DOS & DONTS

IN
CONSTRUCTION
SCHEDULING
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Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 2
Behind every project schedule there is the person,
or people, who created the schedule,
and that is the place to start when exploring best practices
and pitfalls that creep into project schedules.
Thats because its usually human error
and the thinking behind the schedule that leads to problems.
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Logic problems in scheduling can arise
in many places in todays complex
construction projects.
Assuming that most project planners
and schedulers are well trained and
experienced, they will carefully
construct a project that is both logical
in organization and in timing.
But even then, humans make mistakes
and sometimes overlook things, so its
usually the case that logic errors will
creep into the process of planning a
complex project schedule.
For example, it would be illogical to
schedule a bath fxture to be installed
before the rough-in, but, it happens,
and is an example of a logic error
arising simply from inattention to detail.
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 3
Chief among those thought patterns is poor logic.
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 4
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THE PRACTICE OF QUESTIONING
Other types of errors can be buried more deeply in the fabric of the project schedule
such as when a decision is made based upon incorrect assumptions during
estimating, or very early in the project planning stages.
Thats why adopting and nurturing a questioning approach to scheduling is often more
productive then just assuming everything thats been done before is accurate.
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Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 5
Theres a balance that has to be struck because schedulers
shouldnt be going back and redoing estimatings work, or project
managements work, but they should be inquisitive enough to follow
their hunches and investigate when things dont seem quite right.
For example, permissions and permits are notorious for falling through the cracks, especially
when a builder is working in unfamiliar territory.
An estimator might have assumed the electrician
assigned to drop the power to the job site trailer would pull
the permit because thats the way it works in his home
county 30 miles away.
Come to fnd out, after the powers on, the code offcial is
at the door asking to see the signed off permit.
Experienced schedulers will no doubt have a list of things
they automatically check at the beginning of every
scheduling job just to be sure there werent obvious errors
that occurred before them.
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 6
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DESCRIPTIONS
MATTER
Another type of error is one of not being appropriately descriptive when describing
activities.
FIRST OF ALL, absolutely all activities must be included, even the deliveries
of materials.
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 7
But MOST IMPORTANTLY, all tasks or
activities have to be described in language that is easily
understood by installers and everyone else, and should be
referenced to other associated tasks.
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 8
It isnt enough to simply write:
Install fxture
Instead, the type of fxture should be named and
any critical aspects of its installation:
Install bathroom sink
inside the vanity, including
approved drain to rough-in
point on the waste system.
This description ties the installation to the two
predecessors -- vanity installation and fxture
rough-in.
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RELATIONSHIPS
MATTER
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 9
When it comes to predecessors and
successors, every task except for the very
frst and very last must have them.
Predecessors and successors serve as the
beginnings and ends to each task, and when missing one or both, an activity
becomes an orphan. The project itself has a beginning and end, and so too
must all the activities or tasks.
It can be tempting to ignore assigning
resources to individual tasks within a group.
In some cases assigning resources to the
group is fne, but to do so without careful
scrutiny is dangerous.
Consider a crew that is supposed to install a sidewalk. It might be tempting to
simply assign the crew to the group of tasks involved with completing the job.
But, what if the crew needs a skid steer loader and doesnt have one assigned to
it? Theres going to be an equipment shortage that could possibly lead to a work
stoppage or slowdown.
PITFALLS OF NOT
ESTIMATING
Perhaps one of the biggest errors that occurs in project scheduling is the
one of not basing the schedule on a project estimate.
Its a combination of infated ego and cutting corners that leads people to
start eyeballing projects and drawing up schedules on the backs of
envelopes.
Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 10
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Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 11
Any builder whos done more than one project knows
they are all
DIFFERENT.

and to approach the scheduling process without an estimate is the act of
simply creating USELESS ARTS AND CRAFTS, according to J.F.
McCarthy in Choosing Project Success: A Guide for Building Professionals.
Each one has its own circumstances,

its own unique soil characteristics,

its individual locale,

and its own history,
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Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 12
EVERY PROJECT HAS
LIMITING FACTORS
Forgetting to consider the limitations of the project, and those involved in the processes
within the project, are two more prevalent pitfalls in construction project planning.
EXAMPLE 1
Consider a job site that is an existing multifamily renovation project where the buildings will
be renovated in phases -- one or two buildings at a time. The job site is going to have severe
limitations on how labor, materials and equipment move about because there will always be
adult residents, children, the elderly, the disabled, and their movements to consider. That
becomes a limitation of the job site that has to be planned for and built into the schedule.
EXAMPLE 2
Similarly, suppose a job requires a concrete slab that will eventually be the ground foor of a
building. There will be time required for the slab to cure before building on it. Likewise, using
epoxy to set rebar into a block wall will require a curing time that has to be factored into the
schedule.
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Timely Tips For Organizing Project Communication - 11
Finally, dont overlook the important management function of controlling. A schedule comes
to life once it is implemented and that means that things are going to begin changing.
You need to know whats working and what isnt, and you need to know where there are
too many resources assigned, where there arent enough, along with answers to a hundred
questions.
Use the reporting functions of your PM or scheduling software to do the analysis.
Want to get up to speed on scheduling? Procore integrates with your current scheduling
software to make your scheduling process more effcient.
CLICK HERE >> TO SCHEDULE A FREE DEMO and learn how Procore Cloud-Based
Construction Project Management Software can help you organize scheduling, assign
and manage tasks.
TRACKING
RESULTS
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Dos & Donts in Construction Scheduling - 13
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