PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

Although many people have the ability to schedule, only a few are expert planners. The secret to a good plan is to put the whole project on a single sheet of paper, as shown in Fig. 6.6. This figure shows each phase of the project from the contract award to the mechanical completion; studying this figure will help develop an appreciation for the depth of information and timing presented on this single page.

Another example of a master plan is given in Fig. 6.7. It shows phase 1 and phase 2 shutdowns in the shaded areas. The shutdowns were important and critical, as they meant a loss of income to the refinery while the modernization was proceeding. A very simple plan for a small project is shown in Fig. 6.8 in the form of a bar chart.

The next step is to arrange a schedule from the plan. Key elements are the major milestones. Figures 6.6 through 6.8 show clearly such major milestones as contract award dates, mechanical completion dates, and the start of the shutdowns. The schedule must meet the major milestones to achieve the objectives set out in the plan. A first step in preparing the schedule from the plan is to prepare a plot plan, as shown in Fig. 6.9. A plot plan shows the times for deliveries of various pieces of equipment and such things as fabricated piping. Fig. 6.9 shows that the reactor steel is due in June. On large jobs a more elaborate plot is required, as shown in Fig. 6.10 for the fabricated steel. An overall plot plan shows multiple areas and work in blocks. It shows each area, the delivery dates, the vendors, and any other pertinent information. There will be individual plot plans for foundations, steel deliveries, piping deliveries, and so on. One has to know delivery dates to do a good scheduling job.

Equally important is the planning for labor, like the example shown in Fig. 6.11 for a moderate-size project. Labor requirements for a very large project are shown in Fig. 6.12. On large projects it can be difficult to satisfy the labor requirements. For this particular job good planning and scheduling had reduced the peak labor requirement from 3800 workhours to the shown level of 2500 workhours.

The end result of all planning is to come up with a time-phased plan; this process is called scheduling. Figure 6.13 is a simple maintenance schedule shown as a bar chart or Gantt chart (see following discussion).

Figure 6.14 is a procurement schedule. It shows an equipment list and

everything that must be done for the equipment at each of the various milestones.

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Figure 6.6 Master milestone plan.

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Figure 6.8 Bar chart for project master plan.

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Figure 6.9 Plot plan.

The engineering status shows each of the milestone dates, such as process data and issue of specifications. Procurement is timed by scheduling each major milestone for each major piece of equipment. This can be an involved effort; this task should be computerized on large projects which may have more than 2000 pieces of major equipment. In practice, scheduling of this nature is generally computerized, even on small projects. Excellent PC-based software is available to facilitate the scheduling function.

Figure 6.15 is a construction schedule. It is a weighted bar chart and the triangles show original delivery dates, revised delivery dates, and the actual arrival. This is a popular chart format for use in the field, easily understandable with a quick glance.

Another example of a construction schedule, but one including workhours, is shown as a bar chart in Fig. 6.16. There is an interdependency here since

the steel must be placed and a vessel must be set before the piping effort can begin (see following discussions on CPM and PERT).

These figures all show basic types of scheduling that will work for engineering, procurement, and construction. Next, we have to monitor the project itself to ensure that the schedule is maintained. Figures 6.17 through 6.20 are all examples of progress reports for engineering and procurement. (Later, progress reports for construction will be shown.) Figure 6.17 is an office schedule performance summary which shows percent completion for the various tasks in an engineering office and the total for the project. It is an interim report that shows what percent was completed on a particular date, the percent completed 2 weeks earlier, and what was actually accomplished within the 2-week period.

Figure 6.18 shows curves for process and flowsheets as well as for estimating and cost. Similar curves are developed for project engineering and for procurement. All this needs to be augmented with computer printouts like those shown in Fig. 6.19, a status report for work done at a refinery, and Fig. 6.20 for another refinery project.

At this point we have covered progress monitoring for engineering and procurement of a contractor or an operating company which has a department for engineering and procurement. The next consideration is construction cost

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Figure 6.12 Labor requirements for large project.

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Figure 6.13 Bar chart for small nonconstruction project.

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Figure 6.14 Procurement schedule.

monitoring. The principles remain the same, and Fig. 6.21 through 6.23

illustrate various ways to display progress. Figure 6.23 features a curve for the field indirect costs, which are increasingly becoming a major part of large jobs.

The whole purpose of reporting is to avoid surprises and to permit taking corrective action early enough to prevent a major deviation. Good field cost reporting is mandatory on a weekly basis; the weekly report should be on the construction manager’s desk by noon on Monday.

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Figure 6.16 Simple bar chart construction schedule.

Figure 6.17 Office schedule performance summary.

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Figure 6.19 Status report.

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Figure 6.20 Project status summary.