In today's large-scale project landscape, particularly in sectors like life sciences, scheduling complexity has reached unprecedented levels.
Clients must manage various stakeholders, including multiple Construction Managers (CMs), specialized vendors, and in-house teams, all of whom must be integrated throughout the evolving end-to-end (E2E) project timeline. The challenge involves not just coordinating these various teams, but also the need to meet contract obligations, handle changes, manage risk, track individual performance, and ensure their work aligns seamlessly through the project lifecycle.
These complexities require rethinking scheduling practices. Research by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) tells a sobering story: only about one in four construction projects finish on schedule without timing deviations, and each month of additional delay results in an average cost overrun of 7.7 percent.
This article explores the key challenges and best practices in managing scheduling for large-scale construction projects, offering insights into strategies, contractual considerations, and approaches to risk management.
Scheduling challenges
Developing a very detailed E2E schedule is difficult due to often-underestimated factors. This includes considering variables like the impact of funding release and contracting strategies, the effects of design changes during procurement and construction, the coordination efforts required for commitment planning, resource management, and risk and dispute control.
For example, with tailored contracts, as the number of contracts and stakeholders increases, more complex information management for project schedule input is required. This demands additional levels of interfacing and coordination, tighter alignment of schedule detail, rigorous quality and consistency control, and strict adherence to the diverse standards and procedures of clients and stakeholders.
Another illustration of scheduling complexity arises with Design Assist contracts. While facilitating the overlap between the design and construction phases, they can pose significant scheduling challenges. Securing a clear picture and firm stakeholder commitments for detailed plans during these early coordination stages is difficult, often resulting in the need to revise or scrap early plans as the project evolves, leading to conflicts, disruption, and potential delays.
Also to be considered are requirements for accurate resource management and budgeting, which demand understanding and coordinating day-to-day work planning. Attempting to develop this level of detail on the E2E schedule from an early stage and trying to plan detailed activities too far in advance is not feasible due to the inherent level and amount of unknowns. Remember: the ability to predict risk increases as the time period to carry out the work decreases.
Good scheduling practices for complex E2E projects
A good approach to assist with these scheduling challenges involves having an E2E schedule with a manageable level of detail.
An E2E schedule requires a big-picture plan while supporting sufficient project scope detail. This must support the identification of the interfacing and relationships required between project phases, the determination of critical and multiple float paths, carrying out risk impact assessment, support progress measurement & KPIs, and the ability to track change impact.
A recommended method is to adopt a Level 3 schedule approach instead of Levels 4 and 5. Level 3 provides a solid framework for the entire project, including significant milestones, key activities, and an overall timeline. As the project advances, lean construction tools and short interval planning can refine the schedule from Level 3 to the required Level 4 and 5 detail if needed.
It is important to understand how schedules are divided into levels, as various parties can interpret this differently. When setting up contracts, one way to overcome this is to clearly identify, in the contract or in a basis of schedule document, what each level should entail.
Typically, Level 0 gives an overview of the project's total duration; Level 1 provides details on key milestones and stages; Level 2 presents a summary master schedule; Level 3 involves a project coordination schedule; Level 4 outlines a project working-level schedule; and Level 5 offers detailed activities for day-to-day coordination.
The implementation of short-interval planning has proven to be a valuable tool in managing complex projects to the required detailed L4/L5 level. During each interval, teams can implement IAPs, and conduct pull planning sessions. These sessions involve breaking down the project timeline into smaller periods, typically weekly or daily, defining specific tasks, assigning resources, and setting commitments.
Primavera P6 technology can be used to manage the construction project management (CPM) process, stakeholder coordination, and change and risk management through a Level 3 project schedule, which has proven to be an essential tool for this process. As the project advances, last planner techniques can be applied using lean construction tools and software programs like Touchplan, Nialli, and vPlanner that help streamline L4/L5 detail for day-to-day project planning, tracking, and resource management.
Schedule integrity when dealing with risks and disputes
Strong terms and conditions (T&Cs) in contracts serve as another crucial element in managing project schedules effectively. For instance, subcontractors should be required to submit resource-loaded schedules at the outset, utilize lean scheduling apps, and deliver detailed work plans and progress reports with earned value management (EVM) metrics and KPIs. Furthermore, they should submit impact analysis assessments to support the project change management process as the project progresses.
When it comes to scheduling risk, identifying critical and near-critical activities can prove difficult. Similarly, when disputes arise relating to excusable, non-excusable, and compensation matters, the ability to identify and substantiate requires specialized tools and methods.
Setting up an E2E detailed schedule that aligns with industry standards (DCMA) is essential to have the required quality control and integrity for carrying out the necessary investigation using specialized tools for risk and dispute analysis.
While resource allocation and implementing EVM measures may face resistance, they are essential for effectively addressing and agreeing upon time-related change orders and acceleration claims.
The future of construction scheduling lies in our ability to adapt and evolve our practices to meet the growing complexity of modern projects. By embracing comprehensive planning approaches, leveraging technology, and maintaining clear communication channels among all stakeholders, we can better navigate the challenges of large-scale construction projects and improve our success rates in meeting both timeline and budget expectations.
