Planning for Success
The
management of time is at the very heart of the management of change. It has always been the cornerstone of successful projects.
In order to manage any project successfully we need an accurate model of the project so we can assess what resources to use, what the budget may be, what time may be needed to provide the right value and quality, what the risks may be and how we can best meet the stated business needs. We use critical path analysis for this modeling because it is the best tool for modeling projects.
Deterministic critical path analysis is a tool used for model analysis.
In our model, certain work must be done before other work can follow and much of this may be clear even without a model. But the devil is in the detail and there is much more of the work which cannot be easily seen and this detail and the sequencing of it is vitally important. Very often we don't have all of the buildable detail when we first build our model and so this critical sequencing is often unknown when the first critical path analysis model is constructed.
The key to success therefore lies in how this model is constructed without the proper and full buildable detail.
We believe that the information available at any time must be categorised based on its quality and treated accordingly. Final fixed and frozen (the best quality) information forming critical path analysis, final but not fixed or frozen (average quality) forming flow charts (similar to CPA but with less reliability and liable to change) and other information which will form the bar charts, linked or unlinked. This leads to a model which clearly states that information is an essential component of the model and yet is variable and can be unreliable.
The Methods
Catagorise the information by thorough examination by people who will know what is complete. Include an analysis of the information providers and the Sponsor/Client. Ensure the Sponsor/Clients needs have been met in the development of the detail and are thus less likely to be changed.
Understand the design process and what information will be impacted upon by the development of the design. The issue here is to understand information, how it is created and by whom and through what process and sequence. When is information free from impact from subsequent design. How can we design with a minimum impact on work already designed. This process must be repeated regularly throughout the project until the work is complete. At each review information will flow towards the critical path analysis from the flow chart and the bar chart
This is the hard part of modeling and is not common in the development of schedules today. It is the management of the information which is the challenge in building a suitable model today but it is often the management of the software programe which takes centre stage.
Information
In a professional environment there should be no reason why the categorisation of information should not be provided by the information providers. The reality is the flow of information and its quality is kept under covers to avoid claims as a consequence. We would hope that with the continued use of collaboration that information can be brought fully into focus and properly managed.
However, at the moment, it is left to the contractor to determine from all the information that is provided what information is finished, fixed and frozen and what information is not. Many planners simply do not have time to investigate and therefore make assumptions when the information seems to be lacking or incomplete. These planners have no way of knowing the quality of much of the information in their possession without first performing an analysis of the providers.
Fast Tracking
Fast tracking is the process of overlapping what are usually sequential phases or activities. Most often this is the overlapping of the design and implementation phases in a way which results in information flowing throughout the implementation period often effecting work already completed and generally slowing work down to the information flow rate.
It seems that 90% of the problems currently experienced within the implementation phase of a project would largely disappear if the client did not fast track his project. The concept that fast tracking leads to faster construction is rarely true but it has lead to a large escalation of costs, doubling the cost of implementation in many cases. Why there is a preference for fast tracking is a mystery; it may be more exciting to manage fast tracked projects where there is generally a higher project profile and more recognition of project managers. Or it may be the "Group Think" that fast tracking is simply the smartest way to complete projects.
However, sometimes fast tracking is unavoidable because of safety or for some other overriding reason in which case it is crucial to use methods appropriate for the circumstances and the client must be advised and be willing to accept high costs, longer construction times and reduced quality because this is what fast tracking most frequently delivers.