Undertaking Scheduling Essay, Research Paper

Chris Ryan

12/6/2000

Undertaking Scheduling

Pull offing a undertaking is no easy undertaking. A undertaking is a series of undertakings or occupations that are related to each other and directed toward a common end or end product. Undertakings normally require a important clip committedness, and be given to be handled by groups of workers. The employees at Craft Construction, a little concern that deals with complete remodeling and some little commercial edifices, by and large divide into groups of two or three workers per undertaking. The figure of employees assigned to a occupation normally depends on the size of the undertaking. For each undertaking, a undertaking director and a lead carpenter are assigned to manage most of the work. Undertaking programming is different for every occupation. Smaller occupations require less planning because there is non every bit much that goes into them. Larger undertakings that may take months or old ages tend to be more involved, and hence necessitate more planning. These occupations tend to hold more unobserved jobs which lead to rescheduling and incurring more costs. Mr. Kevin Hollmann, an employee of Craft, believes that the smaller undertakings are the 1s where more money can be made. He said this because the clip necessary for planning is much less and, overall, the clip on the undertaking is less, which keeps labour costs low. This allows for a bigger net income for the company.

Businesss that allow ill planned undertakings to continue are merely wasting resources and puting their employees in danger. Undertakings can neglect for a figure of grounds, but the chief 1 is deficient be aftering. Planning is indispensable for undertaking programming. It is believed that the procedure of planning is more of import than the resulting program. Undertakings involve organizing resources such as labour, stuffs, equipment, and many other things, so that everything can be done at the proper clip, leting the undertaking to be completed on clip. Before any work can happen, and before any programming can happen, be aftering must be done. One tool that assists direction in planning and budgeting is the work dislocation construction. This can be described as a hierarchy of undertakings or occupations to be done. The work dislocation construction defines the range of work, identifies what specific undertakings need to be done, and assigns duty to persons or fractional monetary units. The work dislocation construction facilitates the planning procedure, particularly when covering with larger occupations.

The undertaking director at Craft Construction is normally responsible for any planning and programming that takes topographic point on a particular undertaking, including fixing the work dislocation construction and the existent agenda of events. This director performs the initial planning and programming of undertakings and costs, and so hands it down to the lead carpenter, who is responsible for transporting out the responsibilities and acquiring the occupation done. Mr. Hollmann is one of the company & # 8217 ; s lead carpenters. Pull offing undertakings carefully is really of import for Craft. The undertaking is broken down into stages, leting the undertaking director to cognize what subcontractors will be needed, and more significantly, precisely when they will be needed. This is where the undertaking agenda becomes rather ready to hand.

Undertaking programming can be performed in many ways. Some of the more common and popular methods of undertaking programming are web analysis and the critical way method of scheduling ( CPM ) . Although companies do non ever utilize these methods in there exact signifier, most do be given to utilize a modified version of one or both of these methods. I discovered that Craft does non utilize web analysis or CPM, but they do hold a programming method that works for them and is rather similar to CPM.

Network analysis is a ocular representation of what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done. Networks are fundamentally a technique to assist direction in the planning and control of undertakings. They besides show relationships between the different undertakings that need to be accomplished. Networks are non merely utile for planning and controlling, but they can supply a agency of communicating between the assorted sections that participate on the undertaking. As a undertaking progresses, web analysis can supply an latest appraisal on the differences between what was planned and what is really happening. The handiness of such accurate informations is really indispensable in supplying undertaking directors with a agencies of control. The feedback between the existent and planned activities and times that consequences from this system provides a really good control system. Computers can farther help undertaking directors with speedy analysis of the information, particularly when covering with big undertakings.

CPM tends to ramify off of web analysis. Once the web is drawn, the estimated times can be entered and a critical way can be determined. CPM & # 8217 ; s aim is to measure the excess costs of cut downing the clip taken by activities, and so comparing those Numberss with the nest eggs from the decrease of the undertaking clip. This method displays the undertaking in in writing signifier and relates the undertakings to concentrate attending on those undertakings that are important to the undertaking & # 8217 ; s completion.

Craft uses a similar system. The method they use seems to be mix of the assorted scheduling methods. They use a graph that breaks the undertaking tasks down on a hebdomad by hebdomad footing ( sometimes even half hebdomads are used ) . This graph/schedule determines what needs to be accomplished, and when each undertaking needs to be accomplished. Mr. Hollmann could non emphasis plenty that companies need to be flexible when covering with undertaking scheduling. Flexibility is particularly of import in the building industry, where any figure of things can travel incorrect in one blink of an eye. Weather is a major job for concerns in the building industry. Changes must invariably be made due to rain, snow, or some other type of job. Mr. HoUmann commented that this uncertainness, and seeking to remain within the undertaking ends for programming is what makes his occupation genuinely interesting. Due to jobs and alterations in the agenda, there is ever down clip at Craft, where certain workers are non

needed on the occupation they were assigned, and are hence scheduled to other occupations.

Even though Craft runs into many jobs, they do non be given to incur many excess costs when the jobs occur. Normally, undertakings need to be crashed in order to acquire them finished by the coveted day of the month. This is due to jobs that arise throughout the undertaking. This tends to affect excess costs, many of which can be rather important. Craft by and large figures their undertakings reasonably tight. They normally have a feel of what will go on during the undertaking. The director keeps a close oculus on labour costs, so when a job does happen, non many excess costs are involved. The company is invariably drawing people off from occupations and holding to reschedule. Fortunately for the company, they do a good occupation of commanding their labour and the undertaking costs.

Undertaking programming and coordinating is one of the best ways for builders to cut down rhythm clip. By cut downing rhythm clip, undertaking costs can be reduced and cut downing rhythm clip will maximise capacity. Productivity will increase every bit good as quality and profitableness with shorter rhythm times. Because the success of undertakings depends on the application of undertaking programming, confer withing companies have developed entirely for this intent. Construction Consultants, Inc. is a company that provides services in project direction such as fixing CPM agendas. They assist concerns in developing effectual systems by functioning in top direction places on major building undertakings.

Obviously, scheduling is of import for any undertaking. Assorted types of package have been developed to help undertaking directors in the planning and scheduling procedure. There are more than sixty computing machine plans for critical way scheduling entirely! There are besides online control theoretical accounts designed for web analysis. These are fundamentally decision-making support theoretical accounts that are consistent with the peculiar direction scheme for the undertaking. Ocular multimedia applications are particularly utile in undertaking direction. These tools are peculiarly utile in the building industry. Computer pictures can demo unneeded and/or wrong building patterns. They allow builders to & # 8220 ; see & # 8221 ; the undertaking before it is even started. Supplying workers with a ocular map of what the concluding undertaking will look like can be really good. Problems can be defined and corrected before they even arise. Multimedia information mold and database design can besides supply ocular guidelines to trainees about complex operations.

Trade does hold package that allows them to & # 8220 ; see & # 8221 ; their undertakings, but it is non used. Mr. Hollmann said that there is normally no clip for it. However, he did reference that their designer uses it for schematics. It provides the designer with an thought of what the finished merchandise will look like. Trade does utilize a planning calculator plan, which is a national norm for gauging on occupations. He mentioned that this plan allows them to develop and do easier commands on undertakings.

The concluding facet of undertaking programming is control. Scheduling allows directors to hold better control over the undertakings they are responsible for. Scheduling provides undertaking directors with a clearer apprehension of precisely how much labour and stuffs will be needed, and more significantly, when they will be needed. Having idle workers and resources merely cause undertaking directors to incur more unneeded costs. By following the continuously up-dated agendas, undertaking directors can rapidly set to any job. With such a ready to hand & # 8220 ; progress study, & # 8221 ; directors will be able to pin-point the critical activities that need to happen following or that need to be expedited in some manner. Without the feedback that scheduling can supply, it is hard to develop a good control system.

Craft uses undertaking scheduling for obvious grounds, which were pointed-out throughout this paper. Undertaking programming is necessary for this company & # 8217 ; s endurance. They use the undertaking agenda to find the type and the clip the subcontractors will be needed, when labour will be needed and how many workers, and the exact order that events need to happen. The agenda can be used as a agency of control and communicating between employees. The undertaking agenda provides a concrete list of responsibilities for the & # 8220 ; lead carpenter & # 8221 ; to carry through. This creates a clearer occupation description for the employees because they know precisely what is expected of them. Scheduling can besides be really helpful in making budgets. Labor can be tightly controlled, leting the undertaking director to cognize precisely how much of the disbursals should come from labour. Through the planning and scheduling procedure, stuffs can be ordered and received when needed. With the assistance of computing machine package, jobs may be recognized before they even occur. This enables the company to better and more rapidly adjust and perchance even prevent the job from of all time go oning.

Undertaking scheduling has many utilizations. It is non merely a agency to place what needs to happen, but to supply input, feedback, way and control. The success or failure of a company might frequently depend on undertaking programming. Undertaking direction can merely be successful with the full support of top direction and all those who use the system. Without the proper support, non even the best system can win.

Bibliography

Mentions

Abudayyeh, Osama. & # 8220 ; Multimedia Data Modeling and Database Design For Project Delay Management. & # 8221 ; Project Management Journal June 1996: 5-13.

Baki, M.A. & # 8220 ; CPM Scheduling and Its Use in Today & # 8217 ; s Construction Industry. & # 8221 ; Projec Management Journal March 1998: 7-9.

Construction Consultants, Inc. hlW: //www.cclcon.com.

Hoare, H.R. Project Management Using Network Analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. Hollmann, Kevin. Personal interview. 2 November 2000.

Kerzner, Harold. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Plannin Schedulinig, and Controllin. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989.

Meredith, Jack R. Project Management: A Managerial Apl2roac. New York: Wiley, 1989