Planning and Scheduling
Developing a Network Model
Dr. Mohammad S. El-Mashaleh
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 1
Steps in building a network model
1. Define activities
2. Order activities
3. Establish activity relationships and draw a network diagram
*Note the continuous iteration for steps 1-3
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 2
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4. Determine quantities and assign durations to activities
5. Assign resources and costs
6. Calculate early and late start/finish times
7. Compute float values and locate the critical path
8. Schedule activity start/finish times
*Continuous revision and update for network logic and
calculations; this happens both before and after construction starts
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Source: Hinze (2012) Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 3
Building a network model
• Note that the previous 8 steps are always
subject to continuous revision and
update during both the planning phase
and construction phase
• During the planning phase: to ensure that
we have the best and most reliable plan
to execute construction operations
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 4
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• During construction: to ensure that the
schedule closely depicts the progress in
the field (updated)
• The 8 steps process should result in a
network that is a reasonable
representation of the actual project
• However, it is usual in construction for
unanticipated incidents that are not
modeled in the schedule to happen
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 5
• Examples include:
• Owner initiated changes
• Labor shortages
• Delays in material delivery
• Performance problems with a
subcontractor
• Differing site conditions
• And many others……
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 6
3
1. Defining activities
• All activities needed to construct the
project should be included in the
network
• There are several types of activities:
– Production/construction
– Procurement
– Management
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 7
Production/Construction activities
• Physical installation of work
• Consume resources: labor, material, time
• Production activities usually include an action
verb in their description: excavate basement,
pour concrete, erect steel, paint wall, etc.
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 8
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• Production activities are the heart of the
construction schedule
• These activities usually consume the
diverse set of resources needed to
construct the project
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 9
Procurement activities
• Purchase and delivery of long lead-time
items
• Arranging for acquisition of materials,
money, equipment, manpower
• Influence the timing of production
activities
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 10
5
• Long lead items are usual procurement
activities
• Fabrication, order, and delivery are
words often associated with
procurement activities
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 11
Management activities
• Examples include:
– Approving shop drawings
– Tracking submittals
– Developing as-built drawings
– Testing
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 12
6
Milestones
• Sometimes, contracts require the
contractor to meet certain intermediate
deadlines
• These events are frequently known as
milestones
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 13
• These milestones have no duration and
use no resources
• They, simply, represent a point in time
• Milestones can be:
– Start milestone
– End milestone
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 14
7
• Start milestone
– Marks the beginning of a specific set of
activities
– Such as: notice to proceed, give the
contractor right of access to the site
• End milestone
– Marks the end of a specific set of activities
– Such as: issue taking over certificate, issue
performance certificate
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 15
Activities level of detail
• A related issue in defining activities is
the fact that the planner needs to
consider the level of control needed to:
– Track progress
– Identify problems quickly
– Incorporate changes easily
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 16
8
• What does constitute an activity?
• “Build a house”?
• Or “install light fixture #63”?
• Which alternative is better than the
other?
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 17
• “Build a house”
– At this level of detail, there is no
intermediate control of time or money
– It is almost impossible to tell whether the
project will finish on time and within budget
– There are no intermediate benchmarks
with which to measure outcomes
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 18
9
• “Install light fixture #....”
– At this level of detail, there could be
hundreds/thousands of activities
– Tracking time and money at this level of
detail will turn very challenging
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 19
• The best approach
– Each project manager must determine the
appropriate level of detail
– The resulting activities are used to prepare
the initial schedule
– As the project progresses, management
may determine that certain areas of the
project require more/less detail
– Changes should be made to schedule as
needed throughout the life of the project
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 20
10
Activity descriptions
• Activity description for production activities
should include action-related verbs
• Each activity should have a distinct
description
– “Place concrete slab”
– or “Place concrete slab – Building 1, floor 2”
– Which description is better? Why?
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 21
Activity identification
• In addition to descriptions, activities
usually have identifications (I.D.’s):
– Numbers only (140)
– Numbers and characters (CON140)
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 22
11
• Which one is better to number
activities?
– 1, 2, 3
– Or 10, 20, 30
– Why?
• In large projects they use 12
alphanumeric numbers and characters
to make the identification more specific
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 23
Source: Weber (2005, p.13) Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 24
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2. Ordering activities
• To put a certain activity in its logical
order, 3 related questions must be
answered:
1. Which activities must precede it?
2. Which activities must follow it?
3. Which activities can be concurrent with
it?
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 25
• In addition to the above 3 questions,
several constraints control the ordering
of activities:
– Physical, resource, safety, financial,
environmental, management, contractual,
and regulatory constraints
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 26
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Constraints
• Physical constraints
– Logical order of putting things on place
– For example: forms, rebar, then pouring
concrete
• Resource constraints
– Due to insufficient availability of resources
– For example: 2 activities that need a crane
can not be scheduled at the same time
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 27
• Safety constraints
– For example: drilling and blasting will postpone the
execution of adjacent activities
• Financial constraints
– Securing loans
– Avoiding high cost activities during a certain stage
in construction (especially at the beginning of the
project)
• Environmental constraints
– Not executing certain activities so that the nature
at certain seasons is not disturbed
– Dust or noise control
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 28
14
• Management constraints
– Any constraint imposed by management
– For example: no work or shorten workdays during
the holy month of Ramadan, etc.
• Contractual constraints
– Imposed by the owner
– Completing certain part of the project before
starting with another part
• Regulatory constraints
– Imposed by government agencies, municipalities:
issuing permits
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 29
Constraints impact
• Constraints have a negative impact on
the schedule
• Sometimes, they confuse the logic of
the schedule
• Scholars and practitioners recommend
avoiding them as much as possible
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 30
15
3. Establish activity relationships and
draw a network diagram
• Shows the network and relationships
between activities
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 31
4. Assigning durations to activities
• The duration of an activity is the
estimated time that will be required to
complete it
• The usual unit of time: “days”
• Other units are possible depending on
the nature and length of the project: hrs,
wks, months, yrs, etc.
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 32
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• Activity durations are calculated based on the
resources used and their productivity (crew
size, equipment, etc.)
• Productivity numbers are usually
available per hour:
– 50 m3 /hr for an excavator
– 10 m2 /hr for a crew of painters (i.e., 1
skilled, 2 helpers)
– 20 Linear-meter /hr of pipes for a crew of
plumbers (1 skilled, 1 helper)
– etc.
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 33
The duration of an activity is
calculated as follows:
Duration (hours) = Quantity (m3)/ Productivity (m3 /hr)
= total_hrs
Duration (days) = total_ hrs / hours_worked_per_day
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 34
17
Productivity rates
• Are there any published productivity
numbers (for construction) in Jordan?
• US productivity numbers:
– Walker’s building estimator reference book
– Richardson’s general construction
estimating standards
– R.S. Means cost data books
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 35
• Productivity numbers have to be reliable
to depend on
• Firms depend on:
– Historical data from previous projects
executed by the firm
– Experience of firm’s personnel
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 36
18
Source: RS Means (2000)
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 37
5. Assigning resources and costs
• Each activity in the network model has
to be assigned resources and costs:
– Labor hrs
– Equipment hrs
– Cost of labor, equipment, and material
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 38
19
• The major requirement for effective
assignment of resources and costs to
individual activities is a clear description
of the relationship between the CPM
activities and the units of work
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 39
Activity 300:
Pour concrete for
slab of floor 1
Labor: to place and
elevate concrete Material: Concrete
How many labor hrs How many cubic
are needed? meters of concrete?
How much is the cost Cost of these cubic
for all these labor meters ?
hrs?
Equipment
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 40
20
6. Calculating early and late
start/finish times
• The early start time of an activity
– Is the earliest time that an activity can start
after the completion of its predecessors
• The late start time
– Is the latest time an activity can be started
without delaying the project
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 41
• The early finish time
– Is the earliest time an activity can be
finished if it is started at its early start time
and is completed using its estimated
duration
• The late finish time
– Is the latest time an activity can be finished
without delaying the completion of the
project
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 42
21
Identify the critical path
• If the early and late start dates for an
activity are the same:
– The activity has no flexibility or “float”
– If the activity starts later than the assigned
date or if the activity takes longer to
complete than the assigned duration, the
project completion date will be extended by
the same amount of time
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 43
• Those activities have “No Float” and are
called “Critical Activities”
• The chain of “Critical Activities” from the
beginning to the end of the project is
called “Critical Path”
• From this feature came the name:
“Critical Path Method – CPM”
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 44
22
8. Schedule activity start/finish times
• The network and the generated
information are now used to best
manage the execution of the project
• Management decisions can now be
made regarding using the float available
for some activities to schedule the
start/finish of these activities
Construction Project Management
Dept. of Civil Eng.
Dr. Mohammad El-Mashaleh
Hashemite University 45
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