Project controls
Project schedule analysis is a needed action to identify facts, anomalies, and issues that can exist due to intentional or unintentional actions. It can be performed by the contractor or the owner’s representative. Schedule analysis is used to verify compliance with the contract specification, logical sequence between activities, and overall schedule coherence. It should be performed on at least two levels with a recommended third level of time series analysis. Level 1: At that level, a numbe
Sep 27, 2021 · 2 min read
Project controls
Project schedule review is usually a requirement for the engineer and a strong recommendation for the contractor. An example of schedule review is verifying compliance with the contract specifications and maintaining a logical sequence between activities. The schedule review should be performed on at least two levels and possibly on a third level for deeper analysis of change over time.The first level performs a number of schedule checks to confirm its integrity and compliance with project spec
Sep 27, 2021 · 2 min read
Project controls
Learn how to manage your claims, using the PMI technique we explain the claims prevention process and how ClaimCracker is your best ally in this task.
Sep 21, 2021 · 2 min read
Project controls
The Earned Value Management (EVM) and the Critical Path Method (CPM) are widely accepted methods and are often used simultaneously to evaluate project performance. The common practice is to use EVM to evaluate the status of project cost and forecast the project's cost at completion while using CPM to evaluate the status of project schedule and forecast the project's completion time. However, EVM and CPM are based on different assumptions about the future and using them simultaneously can lead to
May 21, 2021 · 14 min read
Tools
Simply put, a Gantt Chart is a visual display of tasks over time.Gantt Charts are used for planning projects of all sizes and they are a useful way of seeing what work is scheduled and when. They also help with viewing the start and end dates of a project in one simple view.Some of the common things you might include in a Gantt Chart are: • The project start date, • The different project tasks, • Who is assigned to each task, • Task Start and Finish Dates, • How long is each task is planned for
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Schedule Cracker
Keeping a construction project to schedule might be a difficult task. It takes a planned and methodical approach of tracking the schedule to keep things on point.That said, it would be wrong to spend all that time arriving at the best course of action, then only a few months in, completely lose track of that lovely plan that was put together! As with most skills, tracking construction schedules can be learned, improved and used to keep your projects on track, within schedule and under-budget.He
May 21, 2021 · 5 min read
Schedule Cracker
Project Cracker, The AI Scheduling Software Company, has officially launched Claim Cracker today - the first product of its kind in the world - a complete AI (Artificial Intelligence) System for Schedule Reviewing and Reporting.Claim Cracker forms part of Project Cracker's Suite of technologies, a plan to completely change the scheduling industry. The Head of Business Development and Spokesperson for the firm today said:"I'm excited to be a part of the launch of the next generation of Project C
May 21, 2021 · 3 min read
Schedule Cracker
In project management and planning, an s-curve is a mathematical graph or illustration that illustrates appropriate cumulative data for a project or task. For example, this data could be cost, or man-hours plotted against time. Why an"S"?Because of the S-shape that the graph makes! The shape of the graph comes from the type of project you are working on, so many formations may occur, but still with the S-Shape.But Why Does This Matter to Us?Let's take a deeper look: IntroAny business is needed
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Project controls
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a key project deliverable that organizes a team's work into manageable sections. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) defines the work breakdown structure as a "deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team." The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can understand, as each level of the work breakdown structure provides further definition and d
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Schedule Cracker
As with any business process, there are three ways that you might go about it: hiring, partnering or learning it. The thing with CPM Submittal Reviews is that there a such a base of knowledge and experience that is required, the number of people who should actually go and learn this are few (i.e. people who wish to pursue this as a career).As for you and me, the answer depends on how much money do we have to play with? The best, without doubt, is to hire an experienced, knowledgeable, able perso
May 21, 2021 · 5 min read
Tools
A single mistake in construction scheduling might cost millions upon millions of dollars.We have to pay attention to detail with our scheduling, before during and after creating them. And by after - I don’t mean when acting upon them! There is an often-overlooked stage that should come write before that. It’s called: Schedule Analysis. It is a necessary task to find facts and issues that may exist within a schedule. We want to do this to make sure that we are complying with the client’s specific
May 21, 2021 · 3 min read
Money
How do you spend less on contractors? There are many stages of the contracting process, from shopping around to estimating, hiring, managing, (maybe firing!), and then close-out. Here is a list of a few things you should do to protect yourself, client, or business: Shop, Shop Around Never go with the first estimate. This may seem like a no-brainer, but when you're eager to get started on it may be tempting to just hire the first contractor you talk to. It may take about 5 quotes to find a more r
May 21, 2021 · 9 min read
Money
How well the field performs directly affects your profit.For any construction company, a successful project is more than just a good end product - it’s meeting profit goals as well. And for many projects, the latter challenge is often much more difficult to achieve than the former. According to KPMG, only 31% of all projects came within 10% of the budget in the past three years.Yes, there are always estimates and budgets as a project begins that are based on a variety of factors, but there can b
May 21, 2021 · 6 min read
Money
When working with contractors, there are a number of stages to go through!Let's start right from the start in looking for you to avoid losing money to contractors:- Finding a good contractor. If we choose the wrong contractor or a bad contractor from the start, how can we look to receive good service?When hiring a contractor for residential, commercial construction, or renovation project, there are maybe many contractors from which to choose. However, there is the risk of hiring someone who wil
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Project controls
Should I hire a construction claims consultant?Do I really need a construction claims consultant?Can't I just do it myself?!Let's see...First, we need to understand what a construction claim is: It is a request for additional time and/or money made by the contractor due to a change in the terms of the contract.They may also take the form of delay claims, where there is an issue around who should be liable for an increase in project time or cost-related to a delay.These claims may arise due to ch
May 21, 2021 · 3 min read
Schedule Cracker
To scale your Construction Consulting business you want to focus on the following: Eliminating, Automating and Delegating.Eliminate what doesn't provide value to your customers, Automate whatever might be done by a tool,and Delegate whatever is left. As for how to do that? keep reading!-So you’re in the position where you want to grow your construction consulting business. You want to create a lot more leverage. More freedom. More flexibility.So much so that your business may run without your di
May 21, 2021 · 5 min read
Schedule Cracker
It's been shown that in the US, for every $1 billion spent on construction projects - $122 million was wasted through bad project performance. If you’re spending hard-earned money on a project, doesn't it make sense to employ someone to manage how your money is being used!?Some form of Project Management is vital to keep projects on track, use budgets effectively and ensure jobs are completed correctly. What is the Role of a Construction Project Manager?The Project Manager (PM) is responsible fo
May 21, 2021 · 3 min read
Schedule Cracker
To avoid Delay Claims, there are two main strategies, make sure you get these written down! 1. Avoid Delays 2. Avoid Claims. As simple as this sounds, you want to use both in avoiding delay claims, and just focusing on one or the other is not enough, as we hope you'll see shortly. Let's start with how you might avoid delays altogether:How to Avoid DelaysYou can often trace out-of-control construction project costs back to one thing: an inability to finish on time.If you want to avoid delay claim
May 21, 2021 · 7 min read
Tools
Relative to banking, finance, and healthcare the construction AI (artificial intelligence) market is still relatively small - however! It might be very costly to overlook these advancements as with any field of business we should be looking to automate and outsource as much as possible in our pursuit of providing as much value as possible to customers. Construction may be fertile ground for AI Advancements as the United States Department of Labour considers construction sites to be one of the mo
May 21, 2021 · 5 min read
Schedule Cracker
A CPM (Critical Path Method) review in construction is when a project schedule is reviewed using the Critical Path Method. This is where the tasks in a given project are reviewed to find the shortest possible time to completion. The way this is done - and a hint at the reason for the name of this technique - is to find the longest chain of dependent tasks throughout a project. This means tasks that must be finished before others are started. A simple example is building a house. Before we constr
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Project controls
When you hire a construction consultant, you are hiring a professional who is an expert in construction and the project process. A construction consultant is there to help you through any problems and decisions that pop up along the way. Why Should You Hire a Construction Consultant for Your Project?With any construction project, there are a lot of moving parts and a lot to think about. If you’ve started a construction project, you may come to a point in the process where your knowledge and expe
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Schedule Cracker
To do a schedule submittal review, there are a few levels. For anyone who can afford to outsource this (and other scheduling processes) to a good, experienced consultant - do that. The little money you might save from not hiring a consultant may be lost many times over through inefficient scheduling, not spotting mistakes, and perhaps having to go to court!That said, if you are on a budget (or you want to go a few steps further and make your projects more efficient), you should look to implement
May 21, 2021 · 3 min read
Schedule Cracker
Construction Submittal Is Part of a Detailed Planning ProcessConstruction Submittals follow a defined process to ensure the accountability of all project participants and that construction runs smoothly.The following are the steps to doing your own Construction Submittal:NOTE: Construction Submittals are something different to what is referred to as just “Construction Submittals”, to learn more about Construction Schedule Submittals - Click Here!Step One: Pre-Construction Conference: This step i
May 21, 2021 · 11 min read
Schedule Cracker
Construction submittals are documents submitted by the contractor to the owner’s side for his approval for use in a project. Lexology explains that “Submittals consist of information provided by the contractor to the design professional for approval of equipment, materials, etc. before they are fabricated and delivered to the project.”NOTE: What are commonly referred to as "Construction Submittals" are different from Construction Schedule Submittals or "Schedule Submittals". These are something
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Project controls
DCMA 14-point Schedule Assessment is a project management guideline based on 14 metrics to make a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of a schedule. It is a handbook developed by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) for the purposes of the defense industry.
May 21, 2021 · 8 min read
Schedule Cracker
Schedule Review is a Construction Scheduling procedure focusing on the items the Construction Scheduling Engineer should examine, performing a detailed review of the schedule Submission. An example of schedule review is verifying compliance with the contract specifications and maintaining a logical sequence between activities. Schedule review should be performed on at least two levels and possibly on a third level for deeper analysis of change over time.The levels of Schedule ReviewThe FIRST lev
May 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Schedule Cracker
In the construction industry, there’s always a focus on meeting deadlines and maximizing profit margins. In order to keep everything on schedule and within budget (and maximizing returns), we have to put in the effort to create and control a good schedule. Hence, the importance of Schedule Analysis!What is Schedule Analysis?Schedule analysis is a deep look into the details of a project schedule at the beginning of the project and at each schedule update. What we are looking for in schedule anal
May 21, 2021 · 6 min read
Project controls
A master schedule is a summary level schedule which highlights the principal activities and their estimated duration,This type of schedule helps in early communication among stakeholders in particular senior management. The schedule is also useful for team brainstorming during the initial phases of the project to work out logistics. Master schedule vs Milestone scheduleA milestone is a significant event in the project usually marked by the completion of a major deliverable. A milestone schedule
Jun 4, 2020 · 2 min read
Schedule Cracker
For construction project managers, the CPM (Critical Path Method)’s main function is to help everyone understand how individual tasks fit into the project schedule network and affect project duration. But that’s not all they might gain from the CPM. Project scheduling isn’t only about planning dates for tasks. It’s also about matching resources and equipment with tasks. This way we might greatly eliminate downtime (for example, waiting for workers to arrive). Procurement must also be planned ahe
Jun 2, 2020 · 6 min read
