Project Management is a immense topic and without it, building or technology undertakings as we know them today merely could non be undertaken.
Undertaking direction has needed to accommodate as the industry has grown and methods have developed peculiar in the last century, which has seen perchance the greatest transmutation of all. Some facets of Project direction hold had to be adapted with this whereas others have led the manner to alter, thanks to innovative thought from the likes of Fayol and Maslow.
The successful direction of a civil technology undertaking depends upon a figure of factors. Planning, Organisation, Communication, Decisiveness are all subcategories that need managed. It is imperative that the right processs are put in topographic point at the start of the undertaking.
Good undertaking direction will let for first-class administration and trailing ; better control and usage of resources ; reduced complexness and early designation of jobs taking to quicker rectification.
A undertaking director should hold a sound organic structure of cognition that will include the nine nucleus countries of range, clip, cost, hazard, integrating, quality, procurance, communications and human resources. In add-on to a undertaking applied scientist ‘s professional opinion they will necessitate to name upon the necessary tools in order to pull off a undertaking successfully, which could include past or similar undertakings undertaken or specific direction tools, such as charts and agendas.
History of Scheduling
Gantt charts were developed by mechanical applied scientist, Henry Laurence Gantt in the early twentieth century as a ocular tool to demo scheduled and existent advancement of undertakings. Although platitude, today the Gantt chart was cardinal alteration in the manner undertakings were managed at the clip. Gantt charts were foremost used on high profile building undertakings like the Hoover Dam ( 1931 ) and the interstate main road web ( 1956 ) .
Complex web diagrams called PERT ( Program Evaluation and Review Technique ) charts were invented as portion of the Polaris missile pigboat plan in 1955. Booz-Allen Hamilton worked with the U.S. Navy to make these charts and agendas.
The Critical Path Method ( CPM ) was developed by the DuPont corporation in 1957, to cover with a assortment of undertakings and legion interactions at many points in clip. Arguably, the development of modern undertaking direction is a direct effect of the demand to do effectual usage of the informations generated by the schedulers in an effort to pull off and command the critical way.
The Work Breakdown Structure ( WBS ) was ab initio developed by the U.S. defense mechanism section, as an promotion of the PERT system noted supra. In 1968, it was issued as a military criterion, which required the usage of work dislocation constructions across the U.S. defense mechanism section. The criterion has been revised and updated over the old ages and is still in usage today.
Undertaking
Installing new steel beams throughout an bing masonry edifice and adding a new floor.
The undertaking will get down on January the 14th and is to be completed by Friday the 29th of March.
List of Undertakings
I have assumed the procedure of this undertaking direction get downing from the design stage.
Existing masonry strength investigated/tested for ability to take tonss
Constructing study to put out the masonry wharfs and degrees
Steelwork design required based on tonss to be imposed /spans between wharfs
Timber floor joists and border restraints designed ( with lumber plyboard deck to move as structural stop ) .
Fabrication drawings completed and issued for stamp
Steel Tender period
Fabricator chosen and contract signed for steelwork
Fabrication commences
Method statement to finish ( Health and Safety )
Method statement approved by CDM co-ordinator
Erection of scaffolding around wharfs
Existing general masonry fix to wharfs
Masonry remotion for padstone and bearing terminal of beams
Padstone installing ( Pouring of the unmoved concrete padstone )
Concrete padstone hardening
Ordering of steel installing equipment ( crane rig or red choosers )
Steel bringing to site
Steel hard-on and repair
Timber cut on site
Timber floor joists fitted
Plywood cut to size
Timber border restraints fixed
Plywood decking fitted.
Scaffolding around wharfs removed
Undertaking handed over to client for tantrum out
As built drawings & A ; records sent to Building Control
Undertaking Completion.
The importance of acquiring this technology facet of the undertaking completed on clip ( utilizing affectional and accurate programming ) will let the decking to be fitted and do the floor useable, enabling the ‘fit out ‘ to get down on clip and without the demand for expensive impermanent platforms.
Estimated resources and clip periods for the undertakings
Task resources for personnel- abbreviations for usage in tabular arraies, charts etc.
PM – Undertaking Manager
SU – Surveyor
SE – Structural Engineer
FB – Steel Fabricator
SW – Site Workers
HS – CDM co-ordinator ( Health & A ; Safety )
Estimated No. of yearss required to finish the undertaking.
Personnel resource abbreviation
Breakdown of clip and resources illustration
Detailed name of the undertaking from task list on old page
Shortened undertaking name as it will look in agendas
Autopsy
0 Dayss
Existing masonry strength investigated/tested for ability to take tonss
Existing Masonry Test
SU
7 Dayss
Constructing study to put out the masonry wharfs and degrees
Building Survey
SU
3 Dayss
Steelwork design required based on tonss to be imposed /spans between wharfs
Steelwork Design
Selenium
4 Dayss
Timber floor joists and border restraints designed
Timber Design
Selenium
3 Dayss
Fabrication drawings completed and issued for stamp
Fabrication Drgs
Selenium
3 Dayss
Steel Tender period
Steel Tender Period
FB
7 Dayss
Fabricator chosen and contract signed for steelwork
Fabrication Contracts
Autopsy
N/A
Steel fiction commences
Steel Fabrication
FB
15 Dayss
Method statements to finish ( Health and Safety )
Method Statements
Autopsy
2 Dayss
Method statement approved by CDM co-ordinator
CDM Approval
Hassium
5 Dayss
Erection of scaffolding around wharfs
Scaffolding
Southwest
3 Dayss
Existing general masonry fix to wharfs
Masonry Repair
Southwest
2 Dayss
Masonry remotion for padstone and bearing terminal of beams
Masonry Removal
Southwest
2 Dayss
Padstone installing ( Pouring of the unmoved concrete padstone )
Padstone Installation
Southwest
2 Dayss
Concrete padstone hardening
Concrete Curing
N/A
3 Dayss
Ordering of steel installing equipment ( crane rig or cherry chooser )
Plant Order
Autopsy
N/A
Steel bringing to site
Steel Delivery
FB
1 Day
Steel hard-on and repair
Steel Erection
Southwest
2 Dayss
Timber cut on site to suit
Cuting Timber
Southwest
1 Dayss
Timber floor joists fitted
Timber Joists
Southwest
4 Dayss
Timber border restraints fixed
Timber Restraints
Southwest
3 Dayss
Plywood cut to size
Cuting Plywood
Southwest
1 Day
Plywood decking fitted
Plywood Deck Fixed
Southwest
1 Day
Scaffolding around wharfs removed
Scaffolding Removal
Southwest
1 Day
Undertaking handed over to client for tantrum out
Undertaking Hand Over
Autopsy
N/A
As built drawings & A ; records sent to Building Control
As Built Records
Autopsy
1 Day
Undertaking Completed
Undertaking Completed
N/A
N/A
Work Breakdown Structure ( WBS )
The WBS communicates a clear position of the entire range of the undertaking, supplying a logical and consistent statement of what the undertaking comprises of. The WBS is neither over-simplified or overly composite. It is non a undertaking program or a undertaking agenda, and it is non a chronological listing. A cryptography system is implemented to enable cost, agenda, proficient and other informations to be cross referenced across a undertaking.
The undertaking director is to construction the undertaking work into WBS elements that are:
Definable – can be described and easy understood by undertaking participants.
Manageable – a unit of work where specific responsibility/authority can be assigned.
Estimate – continuance and cost can be estimated in footings of resources.
Independent – minimal dependance on other ongoing elements ( i.e. conveyable to a individual undertaking ) , and clearly distinguishable from other work bundles.
Integrate – integrates with other undertaking work elements and with higher degree cost estimations and agendas to include the full undertaking.
Measurable – can be used to mensurate advancement ; has start and completion day of the months and mensurable mileposts.
Adaptable – sufficiently flexible so the addition/elimination of work range can be accommodated in the WBS model.
On the undermentioned pages are two different signifiers of the WBS. A standard tabular position used for speedy mention / easy production, and the more familiar tree construction position ; used to demo more clearly the flow of undertakings and their relationships.
Gantt Charts
A common technique for scheduling building activities is the Gantt chart, named after the developer Henry Laurence Gantt, as mentioned in the debut subdivision.
The Gantt chart lists the building undertakings that need to be performed down a individual column, by and large in the order in which they are to be carried out, along with a 2nd column bespeaking the length of clip required to finish each undertaking. At the top of the chart, day of the months for the building undertaking are noted in a horizontal row. To the right of each undertaking a line/bar indicates the get downing day of the month to the completion day of the month for that undertaking. All undertakings in the first column are charted in this mode across the rows of the chart, with the saloon for each undertaking get downing at the earliest possible get downing day of the month. Many undertakings must be completed in sequence, necessitating the completion of one activity before the following can be started, although some undertakings may be completed independently of other work and can be charted when the work is most convenient.
The charting of activities allows the undertaking director to place critical points in the building agenda and provides the chance to set the undertakings to run into schedule demands. Gantt charting is utile for little undertakings that must be completed in a additive mode, or one measure after the other, and for contractors who have little crews and can merely prosecute in one activity at a clip.
Most Gantt charts these yearss are constructed utilizing computing machine scheduling plans. Templates provide a listing of typical building undertakings so the undertaking director merely has to infix the continuance of the work ; scheduling plans have advanced to the point where information about the activities, such as continuance and sequence, can be provided and the full chart generated. For my worked illustration I have used Microsoft Project.
On the undermentioned page is a Gantt chart, naming the undertaking undertakings and scheduling day of the months of completion ; observing how each undertaking is related and making a plan of plants in existent clip, with day of the months and deadlines throughout the working hebdomad. It outlines which undertakings are reliant on others and besides which can run at the same time or have no particular scheduling demands. For illustration the steel demands to be designed and ordered before it can be delivered to site and the padstones it sits on would necessitate to be in topographic point and the concrete cured before the steelwork could be erected. To maximize clip efficiency these undertakings will run at the same time ( i.e. padstones can be installed while steel is fabricated and before it is delivered to site ) these links between undertakings can be seen on the Gantt chart.
Critical Path Analysis ( CPA )
Similar to the Gantt chart the critical way analysis is a project-management technique that lays out all the activities needed to finish a undertaking, the clip it will take to finish each activity and the relationships between the activities. Besides called the “ critical way method ” , critical way analysis can assist foretell whether a undertaking can be completed on clip and can be used to foretell jobs within the plan both before get downing it and as it progresses, to maintain the undertaking ‘s completion on path and guarantee that deliverables are ready on clip.
Advancing from the Gantt chart on the following page is the undertaking critical way ( highlighted in ruddy on the subsequent page ) . Any fluctuations to these day of the months would hold a knock on consequence to the overall scheduling of the undertaking significance clip would necessitate to be made up elsewhere on the staying undertakings, or possible weekend overtime working would necessitate to be implemented to guarantee the undertaking was completed by the March 29th deadline.
Undertaking Evaluation and Review Technique ( PERT )
As undertakings become even more complex and unpredictable, more complex programming methods become appropriate. Methods such as the ‘program rating and reappraisal technique ‘ combines critical way analysis with chance to place completion day of the months that are optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely. Such programming techniques are non applicable to every undertaking, but may be used in big building undertakings that are likely to be influenced by nature or human factors. Examples include undertakings that are to be completed during unseasonable conditions conditions or rating in an country that may be delayed due to unknown belowground conditions.
PERT planning involves the undermentioned stairss that are described below.
Identify the specific activities and mileposts. The activities are the undertakings required to finish a undertaking. The mileposts are the events taging the beginning and the terminal of one or more activities. Using a work break down construction is helpful to name the undertakings that in ulterior stairss can be expanded to include information on sequence and continuance.
Determine the proper sequence of the activities. This measure may be combined with the undertaking designation measure above since the activity sequence is apparent for some undertakings. Other undertakings may necessitate more analysis to find the exact order in which they must be performed.
Concept a web diagram. Using the activity sequence information, a web diagram can be drawn demoing the sequence of the consecutive and parallel activities. Each activity represents a node in the web, and the pointers represent the relation between activities. Software packages simplify this measure by automatically change overing tabular activity information into a web diagram.
Estimate the clip required for each activity. Dayss are a normally used unit of clip for activity completion, but any consistent unit of clip can be used. PERT has the ability to cover with uncertainness in undertaking completion clip. For each activity, the theoretical account normally includes three clip estimations:
Optimistic clip – by and large the shortest clip in which the activity can realistically be completed, besides referred to as the ‘best clip ‘ .
Most likely clip – the completion clip holding the highest chance. Note that this clip is different from the expected clip, ( as explained below ) .
Pessimistic clip – the longest clip that an activity might necessitate, besides referred to as the ‘worst clip ‘ .
PERT can besides presume a beta chance distribution for the clip estimations.
Expected clip – For a beta distribution, the expected clip for each activity can be approximated utilizing the undermentioned leaden norm:
Expected clip = ( Optimistic + 4 ten Most likely + Pessimistic ) / 6
This expected clip is non ever used on the web diagram.
