PROSPECTIVE DELAY ANALYSIS USING MS PROJECT

Projects and their activities in the built environment require on-time delivery, good quality, and efficient cost, which could all be achieved via proper project scheduling.

With the innovation of Building Information Modeling, its dimensions, and standards to projects, right from the pre-construction stage across developed countries, many believe the delay issue and its analysis in projects is now auto-addressed.

National BIM Standard-United States, ISO 1965-United Kingdom, and 4D BIM dimension, a central system in any construction project, gave the edge to proper construction scheduling where delay analysis comes as a sub-set.

Just in case you are wondering what delay analysis is. Delay in the built environment business is defined as time overruns that exceed either the approved finish date or the date of contractual milestones owing to unplanned circumstances.

Project delays are a significant concern since they usually give rise to allegations that might result in litigation. Nipping such an occurrence in the bud warrants proper project scheduling, where delay analysis cannot be overruled.

The act of identifying why delays might occur in a project and the expected impact on the overall program is called Delay Analysis. On the other end, a prospective delay analysis, which is the main aim of this write-up, has to do with real-time delays in a project. Prospective delay studies are performed in real-time ahead of the delay event or as it occurs on-site.

Regardless of all innovations and standards, comparative analysis from research shows that MS Project remains the most reliable base tool for all construction program schedules. Therefore, a suitable prospective delay analysis could be done using this scheduling tool.

MS Project is a tool that assists with project planning in real-time and estimated completion time frames. It helps project managers create plans, allocate resources to tasks, measure progress, manage budgets, and assess schedules/workload.

Without preferences on the different types of delay analysis techniques adopted, the MS Project works perfectly as a base tool for delay analysis. With unforeseen circumstances, such as Covid-19 and Ukraine war, project delays might be a nightmare. Still, a proper analysis can be done for efficient control of prospective delay. Using MS Project, these are step-by-step guides and approaches to prospective delay analysis:

COLLECTION OF PROJECT DATA

The majority of data scientists refer to data as life. In the built environment business, a gathering of project data starts from the inception of an idea by the client, the design draft, and the reconnaissance survey, down to the completion stage.

The first step in using the MS Project starts with a collection of project data, such as planning schedules, which are formed based on project drawings, specifications, types of resources, quantities, photographs, and more. Note that the most recent approved planned schedule should be collected for access.

ACCESS THE PLANNED SCHEDULES ON THE MS PROJECT

After the successful collation of the planned program or schedule, access the file using MS Project. Below is a typical view of an access project schedule file on MS Project.

Fig 1:A Typical view of the MS project’s scheduled program.

IDENTIFY DELAY CIRCUMSTANCE

With access to the planned program comes the critical review of the schedules for delayed circumstances. As an analyst, identifying a potential change in a work program or foreseen delays for which periods of extension may be given should be a core skill to possess. Prospective delays should therefore be marked on the planned program.

Fig 2: A typical marked-out prospective delay in a project.

INSERT THE NETWORK TASK THAT REPRESENTS THE DELAY

This is your next crucial step as an analyst in prospective Delay analysis. A fragmented network analysis should be created to reflect the delayed event or activity in the issue. These fragment operations provide projections of tasks to be carried out or potential effects.

Fig 3: A typical representation of the insertion of a delayed task

Fig 3b: Shows representations of inserted task

LINKING INSERTED NETWORK WITH SUCCESSORS ACTIVITIES

This next step of prospective delay analysis follows the insertion of delayed or fragnet activities. It has to do with the thorough analysis of how the inserted fragnets fit into the existing program, which means the successor activities after them. This should be done accurately and logically, ensuring fragnets tasks are tied to successor activities as it shows the impacted delay.

Fig 4: Shows the representation of linked activities.

Fig 4b:  Shows the representation of linked activities and impacted delays.

RESCHEDULE THE IMPACTED SCHEDULE

Lastly, modify the impacted schedule starting with the exact data date as the “unimpacted schedule” and determine the discrepancy in project completion. Insert the frequency of the impact delay in the program schedule.

Fig 5:  Shows the frequency of the inserted impact delay in the program schedule.

The five (5) basic steps above are what you need to carry out for an excellent prospective delay analysis using an MS Project. Pay more attention to delaying impact, its frequency on other successor activities, and the duration. These will be the point of project review while tendering delay issues to clients or other project stakeholders.

All these being said and known, good technical know-how personnel should be assigned to carry out a top-notch prospective delay analysis on your project. This is exactly where Leopards Project Controls comes in.  Leopard Project Controls is a certified organization that provides fast turnaround and excellent project control services.

Are you looking for world-class construction project management scheduling, and delay analysis services for your project? At Leopard Project Controls, we have qualified project managers to aid your projects. We are the best and original in CPM, project controls, and delay analysis. Rely on us to benefit from and enjoy detailed delay analysis on your project.