities

 Total Float
 Free Float
 Interfering Float
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Total Floats
Total amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the
project’s estimated completion time.

TF(activity) = LS(activity) -ES(activity) or

TF(activity) = LF(activity) -EF(activity)
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Free Floats
Free float is the amount of time that an activity can be delayed without
delaying the project’s estimated completion time and without delaying the
start of any succeeding activity.

For FS 0 relationships only:

FF(activity) = ES(successor) - EF(activity)
(Minimum Early Start of all successor activities – Early Finish)
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Interfering Floats
Interfering float is the amount of the total float utilized that interferes
with the following activities.

INTF(activity) = LF(activity) - ES(successor)

(LF- smallest Early Start of succeeding activity(ies))
It is also the difference between the TF and FF

INTF(activity) = TF(activity) - FF(activity)

Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Rules
 Network must have 1 start and 1 finish
 Total Float >= Free Float
 Total float in a simple chain of activities is same
 At least one activity enters into a node must have a
free float of zero
 The interfering floats of all activities enter into one
node is same
 Scheduling – Network Based Schedules
Critical Activities
 No Floats (ES=LS and EF=LF)
 If the total project duration is extended due to delay of an activity, then that
activity is critical
 Critical activities cannot be delayed without extending the project duration
 Activities that are critical lie along the longest path through the network
 Critical Path - sequence of critical activities (and critical events) that
connects the project's start event to its finish event
 Can have more than one critical path through the network
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of Calculations – Floats

3 13 13 17
10-Mobilize 20- Site Survey
10 0/2 4 ?/2
5 15 15 19

TF(activity) = LS(activity) -ES(activity) = LF(activity) -EF(activity)

TF (10)= 5-3=15-13=2 & TF(20)= 15-13=19-17=2

FF(activity)=ES(successor)-EF(activity) (Minimum for all followers)

FF(10)= 13-13=0
 Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

What are the Dummies?

10 30 When there are multiple

Underground activities with no
5 Mobilize predecessors, it is usual to
NTP 10 Utilities show them all emanating
5 from a single node called
0 or 1 “START”

20 One Start Needed --

Obtain Permits
5

So the Notice to Proceed becomes a pseudo- dummy start activity or milestone.

 Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

What are the Dummies?

160
Demobilize
250
10
PC When multiple
0 or 1 activities have no
successors, it is usual to
show them connected
200 to a node called “END”
Test & Commission
35 One Finish Needed --

So the Project Complete becomes a pseudo-dummy finish activity or milestone.

Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of an AON notation – another View

ESA EFA ESB EFB
Activity A Activity B

FF/TF FF/TF

Duration of A Duration of B
LSA LFA LSB LFB
 Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example
0 5
of an AON5 12 12 19
Activity A Activity B Activity D

0/0 0/0 0/0

5 7 7
0 5 5 12 12 19

5 10
Activity C

2/2

5
7 12
• Free Float of C = Early Start of D - Early Finish of C
• Total Float of C = Late Finish of C - Early Finish of C
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Testing your Knowledge

 Start by Constructing a Precedence Network from an Activity List
 Calculate the Forward Path

 Calculate the Backward Path

 Find the Project Duration & CP

 Calculate the TF and FF

Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

List of the Activities

Activity Depends Activity Depends
On On
A (10) - F (3) E

B (7) - G (5) D

C (5) A, D H (9) C, G

D (4) B K (4) F, G

E (6) B L (2) K
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

The Resulting Network

A
C H
10
5 9

NTP D G EOJ
0 4 5 0

B E F K L
7 6 3 4 2
 Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Forward and Backward Calculations Determine the LF and LS

0 10 11 16 16 25
times under the
A
1 C H condition that the
10
1 5 9 project’s minimum
1 11 11 16 16 25
duration be maintained.

0 0 11 16 25 25
7 11
NTP D G EOJ
0 4 5 0
11 16 25 25
0 0 7 11

0 7 7 13 13 16 16 20 20 22
B E F K L
0 0 3
7 6 3 0 4 2
3 3 3 3
0 7 10 16 16 19 19 23 23 25
Example
Exercise
Precedence Relationships
Finish to Start(FS) – “A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot
start until a predecessor activity has finished.”
Start to Start (SS) – “A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot
start until a predecessor activity has started.”
Finish to Finish (FF) – “A logical relationship in which a successor activity
cannot finish until a predecessor activity has finished.”
Start to Finish (SF) -“A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot
finish until a predecessor activity has started.”

Assumption: Activities are performed in a continuous manner.

Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of different Relationships-Finish to Start

35 43 47 59
FS4
Activity A Activity B
0/5 /5
8 12
40 48 52 64
The FS 4 says B may start 4 days after A is finished. Then:
• ES B = EF A + Lag Value AB = 43 + 4 = 47
• LF A = LS B - Lag Value AB = 52 - 4 = 48
• TF = LF - EF = 64 - 59 OR 48 - 43 = 5
• FF A = ES B - Lag Value AB - EF A = 47 - 4 - 43 = 0

Why would you use ‘FS other than zero relationship’ between 2 activities?
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of different Relationships-Start to Start

35 43 39 51
SS4
Activity A Activity B
0/13 /13
8 12
48 56 52 64

The SS 4 says B may start 4 days after A has started. Thus

• ES B = ES A + Lag Value AB = 35 + 4 = 39
• LS A = LS B - Lag Value AB = 52 - 4 = 48
• TF = LF - EF = 64 - 51 OR 56 - 43 = 13
• FF A = ES B - Lag Value AB - ES A = 39 - 4 - 35 = 0
Why would you use SS relationship between 2 activities?
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of different Relationships-Finish to Finish

35 43 35 47
FF4
Activity A
Activity B
0/17
/17
8
12
52 60 52 64

The FF 4 says B may finish 4 days after A is finished. Thus

• EF B = EF A + Lag Value AB = 43 + 4 = 47
• LF A = LF B - Lag Value AB = 64 - 4 = 60
• TF = LF - EF = 64 - 47 OR 60 - 43 =17
• FF A = EF B - Lag Value AB - EF A = 47 - 4 - 43 = 0
Why would you use FF relationship between 2 activities?
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Example of different Relationships-Start to Finish

35 43 27 39
SF4
Activity A Activity B
0/25 /25
8 12

60 68 52 64

The SF 4 says B may start 4 days after A has finished. Thus

• EF B = ES A + Lag Value AB = 35 + 4 = 39
• LS A = LF B - Lag Value AB = 64 - 4 = 60
• TF = LF - EF = 64 - 39 OR 68 - 43 =25
• FF A = EF B - Lag Value AB - ES A = 39 - 4 - 35 = 0
• Why would you use SF relationship between 2 activities?
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Caveat w.r.t. SS Relationships

67 82 89 97 97 102
G SS 5 L N
15 8 5

84 89
P
5
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Caveat w.r.t. SS Relationships

67 1567
82 89 97 97 102
G SS 5 L N
1500
15 8 5

84 89 There are no downstream effects when

activities only have SS relationships with
P their follower(s).Therefore use FS or FF
5 relationships too, even if only to EOJ or
PC.
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Lags & Link Lags

 Typically Lags are the equivalent of Lag Types and
Lag Values (FS 4, SS 8, etc.)
 Free Float being the minimum of the lags -- these lags
are really what others call link lags
78 89
P
65 73 LL = 5 11
K
8 74 78
LL=1 R
Therefore FFK = 1
4
Calendar Date Schedule
To communicate schedule information in a meaningful manner , the workday schedule needs to
be converted to a calendar schedule with points in time, such as an activity start expressed as a
specific date.

Project Start Date – Usually specified in the contract document

Factors affecting calendar conversion:

Working days per week
Holidays
Weather days
Scheduling – Network Based Schedules

Some Practice
49 56
K LL = 3
7
45 49 FF 1
G M
4 6
SS 3 FS 2

L FF 2 Q
EF = 52
12 SS 7 4
Scheduling with MS Project
Acknowledgement
Prof. J.Y.Ruwanpura, ENCI 697: Project Planning and Control, University of
Calgary, 2010.
Meredith, J.R. and Mantel, S.J. Project Management - A Managerial Approach,
2012.