Scheduling Process

During the project life cycle, the Project Sponsor will manage several types of schedules developed and maintained by various departments and entities. Each schedule is an integral component of the overall Master Program Schedule or Integrated Master Program Schedule (IMPS). In this instance, “program” refers to a portfolio of multiple projects.

Schedules are one of the management tools that project managers at all levels use to maintain accountability for activities taking place. In addition, schedules permit managers to anticipate upcoming activities, to review progress (i.e., planned vs. actual accomplishment), and to modify work plans, as necessary, to meet essential milestones. The following lists includes the most common types of schedules used on a typical transit project:

(1) Master Program Schedule or Integrated Master Program Schedule – A high-level summary schedule containing information from all other project schedules currently developed and maintained on the program. This schedule comprehensively includes all project life cycle phases and is managed by the Project Sponsor or its representative consultant/agency. (2) ROW Schedule – Developed specifically to address Real Estate acquisition

of partial and full takes, easements, potential condemnation process, etc. (3) Design Consultant Schedule or GEC Schedule – A schedule specific to

engineering design for one or more design contracts. Typically a contractual requirement between the Project Sponsor and the engineering design firm.

(4) Proposed Construction Schedule – A proposed construction schedule usually developed by a GEC, Project Manager or CM with input from the Project Sponsor. Proposed construction schedules may include one or

more construction contracts according to contract delivery methods and packaging.

(5) Vendor/Supplier Schedule – Schedules developed and maintained by major vendors or suppliers for rolling stock, Fare Collection equipment, substations, etc.

(6) Construction Schedule – A construction contractor schedule in accordance with the CPM Schedule specification requirements. The Project Sponsor or its representative must perform compliance review of every contractor schedule submission and ensure all vendor, design and construction contractor schedules are coordinated in accordance to the IMPS Plan. (7) Commissioning Schedule – Usually required for the commissioning of

facility buildings, control centers, vehicle maintenance facilities, etc.

(8) Start-up and Testing Schedule – Developed and maintained by the Project Sponsor, system integration consultant or contractor. This schedule is highly recommended for all projects and especially needed for minimal operable segment revenue operations, “soft openings” of revenue operations, and coordination with third-party operators and intermodal center adjacencies.

(9) Time Impact Analysis Schedule – Usually prepared by a construction contractor seeking equitable adjustment for compensable damages and or requesting excusable delay warranting a time extension. A Time Impact Analysis can also be performed by the Project Sponsor or its representative to counter a contractor claim.

(10) Schedule of Record – Sometimes referred to as an “As-Built” schedule simply documenting the actual dates and sequence of events specific to the contract (design, vendor or construction).

The Project Sponsor will receive and manage most all of these schedules as the various consultants, vendors and contractors engage the program. Inherently, each of these schedules will ultimately be summarized into the IMPS and managed by the Project Sponsor. In order to facilitate this process, all schedules and scheduling parties must conform to a standard set of Schedule Management Standards.

Before the Project Sponsor begins scheduling, it must develop scheduling standards that are robust and flexible enough to allow for multiple scheduling parties and expansion and contraction of program scope. The standards should address at least the following topics:

(1) Project Sponsor Project Control Organization (2) Schedule Type Definitions

(3) Anticipated Scheduling Parties (4) CPM Schedule Specifications

(5) Schedule Development Procedures a. Basis of Schedule Narrative

b. Schedule Software (requirements and training) c. Software Settings

f. WBS

g. Activity Coding and Custom User Defined Fields (UDF) h. Resource Library

i. Cost Resource standards (Cost Breakdown Structure if used) j. Report layouts and formats

(6) Schedule Update Process k. Submittal Package

l. Submittal Process (Review and Approval) m. Work Progress Measurement

(7) Claims: Time Impact Analysis Process (8) Reports (Custom per reporting audience)

Best Practices and avoiding common mistakes

The following list includes best practices used to prevent schedule management and program control mistakes:

(1) Develop a clear Project Sponsor Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) and orchestrate it with a staffing plan to ensure technical capacity and capability necessary to develop and implement a Project Management Control System. More and more Project Sponsors are using “blended” organizations consisting of partnering agencies and consultants. Key level management positions must be carefully evaluated to determine which agency or consultant team is best capable of filling the position.

(2) Develop WBS, OBS and a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) to clearly identify the position descriptions, roles and responsibilities all of departments, individuals and entities on the program.

(3) Establish Schedule Management Standards before or during the PE phase. (4) Use project control tools to assist with the evaluation and analysis of

determining project delivery methods.

(5) Use Schedule Risk Analysis tools (Monte Carlo/Latin Hypercube) during the design phase when developing proposed construction schedules and contract time determinations for each contract (design, procurement or construction).

(6) Synchronize the project budget cost estimate and IMPS when revisions to either document are made.

(7) Develop ROW schedules in sufficient detail and integrate them properly with the contract packaging plan, engineering design efforts, permitting, and utility coordination efforts.

(8) Use CPM Schedule Specifications that are comprehensive, well communicated and well understood by all parties.

(9) Enforce construction contractor schedule conformance strongly and properly. Baseline CPM Schedules should be reviewed and approved prior to construction NTP.

(10) Use progress update reporting to comprehensively decipher, properly analyze, and summarize data in order for management to make decisions and corrective course of actions.

Procedures for schedule control must be included in the PMP. Following are five elements that make up schedule control:

 Schedule Baseline or Baseline Integrated Project Master Schedule – Establish a project schedule that includes all of the activities that must be performed to complete the project, duration of the activities, and resources required to accomplish those activities.

 Monitoring/reporting system – Regular task status reporting by WBS element is required. Include activity commencement and completion and accomplishment of other milestones and monitored them in the schedule baseline. At a minimum, monthly progress reports should be required in contracts.

 Performance measurement system – Using the data from the monitoring/ reporting system provide a means to compare actual work performed to the scheduled work and analyze any variances that may occur. This comparison should result in the submission of timely status reports to responsible managers.

 Schedule forecast – Provide a system for routinely forecasting the expected schedule for completion of work packages and the total project.

 Schedule review and update – Make work package schedule forecasts available to the immediately responsible managers. Perform a continuous review of progress against the schedule so that resource reallocation or other corrective action can be undertaken as early as possible. Schedule changes that impact on other work packages should result in timely alerts to higher level managers. Project managers should perform reviews of the project schedule on a regular basis to identify developing trends and to point out potentially significant problems in the schedule forecast. Schedule updates should only be made by the person specifically assigned that authority. The official project schedule at any point in time is known as the Integrated Master Project Schedule, or IMPS.