Programming and Planning Flashcards
How would you go about accelerating works?
Acceleration clause within the JCT contract, contractor has 7 days to provide a quotation.
What would you expect to see on an acceleration quotation?
- Cost for acceleration
- Method for acceleration
- Revised programme for acceleration.
What are methods that would be reviewed to achieve acceleration or delay mitigation?
- Out of hours working
- Additional labour
- different working practices (crane lifts?)
What are the different types of programme dropline
- Jagged.
- Straight
What are the different types of programme float?
- Total float - the amount of time a scheduled activity can be delayed without delaying the overall project completion date.
- Free Float - the amount of time that a task can be delayed without affecting the start date of its subsequent tasks
What is programme float?
Contingency within a programme to account for any delays.
What is the relationship between float and critical path?
- Float allows for tasks to be delayed before impacting critical path.
- If all float used then direct tasks will impact critical path.
What would you review prior to requesting an acceleration quote?
- Programme re-sequence
How do you go about compiling a programme?
- Consult with project team on design stages / tender duration.
- Input each task and associated milestones .
- Determine critical path
- Account for any key dates for the client which may determine procurement strategy.
How do you use a programme in the project manage?
- Key upcoming milestones
- Reporting tool for client w/ dropline
- Project team report against progress.
Could you please outline some pre contract milestones?
- Professional team appointment
- End of RIBA design stages
- Tender issue.
- Tender return
- Contractor Interviews.
Could you please outline some key post-contract milestones?
- Start on site date
- Sectional completions
- Practical Completion
- Long lead in procurement dates.
Aside from Project commander, are you aware of any other programming software?
Microsoft Project
Aside from a dropline, how else could you report on programme progress to a client?
- Percentage complete
- RAG status
Why is reviewing cash flow against programme important?
- Contractor cash flow lower than expected.
- Provides indication of programme delay.
- Trigger me to review programme on site.
What scope is typically included within a Cat A refurbishment?
- RAF
- Ceiling
- Lighting
- M&E refurb
On the King william street project, why did your client have concerns over programme duration?
- No rental income on the floor.
- Disturbance to surrounding tenants.
How did your programme provide comfort on your clients programme duration concerns?
- Demonstrated efficiency
- Allowed them to factor durations into viability calculations
How do you ensure adequate construction periods within your programme?
- Benchmarking
- Understanding of lead in periods
- Assess scale / complexity
Are client approvals a programme risk? How do you factor this in within your programmes?
Yes:
- a week period allowed for at the end of each design stage.
- Close dialogue with client to ensure aware of timely approvals and project design.
On Cat A King William Street, How did you go about presenting the programme to your client?
- Presented to client during meeting.
- Explained logic of key dates
What is a programme dropline?
- Progress line on the programme against a reporting date.
- Shows progress against each “live” bar.
- Progress based on actual against expected.
What do you typically include on a dashboard report?
- Key contract dates.
- Key client decisions required.
- Progress update over previous period.
- Key risks.
What would you do if a contractor was tracking behind programme?
- Review dropline against progress on site.
- Review contractors approach to mitigate and ensure valid.
- Report back to client on delay and approach to mitigate.
On your Golden Square project, what caused the delay to the site set up?
- Poor organisation
- Availability of labour
- Availability of materials
Relevant to the delay to the site set up, what this a relevant matter or event ?
No, this was a delay created by the contractor and they would not have been entitled the contractor to loss / expense.
How did you facilitate your contractor undertaking weekend works?
- Understand dates from the contractor.
- Recommend approach to client.
- Coordinate with building team
- Confirm acceptable to contractor
On Cat B fit-out Golden Square, How did you understand that weekend works would make back this delay?
- Demonstrate tasks that would be undertaken in these works.
- Review these against areas in delay.
- Re-sequence programme as necessary.
On Cat B fit-out Golden Square, how did you understand delay was self-made?
- Contractor acknowledged this.
- Admitted poor organisation and labour availability.
Moving forward on the Cat B project, did you input any processes to ensure there was not further delay?
- Weekly programme updates.
- Weekly reviews against droplines
- Contractor allowed weekend working as required.
What process do you initially undergo as part of your initial engagement with a client?
- Meetings with them and stakeholders.
- Description of usual processes as part of a construction project.
- Understand any key objectives for the client.
How did you determine the design periods within your project programme
- Benchmarking
- Consultation with design team
- Procurement strategy.
Why is knowledge of the existing building relevant when compiling a project programme?
- Logistics limitations
- Surveys required
On 95 QVS, how did you determine the lifts age?
- Existing building information (O&M’s)
on 95 QVS, Why did you assume the replacement of the lifts as oppose refurbish?
- New is longer programme so refurbish would have been an improvement against assumption.
- Given the age of lift and current usability new refurbish would be unlikely.
What is the lead time for lift parts?
- Circa 35 weeks.
How did you determine the lead time for the lift parts?
- Similar project at the time.
- Initial conversations with lift consultant.
What is a critical path?
Requires the longest period of time to progress from start to completion and indicates the minimum timeframe necessary to complete the whole project.
On 95 QVS, could you not have carried material through the building and replaced all lifts at once?
- Contractor advised not able to from a H&S perspective.
- More labour intensive and expensive.
on 95 QVS, how did you ensure your lift replacement timescales were adequately informed?
- Early lift consultant input.
- Benchmarking
Follow the lift refurb, what were the follow on sequence of works?
- Lift fit-out
- Lift lobby decoration / fit-out
How would you go about accelerating works under a JCT D&B contract?
Request acceleration quote, 21 days to provide. Valid for 7 days upon receipt.
What formed the critical path for this Cat A refurbishment at King William Street?
- Procurement of fan coil units and similar M&E systems given their long lead in and importance to close the ceiling.
What is the importance of client approvals?
- Ensure they are aware of design progress and budget.
- Provides team with comfort on proposed design.
- If client changes scope then can track budget uplift from previous approval.
When in a project would you typically seek client approvals?
- End of RIBA Stages
- Pre-contract
- Ahead of issuing any employer’s agent instructions.
Were other procurement approaches considered when collating this programme and agreeing strategy with the client?
- They were however given that single stage could still achieve programme dates then this was selected given commercial competitiveness of this approach.
Why was the marketing launch date a key date for the client?
- Financial impact of cancelling.
- Due to be launched in busy agency season.
- Had been included in building marketing collateral to date, brand damage.
How did you receive comfort that the contractor was able to regain programme via weekend working?
- Re-sequenced programme issued.
- Benefit assessed following one weekend work to demonstrate productivity of works undertaken.
How did you determine that the contractors delay was self made?
- Delay in releasing adequate labour for site set-up.
- Through conversations with the contractor they acknowledged this was self made.
How do you go about monitoring progress on site?
- Regular inspections.
- Dropline programmes.
- Valuations vs cash flow.
- Labour flow charts
What’s the difference between procurement and tendering?
Procurement is the overall process of procuring a good or service
Tendering is a phase during the procurement of a good or service.
Was it your position to advise on service charge exclusions?
- No, I would raise this as a risk however this would be agreed with their agency team.
What is a service charge exclusion?
- An exclusion from a tenants service charge due to an existing defect within the building.
What is a PERT Diagram?
Programme Evaluation Review Technique
How would you use a PERT Diagram?
- Nodes / boxes connected by arrows to other nodes.
- Highlights dependencies by the use of arrows.
What is a PERT three point estimation?
- Programme development technique where you would establish:
- Optimistic
- Most Likely
- Pessimistic
This would then be calculated to develop an average between the 3.
What are the different types of programme you would experience on a project?
- Master Programme
- Design Programme
- Construction Programme
- Information Release schedule
What is critical path analysis?
- Mapping out every task on a project
- Ideintifying dependencies between each task.
- Identify the sequence of dependent events required to complete the project hence the critical path.
How do you go about assessing a extension of time claim?
- identify any concurrent delay.
- Review of available facts.
- Review of previous programme reporting to understand reporting of delay.
- Procurement schedule
- As planned vs as built programme
What is an as planned programme?
- Contractors programme at outset of the works.
- Considered to be the baseline programme.
What is an as built programme?
- Updated as planned schedule as works progress.
- Facotirng in any delay in a revised schedule.
Relationship between as planned and as built when assessing delay?
- As planned will show initial intentions and critical path.
- As built programme will show deviations from this and where delay was expereicned by the contractor.
- Assists in determining where delay arose and if this was due to a relevant event.
