CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT 4.1

Discussion Questions_ 4

Answer discussion questions

1. Discuss how do network diagrams solve the primary problem with bar charts?

2. In your opinion, why it is important to organize a pre-construction meeting and who should attend this meeting?

3. How the bidding schedule different than the master construction schedule?

Respond to others:

NK

1. Discuss how do network diagrams solve the primary problem with bar charts?

The big advantage of bar charts is that they are very easy to read, but you cannot show the relationship between activities or calculate the star and finish dates, with Network diagrams, you can show the dependencies between activities and identify the critical path, but this type of diagrams is difficult to read and can take a lot of time to create. The network bar chart is like a combination of the bar chart and network diagram, where you can easily identify the critical path, is easy to read, easy to modify, also you can show data in different ways which is useful when you need to share the schedule with different people like owner and sub-contractors, you can have a lot of information on your schedule than the sub-contractors don’t need or that you don’t want to show to the owner, so you can create a different schedule for each of them.

2. In your opinion, why it is important to organize a pre-construction meeting and who should attend this meeting?

A pre-construction meeting is important because it gives you the chance to clarify the project goals, manage expectations, identify potential conflicts, and resolve them, also it help with communication between all the team. The attendees should be the owner, estimator, crew leader, sub-contractors.

3. How the bidding schedule different than the master construction schedule?

There are different levels of schedules, depending on the amount of information or details it provides, the Level 1, Project Master Schedule (PMS) it highlights major project activities and milestones for the whole project and is part of the feasibility studies, usually this type of schedule is the one using during the bidding process. Level 2, Summary Master Schedule (SMS) maintained as a summarization of the next level schedule (PCS), it depicts the overall project broken down into its major components by area, is used for higher-level management reporting. Level 3, Project Coordination Schedule (PCS) spans the whole of the project and is used to support monthly reports, it includes all major milestones, major elements of design, engineering, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning. Level 4, Execution Schedule, is a detailed working schedule, where each schedule is an expansion of part of a Level 3 schedule. It displays the activities to be accomplished by the project workforce. Level 5 schedule, Detail Schedules are developed to plan and coordinate the work at the detail level, this type of schedule is replaced typically every 1, 2 or 4 weeks depending on the complexity of the work.

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J G R

1. Discuss how do network diagrams solve the primary problem with bar charts?

One problem when using bar chats is that this type of chart does not show interdependencies. It leads to not knowing how to calculate the start and finish dates or the critical paths. On the other hand, the network diagrams show the interdependencies, more detail, and projects critical path. Even though this type of chart has more detail, it is easier to keep track of what needs to be done first. It uses arrows and little boxes that include the start date, end date, and it shows interdependencies.

2. In your opinion, why it is important to organize a pre-construction meeting, and who should attend this meeting?

In my opinion, it is essential to have a pre-construction meeting to have good communication between the people who are going to be working on the project. It is important to have a good organization on the project to avoid delays on the project. This meeting is great for all of them to complete the project on time or solve any doubts. The people that are required to attend the meeting are the project manager, architects, general contractor, and superintendent.

 

3. How the bidding schedule different than the master construction schedule?

The bid schedule only includes paid items, units of measurement, prices, estimated quantities, and the total bid price. On the other hand, the master construction schedule has a summary-level project schedule which includes the major project deliverables, work breakdown structure components, and key project milestones.

Respond

X C

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1. Discuss how do network diagrams solve the primary problem with bar charts?

To answer the question, let us start by defining the primary problem with bar charts. Bar charts are designed to show a high-level status of a project, but as we have learned in our construction scheduling class, bar charts fail to show the dependency between tasks. Bar charts are typically more useful in monthly project management reviews when statusing upper management, executives, or the owner. Network diagrams on the other hand, are designed to be used as a working tool. The user of the diagram can analyze project risks by defining the critical path method and based on different techniques the user can define the amount of slack each task contains. The slack means the task does not have to complete as shown thus allowing the movement of resources for better efficiency and minimizing risks.  Basically, it allows the project manager to use the resources when/as needed.

In summary, let us think of bar charts as useful for high-level presentations and network diagrams as working tool for analysis and management of schedules and resources.

2. In your opinion, why it is important to organize a pre-construction meeting and who should attend this meeting?

Pre-construction meeting is key for a good start of the project. It is an opportunity for the key stakeholders to ask questions and for all to discuss expectations related to rules of engagement as well as understand timelines as appropriate. There are different types of pre-construction meetings based on the project delivery method or the objective of the meeting. For instance, on a design-build method the pre-construction meeting will include the owner, the contractor, and the architect/engineer. If the meeting is at the subcontractor level, the meeting will be led by the contractor and it will include the tier level 1 subs.

3. How the bidding schedule different than the master construction schedule?

The main difference between bidding schedule and master schedule is the level of detail and data accuracy. At the time of bidding there are many unknowns, and the estimator needs  certain  key dates to submit a reliable estimate, in many cases the bidding schedule is done by the estimator as his/her best guess of key milestones based on high-level project timelines.

On the other hand, the master construction schedule is typically generated by the contractor after the design is completed and it is done before construction starts. Once the design is made, the details are available and a more current, accurate and complete schedule can be developed. The master construction schedule is the “working schedule” used by the entire project/construction team.

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M L

Discuss how do network diagrams solve the primary problem with bar charts?

The bar chart doesn’t denote the progress of work; thus it can’t be utilized as a control device. In dynamic programming, the know-how of the amount of work-in-progress / work accomplished is very important. Also shortcoming of a bar chart is that it can’t mirror the uncertainty, or tolerances in the time periods estimated for different actions. There are a many uncertain activities, like the contemporary space system / other complicated projects are mainly characterized by extensive R&D.

In your opinion, why it is important to organize a pre-construction meeting and who should attend this meeting?

Pre-construction meetings are an excellent way to make certain that everything in your project is communicated clearly before execution operations begin. Pre-construction meetings allow you to define project, monitoring and maintenance goals and help you manage expectations. Typically, the main players in a pre-construction meeting are the project owner and the contractor. However, relevant managers and upper stakeholders should be included.

How the bidding schedule different than the master construction schedule?

Bid Schedule means an itemized list of bid items and proposed Contract Amount for the part of the Work specified in the Contract Documents which the Owner may let either alone or together with other Bid Schedules as a single Contract. Master Schedule is a summary level project schedule which includes the major project deliverables, work breakdown structure components, and key project milestones.

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