CE 476

Construction Management
Lecture s # 18 and 19

Dr. Abdulrahman K. Yussef

Chairman of the Architectural

Engineering Department
 Today…
Chapter 8: Project Scheduling
Four-Dimensional Modeling
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Estimating Activity Durations
8.3 Bar Charts
8.4 Activity Precedence Diagrams
Four-Dimensional Modeling
•Four-dimensional (4-D) technologies are now being used by planners, designers, and, engineers to
analyze and visualize many aspects of a construction project, from the three-dimensional (3-D) design of
a project to the sequence of construction to the relationships among schedule, cost, and resource
availability data.
•These intelligent 4-D models support computer-based analysis of schedules with respect to cost,
interference, safety, etc., and improve communication of design and schedule information.
Project Scheduling: Introduction
•As discussed in the previous chapter, a project’s work
breakdown structure (WBS) defines work packages that can
be sequenced (scheduled) to coordinate the project
construction.
•The resulting project schedule is of paramount importance
for many management functions, such as the proper
coordination of material procurement and subcontractor
mobilization.
•The schedule provides a concise means to communicate
the intended construction strategy and can reveal any
inconsistencies in its design.
Project Scheduling: Introduction
•This chapter examines the steps required to develop a project
schedule. They involve:
1. Breaking down the scope of the work into manageable
portions, namely its activities. This first step was discussed in
the previous chapter.
2. Estimating each activity’s duration.
3. Establishing sequence relationships among activities. If one
activity is called fabricate formwork for deck A and another is
called pour concrete for deck A, then finishing the former is a
necessary condition for executing the latter.
4. Finding the earliest and latest possible times for the
execution of each activity. This is determined by the duration
of the activities and their mutual relationships.
Project Scheduling: Introduction
•This chapter examines the steps required to develop a
project schedule. They involve:
5. Looking up the project’s critical sequence of activities
and the leeway that activities not included in this
sequence can have. This step is an outcome from the
scheduling of the previous step.
6. Reviewing, optimizing, communicating, updating, and
in general, using the schedule.
Estimating Activity Durations
•After a list of activities is developed, the duration of each
one must be estimated. The duration of any activity is
largely determined by:
oThe nature of the work that the activity entails. All other
factors being equal, a concrete pour in the 50th floor of a
building is likely to take longer than one in the 2nd floor.
oThe quantities of the work. Quite evidently, an activity
involving 6,000 square foot of formwork will take longer
than another consisting of 3,000 square foot.
oThe technique used for the task. A concrete pour usually
takes longer if it is done using a tower and buggies than if
it is done with a concrete pump.
Estimating Activity Durations
•After a list of activities is developed, the duration of each
one must be estimated. The duration of any activity is
largely determined by:
oThe resources used to perform the work. Twenty masons
are likely to finish the same amount of work in a shorter
time than 15 masons. A larger fleet of scrapers will finish
an earthmoving operation faster than a smaller one, if the
conditionsdiscussed are met.
oThe working hours for the resources. An activity will be
finished in fewer days if it is performed using 10-hour
shifts instead of 8-hour shifts.
Estimating Activity Durations
•With all the factors considered here, it would appear that estimating durations is a colossal endeavor. In
fact, there are many ways to simplify this part of the scheduling process. Figure 8.1 shows an excerpt
from Building Construction Costs, published annually by R. S. Means, Inc. It shows the ‘‘normal’’
productivity for a crew fabricating and placing footing formwork. Similar data are available in other
sources.
Bar Charts
•The basic modeling concept of the
bar chart is the representation of a
project work item or activity as a
time scaled bar whose length
represents the planned duration
of the activity.
•Figure 8.2(a) shows a bar
representation for a work item
requiring four project time units
(e.g., weeks).
•The bar is located on a timeline to
indicate the schedule for planned
start, execution, and completion of
the project work activity.
Bar Charts
•Project bar chart models
are developed by breaking
down the project into a
number of components.
•In practice, the breakdown
rarely exceeds 50 to 100
work activities and
generally focuses on
physical components of
the project.
Bar Charts
•One disadvantage of the traditional bar chart is the lack of
precision in establishing the exact sequence between
activities.
•This problem can be addressed by using directional links or
arrows connecting the bars to give a precise indication of
logical order between activities.
•This connected bar chart is sometimes referred to as a bar-
net.
•A connected bar chart (bar-net) showing the major activities
defined in the preliminary project breakdown diagram for the
small gas station (Figure 7.4) is shown in Figure 8.4.
•The bars are positioned in sequence against a time line.
Bar Charts
•The sequence or logic between the bars is
formalized by connecting the end of the preceding
bar to the start of the following bar, as for
instance, the end of bar 3.
•Erect building structure is connected using a
directional link or arrow to the two activities that
follow it (Activities 5 and 4).
•Positioning the eight activities as bars in their
logical sequence using the arrow connectors
against a timeline plotted in weeks allows us to
visually determine that the duration of the entire
project is roughly 20 weeks.
Bar Charts
•This diagram also allows one to determine the
expected progress on the project as of any given
week.
•For example, as of week 11, Activities 1, 2, and 3
should be completed.
•Activities 4 and 5 should be in progress. If we
assume a linear rate of production (i.e., half of a 2-
week activity is completed after 1 week), we could
assume that one-third of activities 4 and 5 will be
completed as of the end of week 11.
Activity Precedence Diagrams
•A precedence diagram is a graphical tool
that shows a project’s activities as
rectangles or circles joined by arrows
indicating their mutual dependency or
relationship.
•The resulting network clearly indicates the
intended sequence of activities, as shown in
Figure 8.5, and is the fundamental graphical
component of the Critical Path Method (CPM),
whose scheduling mechanism will be
discussed in detail later in this chapter.
Activity Precedence Diagrams
•A precedence diagram is a graphical tool
that shows a project’s activities as
rectangles or circles joined by arrows
indicating their mutual dependency or
relationship.
•The resulting network clearly indicates the
intended sequence of activities, as shown in
Figure 8.5, and is the fundamental graphical
component of the Critical Path Method (CPM),
whose scheduling mechanism will be
discussed in detail later in this chapter.