Construction project

planning and scheduling

and the microcomputer
BY JAMES J. ADRIAN
CONSULTANT

STEPS REQUIRED FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT SCHEDULING AND USE OF COMPUTER

Must be done
manually
1. Define activities for project

2. Determine activity logic

3. Determine duration for activities

4. Determine float or contingency
duration to add to activity durations

X
X

8. Use algorithms (and computer?)

to plan and level resources

X
X

10. Perform calculations to prepare

a revised project schedule
11. Take steps to react to problems
determined from analysis of schedule

7. Perform project schedule

network calculations

9. Obtain jobsite date to

update schedule

Computer very Computer almost

advantageous
essential

5. Draw the project schedule network

6. Obtain subcontractor input

Computer can
indirectly help

X
X

Figure 1
t is possible that more microcomputers have been
purchased by the construction industry and its practitioners than by any other industry. Many software
p ro g rams for the construction industry are now
available to perform functions such as accounting, estimating and scheduling. Because accounting and estimating software programs follow most contractors existing manual procedures, the contractor has to adjust
his operating procedures only slightly to benefit from
computerization in these areas. Un f o rt u n a t e l y, the
same cannot be said of computer software for planning
and scheduling.

Establish manual scheduling procedures first

Project owners have only recently acted to pre ve n t
costly time and cost overruns by requiring contractors to
submit schedules. Until formalized scheduling became

a condition for awarding a contract, contractors often

undertook the construction of a significant-size project
with no schedule on paper. Scheduling techniques such
as the critical path method (CPM) we re nt well understood, bar charts were seldom used and the contractor
typically carried the schedule in his head. Because contractors we re nt even using manual procedures for
scheduling, computerization at this stage was analogous
to teaching a baby to run before it can walk.
Computers alone cant develop schedules that will increase productivity, improve quality control or reduce
the number of delays at construction sites. A computer
has only three capabilities that make computeri ze d
scheduling superior to manual processes. Co m p a re d
with a person, a computer can calculate faster, make calculations more accurately and organize more information in its much larger memory. Howe ve r, the computer

duration

20 days
___________________
Erect Wall Forms
Figure 2
by itself cannot obtain accurate input data. These data
must come from the constructor, who must derive them
from his own, accurate manual procedures.

Preparation and use of effective

construction schedules
Fo rm a l i zed construction planning and scheduling
management techniques, including CPM, can help the
constructor fulfill the requirements for a schedule. While
manual preparation of a CPM schedule can be tedious,
encouraging time-saving guesstimates which may render the results useless, computer assistance can increase
accuracy while reducing the time required to complete
calculations necessary to the production of a schedule.
Figure 1 summarizes the steps essential to the preparation and use of effective manual and computerized construction schedules.
Define activities. It is necessary to determine whether

forming walls, placing reinforcing bars and placing concrete walls is defined as three jobs or just one function,
erecting walls. Breaking jobs down into too many separate activities tends to discourage jobsite personnel from
using such detailed schedules. On the other hand, too
little detail makes a project schedule practically useless.
When defining activities, keep in mind that they
should be compatible with the intended purpose and
use of the schedule, compatible with the estimate breakdown, compatible with field reporting for cost control,
and compatible with the billing system that is used for
making progress pay requests.
Determine activity logic. Whether a project schedule
is produced manually or by computer, its activities
should be sequenced to model or represent the planned
actual construction process. For example, the pouring of
concrete walls must follow the placing of footings. In
addition to this technical logic, the project schedule
must also recognize resource logic and preference logic
of the builder. Resource logic may in fact take into account limited resources, such as too few carpenters to allow forming both the north and east walls at the same
time. Preference logic is the reasoning behind the decision of a contractor to do one activity after another, despite the ability and availability of resources, usually for
economic reasons.
Determine activity duration. A project schedule is only as good as the accuracy of its activity durations. The
only way to calculate an activity duration is to determine
it based on the quantity of work to do, the estimated productivity, and the establishment of a crew size. The computer by itself cannot determine the durations for the
contractor.

Figure 3

Figure 2 illustrates the symbol for the activity called

Erect Wall Fo rm s.
Step 1: Determine quantity of work
8000 square feet of contact area
Step 2: Estimate productivity
10.0 man-hours/100 sfca
Step 3: Establish crew size
5 workers
Step 4: Calculate durations:
(10 mh) (8,000 sfca)
= 20 days
(100 sfca) (5 mh/hr) (8 hrs/day)
No matter how sophisticated a computerized scheduling program is, the schedule will be inaccurate unless
the above calculation is made correctly. A CPM software
program cannot ensure an accurate duration.
Determine float or contingency durations for activities. Some extra time should be built into activity durations to acknowledge what will likely go wrong. Naturally, severe weather, material shortages and equipment
breakdowns dont affect all activities of all construction
projects equally, so this may take careful thought.
Obtain subcontractor input. In order to be of the most
benefit planning and controlling a project, the schedule
Activity

DUR

EST

EFT

LST

LFT

FF

FFP

TF

11

16

16

16

24

24

26

24

26

26

28

13

11

16

16

20

16

20

20

28

20

28

28

34

28

34

20

22

37

39

17

17

17

34

39

34

39

Figure 4
Legend:
DUR = Duration
EST = Earliest Start Time
EFT = Earliest Finish Time
LST = Latest Start Time
LFT = Latest Finish Time
FF = Free Float
FFP = Free Float Prime
TF = Total Float

should incorporate meaningful activity logic and durations from all contractors working on the project. These
c o n t ra c t o r s, in turn, should understand the schedule
and cooperate with it.
Draw the project schedule. Figure 3 illustrates a very
small drawn schedule. While a computerized plotting
program yields impressive results, a bar chart is not difficult to plot or draw manually once activities are defined, logic determined, and durations established.
Pe rf o rm schedule calculations. For big projects with
numerous activities, the computer user saves seve ra l
hours and perhaps even days at this point. If a mathematical scheduling technique such as CPM is used, the
calculations necessary to determining project duration,
activity start and finish times, and activity floats can be
done by a computer in almost no time at all. Example
output from one of these programs is shown in Figure 4.
Use computerized software to plan and manage resources. Modern computer software can use CPM as a
basis for leveling or allocating various project resources
such as labor, equipment or cash for specific purposes
like minimizing project costs. Although sophisticated
p ro g rams can do almost every type of resource allocation imaginable, it is important to question the usefulness of every application.
Obtain field data to update schedule. Two months into a 10-month project, one can argue that a new 8month project is just beginning. Obtaining field data to
reflect the events to date is fundamental to the updating
of a project schedule. Ac c u ra t e, complete and timely
field reporting is essential to the updating of a project
plan and, clearly, cannot be accomplished by the computer alone.
Make calculations to prepare a revised or working
schedule. A schedule that is not revised and kept current may be worse than no schedule at all. The strongest
argument for computerized planning is the ease and
speed of performing the otherwise tedious and timeconsuming mathematics necessary to the preparation of
revised schedules throughout the duration of a project.
Take steps to react to problems determined from
analysis of schedule. The purpose of using a formalized
schedule during the construction project is to detect
possible problems in time to take corrective action. The
computer only processes information that can clarify
such problems. Follow-up must take the form of manual interpretation and intervention.
The majority of the above steps can be perf o rm e d
manually, and many of them can only be perf o rm e d
manually. Yet the computer can play an important role
in getting the most out of effective manual scheduling
procedures.

Choosing microcomputer scheduling software

Four basic types of microcomputer programs are useful for preparing effective construction project plans and
schedules:

 Programs that quickly and accurately make basic

scheduling calculations about project duration, activity early and late start and finish times, and project and
activity floats
Programs for updating project schedules to reflect job
progress and revised projections
Programs that plot (via graphic capability and a pen)
project plans graphically in 2 dimensions
Programs that use algorithms (optimal mathematical
solutions) to plan, manipulate and level re s o u rc e s
such as labor, equipment and cash
Although it is possible to purchase a single software
p ro g ram for all 4 applications, the expense and usefulness of such equipment should be carefully considered.
The first two programs listed above, which can be purchased separately, are likely to be the most beneficial.
The rapid improvements in quality and prices in the
computer field should encourage the constructor to purchase for his immediate needs only. By the time his manual procedures are ready to support more advanced software, a better, less expensive program will likely be
available.
After determining what software program to buy, be
careful in choosing a vendor. Consider reputation and
a p p roximate number of installations, as well as
whether the vendor provides backup service, good program documentation and program revisions. Because
the vendor may know little about construction project
scheduling applications, the constructor should keep
the following concerns in mind as he shops for specific
software programs:
1. The program should contain clear and complete data editing routines that enable the user to correct input entries such as activity names, activity logic or
durations.
2. The software should contain complete and efficient
error routines that prevent input errors that can destroy minutes or even hours of good input.
3. To the degree possible, the scheduling pro g ra m
should integrate with the firms estimating and cost
control programs. Efficiency is increased if definitions
of activities for scheduling, work items for estimating
and cost objects for cost control are compatible.
4. The program should reflect the needs of the constructor and should be designed to think like him. Many
project planning and scheduling programs may require input or produce output that is inconsistent
with the functions and needs of the construction industry.

5. The software should be flexible in handling va ri o u s

levels of detail. A conceptual schedule, a milestone
schedule and a detailed schedule to be used by the
foreman to run a project all require different levels of
detail which should be integrated into the program.
6. The software should be able to accommodate the
many change orders that chara c t e ri ze the construction process.
7. Output reports produced by the program should be
easily understood and available in different degrees
of detail for the various managers who use the reports.
8. The program should be able to handle any number of
project activities, from few to many.
9. The software program should enable the firm to calculate percent complete based on project pro g re s s
and enable efficient calculation of the progress payment requests.
10. Any charts or bar charts the program creates should
be produced on inexpensive printers and should be
easy to handle and use at the jobsite.
11. The purchase price of a software program does not
necessarily reflect its quality or degree of usefulness.
If a vendor expends $100,000 to develop a software
program for scheduling and can sell 1000 copies, he
can break even if he markets it for $100 a copy. A
$1000 price tag may mean the vendor could sell only
100 copies!
A construction project planning and scheduling program should be relatively inexpensive, which means it
should cost less than $500. There is a high probability
that whatever a construction company purchases today
will be better and less expensive a year from now.
Fo rm a l i zed scheduling techniques and the microcomputer can go hand in hand to aid the constructor in
better planning and scheduling of projects. To benefit
most, the constructor should ready his manual procedures; he should be realistic about what the computer
can do and about what he needs the computer to do for
him; and he should do a careful performance and cost
analysis of the many programs that are available.

PUBLICATION#C860153
Copyright 1986, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved