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APC Project Management > 18 - Programming and Planning > Flashcards

18 - Programming and Planning Flashcards

1
Q

Talk me through the principles of financial/programme monitoring of a project

A
  • Programme and cashflow
  • Used to plan and monitor
  • Key in identifying potential risks, minimising delay, and ensuring the project is completed on time and to budget
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2
Q

Talk me through planning techniques you have used

A
  • Gant chart Contractors programme to identify milestones, monitor progress and plan work, identify areas for acceleration
  • Cashflow - to manage and monitor spend, identify under and over spend, variations
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3
Q

What is a Gantt chart and when have you used one

A

A project management tool that illustrates the work completed over a period of time, including tasks and timeline.
Visual tool with start and end dates, and milestones

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4
Q

What types of programmes and schedules are commonly used on projects?

A

Client overall programme
Project programme
Contractors programme of works
Financial cashflow
Tender programme

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5
Q

What types of programmes and schedules are commonly used on projects?

A

Client overall programme
Project programme
Contractors programme of works
Financial cashflow
Tender programme

Critical path
Resource scheduling

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6
Q

What is critical path analysis?

A

The longest sequence of activites that must be completed to successfully conclude a project.

Activities on the critical path are known as critical activities because if they are delayed the whole project will be delayed

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7
Q

What is the significance of float?

A

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the subsequent activity or critical path

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8
Q

What are milestones?

A

Marker of an important achievement/completion of key deliverables in a project

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9
Q

What is the difference between free and total float?

A

Total Float is the total amount of time a task can be delayed and still keep the project on schedule.

Free Float is the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting other tasks in the project

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10
Q

Talk me through IT software you might use on a project?

A

-MS Project - programming
-Spreadsheets i.e. excel - financial management and data reports/analysis
-Word - written reports, i.e. site inspection report, progress meeting minutes, project brief
-Sharepoint - sharing of files
-Outlook - emails and quick communication
-Teams/Zoom/Skype - virtual meetings
-Programme management systems - Procontract, QL, Keystone

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11
Q

How have you used charts/diagrams to display time allocation for various project stages

A

Contractor produce project programme with key milestones.
I review and feedback to ensure in compliance with contractual docs, and realistic. If required to review for acceleration.
Use this to monitor progress against completion, identify slippage

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12
Q

What charts/diagrams have you used and why?

A

Gantt chart - project programme
Charts - to demonstrate KPI improvements

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13
Q

What are some of the reasons for rejecting a contractors programme

A
  • Not in keeping with contractual timescales
  • Unrealistic/ not practicable
  • Does not fully consider all requirements, i.e. statutory requirements, manufacture/lead-in time
  • Does not comply with the scope
  • Completion and dates not shown
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14
Q

What are some of the reasons for accelerating work?

A
  • Client may require property back
  • Client obligations to investors
  • To recover time
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15
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Gantt chart

A

Advantages:
* Visual tool, easy to interpret
* overview of project
* allows you to monitor progress
* allows you to keep track of tasks/milestones
* illustrates overlap and dependancies
* can use to track multiple projects
* allows you to set realistic deadlines/manage expectations

Disadvantages:
* Lacks details
* can be confusing/complex of larger, more complicated projects
* Time to prepare and manage

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16
Q

What is a contingency budget or cost contingency?

A

The amount of money allocated for additional/unexpected costs. Typically 5-10% of construction budget to deal with unforeseen circumstances

17
Q

On your case study how did you deal with cost contingecy?

A

No contingency on this project, SoW was was well defined and agreed, allowed p.sums i.e. to allow for asbestos removal based on outcome of R&D report, cost omitted on return of the report

18
Q

What is a PEP?

A

Project Execution Plan

The governing document that establishes the means to execute, monitor, and control projects

19
Q

How else could you break a project into phases?

A

Work breakdown structure - system of breaking down a project or programme into manageable tasks, phases, deliverables or work packages

Sub-dividing project into manageable components/tasks, defining the steps needed further and further in detail to achieve the end goal.

i.e.
Level 1 Top-level deliverable or project (the finished building).
Level 2: Sub-dividing the project into main components, eg substructure and superstructure.
Level 3: Breaking down each component into smaller components (eg substructure > excavation).
Level 4: breaking down each component into more components. (eg excavation > place reinforcement)
Level n: Final breakdown into smallest component (eg place reinforcement > pour concrete)

20
Q

How do you breakdown projects into phases?

A

Group similar locations and component works together, i.e. kitchens in East London. Contractor breaks down milestones using a GANTT chart

Phase works into planning/design, pre-construction, procurement, construction, and post-construction

21
Q

What are the advantages/disadvantages of work breakdown structures?

A

Advantages:
-Can help you clarify scope and objectives
-Breaks project into manageable chunks
-Organisation and prioritisation
-can facilitate communication & cooperation, align expectations & requirements
-Risk and quality management

Disadvantage:
-Can be time consuming
-complex to update and maintain
-can be challenging to capture everything
-May require regular updates/revisions
-may not reflect actual progress/performance

22
Q

Why might float be beneficial over being on critical path?

A

Works on critical path have no flexibility and are critical to the completion. The project execution team needs to complete each task before moving onto the next.
Tasks on critical path habe no float and if critical path activites are delayed, the overall completion of the project wsill be delayed

An undertaking with a positive float number forms the non-critical path with a flexible schedule you can move or delay without affecting the completion date.

23
Q

What is a project plan?

A

A project plan defines the execution and control stages of a project to achieve the goal

Answers the who, what, where, why, how and when of the project

The plan includes considerations for:
-risk management
-resource management
-communications,
-quality management
-stakeholder management
-schedule management
-change management plan.
-cost and schedule baselines.

24
Q

What is a key milestone?

A

a key event or action in a project that marks a significant stage of progress

25
Q

What would you find in a project handbook?

A

Produced by the contractor detailing responsibilities, procedures, and lines of communication for construction.

Might include:
-Project directory
-Organisation chart
-Meetings schedules, reporting systems
-Site instruction and change order procedures
-Record and archiving strategies
-Cost control reporting
-media and complaint relations

26
Q

How can you monitor progress?

A
  • Site inspections
  • Programme against progress
  • Casfhlow against progress
27
Q

How would you establish a project team?

A
  • Assess requirements of the project to identify roles and duties required i.e. architect for planning drawings.
  • Appoint the team members, producing clear appointment docs to ensure roles and responsibilities clearly understood
  • Communicate so each knows responsibilities, roles and influence of others
28
Q

Talk me through your programme control of a recent project?

A

Saltram Crescent

-Approved contractors construction programme (GANTT chart)
-Attended site and identified that progress was behind programme
-Informed site manager and asked how they intended to mitigate delay, they immediately increased resources to accelerate works and applied for EoT

29
Q

How have you reviewed a gantt chart or other programme

A
  • Review milestones/tasks listed to ensure they are accurate and reflective of the works.
  • Ensure the milestones are broken down enough to allow monitoring of the project, i.e rather than saying internal works, I request a breakdown of kitchen fit out, bathroom fit out etc.
  • I review dates to ensure they are reasonable, and in keeping with contract durations and in keeping with KPIs i.e. that KPIs, statutory requirements, resourcing and PCI are all considered
  • Comments issued to contractor for revision if I deem amendment is required
30
Q

Talk me through how you would assess a contractors programme?

A
  • Review milestones/tasks listed to ensure they are accurate and reflective of the works.
  • Ensure the milestones are broken down enough to allow monitoring of the project, i.e rather than saying internal works, I request a breakdown of kitchen fit out, bathroom fit out etc.
  • I review dates to ensure they are reasonable, and in keeping with contract durations and in keeping with KPIs i.e. that KPIs, statutory requirements, resourcing and PCI are all considered
  • Comments issued to contractor for revision if I deem amendment is required
31
Q

What is a close-out report?

A

A project closeout report is a document that summarizes the performance, outcomes, and lessons learned of a completed project

Evaluate and communicates successes and challenges.

32
Q

Explain the comissioning and handover processes?

A

The handover process is the stage the property is handed back over to the client for possession. Generally contracotr will invite client to handover the property, inspection of work is conducted. Once CA is satisfied that the works are completed, and usually when PC is issued, the property is handed back over to the client. EDLP starts, and first part of retention is released if applicable, contractors liability for liquidated damages ends

Comissioning process:-
Having accepted the site from the contractor at practical completion, the client has to prepare the facilities for occupation. A commissioning process will typically involve the testing of key systems and the comissioning plan should be determined early on.

33
Q

how do you create a Gantt chart?

A
  • Review scope
  • Create activities
  • Sequence the activities
  • Estimate resources
  • Estimate duration
  • Develop a schedule

MS project

34
Q

What is a flow diagram?

A

A diagram that visually displays interrelated information such as events, steps in a process, functions

35
Q

What is an activity schedule?

A

A programme where each activity is allocated a price and interim payments are made against completion of each activity.

36
Q

How do you find float?

A

-First identify and map your project’s critical and non-critical tasks
-For the non-critical tasks:

To calculate total float, subtract the task’s earliest finish (EF) date from its latest finish (LF) date. It looks like this: LF - EF = total float. Alternately, you can subtract the task’s earliest start (ES) date from its latest start (LS) date, like this: LS - ES = total float. Both of these formulas will give you the task’s total float.

Free float, on the other hand, is calculated by subtracting the task’s earliest finish date from its earliest start date. That formula looks like this: ES - EF = free float

37
Q

How do you use float?

A

understanding total and free float can help you and your teams improve resource management, internal and external scheduling, and project delivery.

38
Q

What is negative float?

A

negative float is the amount of time that must be saved to bring the project to completion on time.

39
Q

How do you undertake multi-project planning?

A

Upfront planning to ensure objectives and requirements are clearly understood and upfront control of activities
Multiple Project cost tracking
Master programme
Master cashflow
Contract meeting
Grouping similar projects
File structures - uniformity
clear objectives and requirements
Asset mgt system
Prioritisation
Delegation
Project flows - checklist

APC Project Management (23 decks)

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