How to build a construction schedule with MS Project from Project Documents?

Introduction:

The success of any construction project heavily relies on effective and efficient planning. One key aspect of project management is developing a comprehensive construction schedule (program). In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on building a construction schedule from scratch and utilizing scheduling best practices on Microsoft Project (MSP).

The sample schedule used here for illustration is a typical interior fit-out project of 30,000 sq. ft with office space, seminar halls, meeting rooms, toilets, etc.

Prerequisites for preparation of the schedule:

• Drawings – Civil & Interior, MEP, Plumbing, other services, base builder details, etc.
• Start & End dates
• Workweek and holidays list

Schedule Narrative

A schedule narrative is a written description that is associated with a construction schedule explaining the assumptions made, logic used, sequencing, dependencies of tasks, and facilitating effective communication and decision-making during the project. This enables the stakeholder to understand the schedule’s structure and flow. We recommend the same for this sample project on an Excel spreadsheet.

Note: There is also another term, called the baseline narrative which describes the baseline (BL) schedule which is the original or approved version of the project schedule. This BL schedule serves as a reference point for measuring the progress made against the time or cost.

Below are the step-by-step processes starting from analyzing the available documents/drawings until developing the detailed construction project schedule:

Step 1:

Getting information prerequisite for the preparation of the schedule:

1. Have a brief discussion with the stakeholders involved for preparation of a high-level schedule with project start date, major milestones, project physical completion, and FDOB (first day of business)
2. Study the drawings in detail and include assumptions (as a part of the narrative).
3. Modify the drawings for revisions on the layout about specific packages.

The above layout is a sample used for reference purposes only. The colors – purple, brick red and pink are some modifications/additions made on the schedule

• Purple – screens for Audiovisual
• Brick red – Access control locations
• Pink – Added a Dry kitchen and server, UPS & battery room

Note: The additions/assumptions to the layout may vary from project to project and based on stakeholder preferences. A healthy and detailed discussion with stakeholders at all levels is necessary for a successful project schedule (program).

4. Quantify the schedule with details from the drawings for analyzing the overall quantity requirement and estimating task duration/procurement timelines

5. Assumption of packages for the tendering process

If the client has a tender event schedule (TES), the same is to be included in the schedule.

Step 2:

Creation of schedule using Microsoft Project

1. Creating a calendar matching the project requirement:

The first step in detailing a schedule is the preparation of a calendar specific to the project, incorporating the client and public holidays, working hours and work weeks.

To create a new calendar, Open Microsoft Project –> Project –> Change working time –> Create New Calendar, name the calendar, set the work weeks, time and holidays.

As a construction scheduling best practice, it is advised to set up 2 calendars. One is for the general construction works which has a Monday to Saturday working and the second is a consultant calendar which has a 5-day work week from Monday to Friday. The 5-day workweek calendar is to be assigned to activities which are included from the planning phase, design, and procurement until construction (stages 1-4). This is normally followed as the client, other stakeholders, consultants, and PMCs have a work schedule of 5 days a week. The 6-day workweek calendar can be assigned to the construction activities.

For representation purposes, there are 2 calendars named ‘level 4 calendar – consultant’ and ‘level 4 consultant’ included as a part of this exercise. The working times are from 09:00 am till 6:00 PM with a 1-hour break in between.

2. Detailing the framework of the schedule

As a scheduling best practice, it is advised to list down the various stages of the project. (This is also client specific). In the example below, the stages are included which are inspired by the RIBA (royal institute of British Architects) plan of work.

Once the various stages of the project are listed, the most crucial task starts breaking down the tasks level by level until we are at the most essential parts. Under each stage, there can be multiple activities depending on the project type.

Once the activities/tasks are listed, it needs to be arranged in order. The use of a work breakdown structure can help in structuring complex tasks one by one. As a general practice for linking the activities, we use the start-start, finish-to-start, and finish-to-finish with lags (if required), depending on the activity’s successor/predecessor. As we link the activities, ensure the calendars are also assigned to them.

The resource loading to complete the tasks is an important element in any construction schedule. However, the same is not included in this article as our intent is to make this less complex.

Since the project we consider for representation is an interior fit-out project of ~30,000 sq. Ft., the activities, linkages, and durations are included accordingly.

Sample WBS breakdown

Stage 1

Preparation and brief

This stage involves those activities which can be categorized under the project initiation phase. Some activities include the appointment and onboarding of the project management consultant (PMC), the appointment of the architect, site dilapidation, and the initial high-level budget and schedule preparation.

Stage 2

Concept Design

The concept design stage involves creating the design for the office space as per the client’s design brief or the theme the client visualizes. This stage presents the first set of basic layouts, the alignment of the office area, the meeting rooms, basic MEP, etc. Initial approval from the client is required for proceeding to the next stage and further detailing. Some clients call them stage gate reports.

One of the essential aspects here is considering the appropriate duration in the construction schedule for the client’s stakeholders to have their input in the design.

Note: For larger projects, ranging from a minimum of 50,000 sq. ft. and above, there has been instances from our experience that non-involvement of all major stakeholders (namely, facility management, security, IT, etc.) in the concept design stage had resulted in re-design of the facility during the detailed design phase.

Stage 3

Developed design

This phase is where the client’s IT and security team shares their layouts for the architect to detail based on the existing site condition (raceways). It also has the first set of 3D look and feel with options on the theme for client selection and modification based on the overall consideration of flooring, ceiling, furniture, and other design elements.

Approving the 3D look and feel is essential for proceeding to the next stage, as the detailed design can’t be progressed without approval of the look and feel.

Stage 4

Technical design and procurement

According to our experience, this stage is the most challenging phase to complete as it involves several complex activities and many stakeholders.

On a high level, this stage involves the preparation of a design basis report (which forms a base for all the technical specifications related to services packages), the release of architectural and service drawings, preparation and issuance of bill of quantities/materials (BoQ/BoM) for individual packages and floating it to the market for vendor quotations.

One of the best practices followed here includes prioritizing the packages based on their requirement at the site.

E.g., in the context of an interior fit-out project, there can be long lead items (those which have a longer lead time for delivery, such as modular furniture, chair, carpet), priority 1 packages (all trade packages such as civil & interiors, MEP packages), priority 2 packages (kitchen, AV, BMS) and priority three packages (furniture, graphics, signage).

Note 1: The prioritisation of the tender package is specific to each project and is to be finalised after discussion with the client.

Note 2: For large-scale projects, prior to BoQ’s being floated to the market, the exact needs to be circulated with the stakeholders involved in the project for their concurrence on the material specifications. This is a step that many planners need to include in their construction schedule, which can lead to delays in the procurement phase of the project.

This stage also involves arranging mock-ups based on the approved 3D look and feel for some of the packages, such as loose furniture, modular furniture, chairs, carpet, etc., for sign-off by the client.

A sample procurement cycle for a typical interior fit-out is mentioned below for reference:

1. Signing of the NDA,
2. Prequalification,
3. Request for proposal,
4. Pre-bid,
5. Submission of the bid,
6. Technical discussion,
7. E-auction,
8. Recommendation by the PMC,
9. Final approval by the client and
10. Purchase order issuance.

Stage 5

Construction

The most crucial phase of any construction project is the actual commencement of construction on the ground.

Note: A few statutory approvals must be in place before working at the site. Please check with your local authorities on the list of statutory permissions and their timelines and ensure they are included in the project master schedule.

1. Enabling works

It is always a good practice to include a minimum of 2-3 weeks for enabling works which are all the prerequisite works, before commencing the actual construction works at the site. Some examples include setting up the material hoist, temporary lighting, power distribution at the floor, worker toilet facilities, deploying site security, and readiness of temporary site offices and vendor stores.

2. Kick-off meeting

By this stage, in an ideal scenario, we assume the design is 100% complete, and vendor partners are onboarded. The first major task here is the setting up of a Kick-off Meeting with the successful bidders. The main intention of this meeting is to brief vendors on the overall project requirement and to set the client’s expectation on how the project will be executed with all aspects of time, cost, quality, and safety.

3. Shop drawing preparation and approvals

Once the Kick-Off meetings are completed, the shop drawings submission phase starts. This is directly linked to the delivery of project-long lead items.

The next set includes the construction milestones, tasks, and sub-tasks for various packages such as civil and interiors, electrical cabling and conducting, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), fire alarm and public address (FAPA), server room readiness, Audiovisual (AV), ACS and CCTV works, building management systems (BMS), etc to name a few.

While the linking between the activities under various packages are made based on the experience a planner has, some of the general thumb rules include, but not limited to, the following:

1. The conduit for all cabling works inside the partition are to be completed before fixing the gypsum board’s second (final) layer. If not done, this may lead to breaking the gypsum board, which can impact the room acoustics.
2. All the works above ceiling work, namely, conducting, cabling, ceiling raceways, wire terminations, HVAC ducts installation, ceiling detectors, public address systems, lighting management systems, thermostats, etc., are to be completed before installing false ceiling / decorative lighting works.
3. If the client demands an office space that must have a raised access floor, all the below false flooring works, namely, floor screeding, floor raceways, cable laying through raceways for IT/security, etc are to be completed before installation of jacks for raised access floor tile installation.

Once the project reaches a stage where the physical works are 90-95% completed, testing and commissioning (T&C) for various services packages starts. As a best practice, electrical systems T&C is prioritized to be completed first as we can shift from the temporary power to a permanent one for T&C of other systems like HVAC, Plumbing, FAPA, etc.

Tracking the necessary post-construction statutory approvals at your jurisdiction is essential, and the schedule needs to consider the same. Examples include fire No objection certificate (NOC) and occupancy certificate (OC).

Stage 6

Handover

Under this phase, the primary task is preparing a punch list (snagging) and deep cleaning. For larger projects, the same is to be prepared together with the client facility management (FM) team for them to have a good understanding of the facility and officially train them for operations.

In parallel, a technical and commercial closure of the project is also to be initiated, ranging from 45-90 days for a typical 1 million sq. ft office space.

Once all parties involved in the project are satisfied with the delivery of the project and the FM team agrees to take over the facility for operations. The project can be marked as delivered.

Once the FM takes over the facility, generally, the employee move-in occurs in 30-45 days which can also be called as the first day of business (FDOB)

Conclusion

A detailed project schedule that captures most activities covering all project stages can be a manageable task. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, one can streamline the scheduling approach, process and ensure a well-organized project. Breaking down tasks, identifying dependencies, and calculating the duration required are crucial to building a construction schedule that is realistic. Tracking the progress of the project and communicating the schedule updates to stakeholders is a part of the monitoring that is crucial to successful project execution. With detailed planning and attention to detail, one can easily create a comprehensive construction schedule, promoting efficiency, on-time completion, and a successful project.