Project Planning and Scheduling

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the very core of project management that is the planning, scheduling and control of the job. It commences with project planning where all the activities pertaining to the project have to be detailed and sequenced. This is normally a complex and a delicate task and because of that, the Critical Path Method (CPM), used for this endeavour, is exemplified in a simple but comprehensive enough case to understand and grasp the methodology, which is the base for the use of planning software such as MS Project® (Microsoft), and Primavera® (Oracle). It follows with the construction of the ‘S curve’, a very useful tool, which is paramount in monitoring work really done and money actually spent. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is also explained to describe this tool for the right allocation of funds to work packages. Naturally, potential activities to safeguard against risks are also considered, and an example using PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) is proposed when there is high uncertainty in the completion time of activities.

Scheduling takes into account resources and floats, and also aims at having the utilization of the available resources as steady as possible in order to maximize their deployment. Contractors’ schedules are also examined in order to verify matches between all contractors, that is, a smooth transition from the end of one subproject and the beginning of another. Control, a most fundamental activity, details a series of actions to perform and documents to prepare to make sure that everything goes as planned in time and costs.