Greater focus on project scheduling key to achieving project objectives

In often complex civil construction projects, productivity gains made through implementing best practice scheduling can resolve productivity challenges and reduce delays – improving outcomes in your business.

Scheduling - the process of converting the plan into time-based activities with consideration of time and resources – plays a key role in improving project outcomes in civil construction according to Vikram Telang, Senior Associate Director at Anvelo.

Vikram has a particular expertise in implementing risk and earned value processes to identify root cause of slippages and provide accuracy in schedule forecasting and project delivery. His specific experience comes from working on civil infrastructure, roads and rollingstock, with complex design interfaces and logistics.

Productivity challenges in civil construction

A constant challenge facing the construction industry is improving productivity: a fact highlighted by the McKinsey Global Institute report ‘Reinventing Construction: A Route to Higher Productivity Executive Summary’ (February 2017). According to this report, over the last two decades, construction productivity has improved only 1% year on year vs. 2.8 % for the global economy and 3.6 % in manufacturing.

Productivity increases are not achieved through onsite work alone and, in a potentially delay prone environment, mitigating the potential for delay is another factor that impacts productivity.

There are many reasons given for delay and failure of projects. These include:

• Scope creep (including through a lack of clear project objectives),
• Insufficient, and in some cases a lack of, project tracking methods. These methods should include milestones, budget and resources; documentation; reports and analysis.
• Poor communication: Often projects face a lack of clear communications pathways or structures, communications which are unplanned, unscheduled and infrequent and – all too often - critical information is not communicated.
• An absence of and/or poor planning whether it be risk, schedule or strategic planning or the use of assumption.

Except for scope creep, all of these factors are related to project scheduling.

Scheduling to improve project success

If implemented appropriately project scheduling lends itself to resolving productivity challenges and will assist in reducing delay and the potential for failure. A lack of understanding of proper planning, risk allocation and controls on complex projects creates an environment for falling short of project goals. Further, lack of transparency and communication gaps may also lead to greater risk of unfavourable outcomes for the project.

While better planning and scheduling will improve project success, such strategies need to be implemented as an intregal part of the process. It is unfortunately common for construction projects to run scheduling and controls in silos: at times only as a tender program, reporting tool or to ‘tick the box’ regarding contractual requirements. The use of best practices for planning and scheduling is currently inconsistent throughout the construction industry; sometimes even between the various functional areas within the same organisation. 

According to Vikram implementing best practice planning and scheduling across the organisation is a good place to start if you are seeking to increase productivity and success on your project.

Improve your knowledge

ICI Australia’s course ‘T0021 Project Scheduling (1) – Fundamentals’ is a good starting point for any civil construction professional wanting to increase their knowledge of project scheduling and how it can benefit their business outcomes.

In just four hours of on-line material ICI delivers material that will provide course participants with an understanding of the fundamental principles of how to develop and control a project schedule, including how to read, understand and review project schedules and to ulitise status reports to communicate project progress to internal and customer audiences.

For more information on this course, go to https://iciaustralia.com/Learning-Program-CPD/Course-Detail?coursecode=T0021

Thanks to Vikram Telang, Senior Associate Director at Anvelo Pty Ltd (www.anvelo.com.au) for his assistance on this article. Vikram is a Project Controls professional with a background in engineering and construction.

REFERENCES

1. McKinsey Global Institute, “Reinventing Construction: A Route to Higher Productivity Executive Summary,” February 2017. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Capital%20Projects%20and%20Infrastructure/Our%20Insights/Reinventing%20construction%20through%20a%20productivity%20revolution/MGI-Reinventing-Construction-Executive-summary.ashx.

2. Krystal, “Top Eight Causes of Project Failure,” 18 August 2019 https://www.softwaresuggest.com/blog/top-causes-project-failure/

3. Introduction_The_Iron_Law_of_Megaproject_ April 2017_ (PDF) Introduction: The Iron Law of Megaproject Management (researchgate.net)

4. “Top 9 Reasons Construction Projects Fail,” 19 January 2020.: https://www.buildriteconstruction.com/9-reasons-construction-projects-fail/.

5. “Three Most Common Reasons for Project Failure,” 16 November2017.http://www.projectmanagement.ie/blog/3-most-common-reasons-for-project-failure.

6. “Three Reasons Why Projects Fail and How to Avoid Them,” 3 May: https://www.villanovau.com/resources/project-management/why-projects-fail-how-to-avoid-them/.

7. Integrated Project controls by Satinder S.Baweja,CCP and Lori D.Vidak -The Journal of AACE International The Authority for Total Cost Management- September/October-2021