Civil Engineer Expert

The four project scheduling techniques widely used in construction projects are:

. Bar Charts and Linked Bar Charts
. Network Analysis and Critical Path Method
. Line of Balance
. Q Scheduling

These are briefed below, in which Q Scheduling is now a new technique increasingly applied in construction project management.

1- Bar Charts and Linked Bar Charts;

Bar Charts are the easiest and most widely used form of scheduling in construction management. Even with other scheduling techniques the eventual schedule is presented the form of a bar chart. A typical Bar chart is a list of activities with the start, duration and finish of each activity shown as a bar plotted to a time scale. The level of detail of the activities depends on the intended use of the schedule.
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The chart is named after Henry Laurence Gantt, who refined the concept of using a bar chart to control steps relevant to the process of shipbuilding.

The Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that is helpful in laying out the tasks associated with a given project. When executed properly, the Gantt chart helps to ensure that the project schedule is maintained at a reasonable pace, and that the individual tasks that make up the work breakdown schedule logically progress in a manner that moves the project closer to completion. A Gantt chart can be used for just about any type of project, from laying out a marketing strategy or planning a building project.
The chart is named after Henry Laurence Gantt, who refined the concept of using a bar chart to control steps relevant to the process of shipbuilding. During the 20th century, the essentials of his process chart were applied to projects that had nothing to do with the building of ships. Today, the Gantt chart is used to establish a precedence network that determines the priority level of each task associated with the project. At the same time, the chart also evaluates the dependency relationships of each of the tasks. Together, these two aspects of the Gantt chart make it possible arrange and project the completion time of various tasks in a manner that shows a logical progression toward the successful completion of the project.

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There are many definitions of project management. This post try to pisk out some most common that widely accepted and understood. Also listed here the job description and main activities that project management job must cover.

Definitions of Project Management:
* PMBOK (Project Management — Body of Knowledge as defined by the Project Management Institute — PMI):“Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.“

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Why project scheduling is the art? If it were a science then every project would be delivered on time

In truth, the art of scheduling is based on experience and the more experience you have, the more accurate your schedule will be. However, you can still produce an accurate schedule by following some simple rules.

Principles of Project Scheduling “Art”:

Rule 1: Never give off-the-cuff or unconsidered responses, i.e. don’t commit to something you can’t deliver
Scheduling is one part prediction and one part expectation management. If you are pressured into picking a date “on-the-fly” at a random meeting you can bet that the date will not only be wrong, it will come back to haunt you. A considered response when you have had time to evaluate all the factors is much better. A date picked out of the air is good to no-one, least of all yourself.

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The report recommendations may support proceeding with a project or project stage as a result of the study. In this case the Project Proposal should be prepared. Both documents should be submitted to the governing authorities for approval.

Feasibility Study Request

The Project Proposal Template may be used to request funding to conduct a Feasibility Study, which in turn is used to provide an analysis of the objectives, requirements, and concepts of the proposed work, including justification, schedule, and deliverables. Its main purpose it to determine the technical and financial viability of a proposed change as well as to assist in identifying or clarifying activities, cost, timeframes and/or requirements (system and/or business). During the analysis, the objectives of the proposed work are defined based on the needs identified.

Depending on the project, the Feasibility Study may be Stage 1 of a large project. The Feasibility Study may also be used to conduct a preliminary part of project where it is unclear how to quantify the resources or if the product/system/process to be implemented needs to be identified before progressing to complete a Project Proposal.

The outcomes of the study must be considered and planned for. This means that the Feasibility Study Report requirements should be kept in mind at all times during the Planning Phase and throughout the life of the study. The output from the Feasibility Study is a report detailing the methodology used, the evaluation criteria, the study findings and recommendations.

Once the study is completed a Feasibility Study Report is required as the outcome for the work undertaken. If the study recommends continuing with the project idea then a Project Proposal for a new project should be completed and submitted either with the Feasibility Study Report or soon after.

Feasibility Study Report

The Feasibility Study Report template is used to provide information about the outcomes and success of a feasibility study. The report should include details on methodology used, the evaluation criteria, options analysed with findings and recommendations resulting from the study. Supporting documentation may be included as appendices.

The report recommendations may support proceeding with a project or project stage as a result of the study. In this case the Project Proposal should be prepared. Both documents should be submitted to the governing authorities for approval.

From civilengineerblog.com

Construction professionals need to know how to balance the contingencies of risk with their specific contractual, financial, operational and organizational requirements.

Risk Management

Construction professionals need to know how to balance the contingencies of risk with their specific contractual, financial, operational and organizational requirements. In order to achieve this balance, proper risk identification and risk analysis is required. The risk management process entails identifying construction risks and exposures, and formulating an effective risk management strategy to mitigate the potential for loss.

Many construction professionals look at risks individually with a myopic lens and do not realize the potential impact that other associated risks may have on their business operations. Using a holistic risk management approach will enable a firm to identify all of the organization’s business risks. This will increase the probability of risk mitigation, with the ultimate goal of total risk elimination.
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Risks in construction projects may be classified in a number of ways. One form of risks classification is as follows:

1.Socioeconomic factors

Environmental protection
Public safety regulation
Economic instability
Exchange rate fluctuation

2.Organizational relationships

Contractual relations
Attitudes of participants
Communication

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