An Early Completion Schedule is Defined as submission of an as-planned schedule showing earlier completion than contractually mandated

1. SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Scheduling Excellence Initiative
Featuring
SEI
Scheduling
Excellence
Early Completion Schedules
Initiative
Chris Carson, PSP
Corporate Director of Project Controls
Alpha Corporation
Chris.carson@alphacorporation.com
757-342-5524

2. SEI Update
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
• Best Practices & Guidelines for Scheduling
– Releasing first draft to start peer review
– Available at 2011 Annual Meeting
– Goal is to complete by end of 2011
SEI
Scheduling • Best Practices & Guidelines for Schedule
Excellence Impact Analysis, Volume 1
Initiative – Producing work product
– Need volunteers to help develop topics
– Goal is to release peer review draft end of 2012
• Joint Collaborative Project with AACEi
– Developing study - Quality Control Metrics
Percentage of CP activities, Ratio of relationships to
activities, etc. PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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3. SEI Update
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
• Best Practices & Guidelines for Scheduling
– Copy of Table of Contents available on SCoP
website – “Share – Documents – Document
Exchange – Documents – SEI – SM”
SEI – “2010-06-04 BPG Volume 1 Final Outline”
Scheduling
Excellence
• Best Practices & Guidelines for Schedule
Initiative Impact Analysis
– Copy of Table of Contents available on SCoP
website – “Share – Documents – Document
Exchange – Documents – SEI – SIA”
– “2008-03-01 SIA Outline – Volume I”
– “2008-04-30 SIA Outline – Volume II” (future effort)
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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4. SEI Publications
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
PMI College of Scheduling
Best Practices
& Guidelines
Volume I
Project Planning
SEI And Scheduling
Scheduling
Excellence
Initiative

5. Best Practices & Guidelines
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
• Topic authors and reviewers must answer six
basic questions about each topic:
– Definition
What is it?
SEI – Purpose
Scheduling
Why is it used?
Excellence
Initiative – Default Condition
When & under what conditions is it used?
– Best Practices
What are acceptable implementations?
– Recommended Practice
Is there a preferred implementation?
– Admonitions & Advisories
What should be avoided? 5

6. SEI Update
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
• SEI Core Team
– Chris Carson, Managing Director, SEI
– Pete Oakander, Deputy Director, SEI
– Craig Relyea, Editorial Team Leader, SEI
SEI
Scheduling • Best Practices & Guidelines for Scheduling
Excellence – Laura Williams, Volume Manager
Initiative – Recipient of the 2011 award for “Contribution to
College of Scheduling/SCoP”
• Best Practices and Guidelines for Schedule
Impact Analysis
– Mark Sanders, Volume Co-Manager
– Mark Nagata, Volume Co-Manager
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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7. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Copies of the Early Completion Schedules
draft documents available on website
“Share – Documents – Document Exchange – Documents –
SEI Webinar BPG Topics
SEI Early Completion Schedules
Scheduling Defined as submission of an as-planned schedule
Excellence showing earlier completion than contractually
Initiative
mandated
Early Completion Schedules
Inadvertent
Intentional
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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8. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Inadvertent Early Completion Schedules
Usually not done intentionally
May be missing scope
May be rushed and just not finished
SEI May not have involved full PM team
Scheduling Not done for a specific reason
Excellence
Initiative Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Developed to minimize time on project
Developed to provide a “buffer” for completion
Expects to be allowed to complete early
Expects to be paid extended GC for owner delays
from early date, not just contract completion date
May or may not provide notification of intent to finish
early
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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9. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Inadvertent Early Completion Schedules
Owner perspective
Should prompt careful review
Verify reasonableness
SEI Verify full scope of work
Scheduling Verify inclusion of all non-work activities that might
Excellence drive the schedule
Initiative Determine if schedule represents full PM team
participation
Verify resource planning and logic/sequencing
Verify inclusion of reasonable weather planning
Determine use of risk management
Review coordination and owner-responsible activities
carefully
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
9

10. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Inadvertent Early Completion Schedules
Owner perspective
Share review results with contractor
Recommend revision to accommodate missing
SEI items
Scheduling
Once contractor has verified quality control and
Excellence
Initiative reasonable schedule, resubmission still
requires careful secondary review
Generally when owner questions contractor’s
schedule, providing feedback in detail, revised
schedule consumes more of the project
duration
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
10

11. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Inadvertent Early Completion Schedules
Contractor perspective
Should prompt careful QC review
Verify resource planning and logic/sequencing
SEI Verify inclusion of reasonable weather planning
Scheduling Ensure use of risk management, particularly
Excellence identifying high risk activities and processes
Initiative Provide careful Written Narrative to ensure that all
assumptions and requirements of the owner are
identified
Schedule should provide reasonable expectation of
meeting project milestones, not overly optimistic or
pessimistic
Revise as necessary and submit
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
11

12. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Owner perspective
Proactive steps
Address in contract documents
SEI Require as-planned schedule shows contractual
Scheduling completion
Excellence Require constraint on contractual milestones
Initiative Forbid float in as-planned schedule
Simply state that early completion schedules will
not be accepted
Provide change order to reduce the contractual
completion to the early completion date
Allow a contingency activity prior to Substantial
Completion – mandate joint ownership of
contingency time (float)
Provide incentive contingency activity
PMI College of Scheduling 12
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

13. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Owner perspective
Raises specific risks
Check to see that schedule does not impose
SEI additional requirements on owner
Short review times
Scheduling
Early equipment delivery
Excellence
Other project coordination issues
Initiative
Owner will pick up maintenance and operating
charges from early completion date
End user might have to occupy early
Salaries will start early
Third party coordination may be more difficult
If the early completion schedule is too aggressive,
there is uncertainty in completion predictions
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
13

14. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Owner perspective
Legal risks may occur
Failure to notify and/or spec language
SEI precluding early completion may not be an
Scheduling absolute bar to damages recovery when owner
Excellence causes delays
Initiative
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
14

15. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Contractor perspective
Contractor needs to identify true need for early
completion schedule
SEI Due to limited general conditions costs, should
Scheduling document and follow early completion requirements
Excellence Due to attempt to limit risk of late completion, should
Initiative discuss with owner and negotiate some buffer solution
Due to limited resource availability, verify and choose
solution to support the risk
With true need identified, contractor can take
measures to limit risks
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
15

16. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Contractor perspective
Owner ability to simply move completion date to
early completion schedule date could result in
SEI liquidated damages based on early date
Scheduling Float will likely still belong to project so owner-
Excellence responsible changes might use up float
Initiative
Contractor could be required to stay on project beyond
early completion date to handle changes with no
additional general conditions costs
This is still a risk with good production when the
project is ahead of schedule – owner changes could
still force contractor to remain on job
But bid would have included full term GC costs
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
16

17. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
Contractor perspective
In order to recover damages from delayed early
completion, contractor must show:
SEI Always intended to finish early
Scheduling Had the ability to finish early
Excellence Would have finished early but for owner actions
Initiative Without these conditions, contractor likely will not
prevail with an early completion claim in litigation
Could also notify owner that project was bid with only
general conditions for the early completion duration
Jurisdictional differences in litigation make resolution
uncertain for both parties
Ownership of float could be problematic if owner
attempts to retain
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
17

18. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Intentional Early Completion Schedules
General recommendations
Quality of as-planned schedule must be validated
before deciding on ability to finish early
SEI Risk management should be incorporated into
Scheduling schedule to raise the probability of meeting
Excellence scheduled completion
Initiative Both parties should negotiate early completion
Look at contingency options to provide some
protection
Adjust contractual completion date
If conditions work for owner, agree, and adjust
contractual completion to early date
If contractor is comfortable about schedule predictions,
agree to adjust contractual completion
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
18

19. SEI Best Practices and
Guidelines for Scheduling
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
• Plans for published volume
– Working to get universities that provide CM
education involved with peer review
– Plan to get copies into CM education departments
SEI as reference book
Scheduling – Goal is to have volume reviewed, correlated, and
Excellence published by 2012
Initiative
• Opportunities for volunteers
– BP&G for Scheduling
Develop remaining work product
Opportunities for peer review
– BP&G for Schedule Impact Analysis
Develop primary work product
Influence best practice recommendations 19

20. Early Completion Schedules
SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Questions?
Recommendations?
SEI
Scheduling War Stories?
Excellence
Initiative
Gripes?
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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21. SCHEDULING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
BP&G for Scheduling
Early Completion Schedules
SEI
Scheduling Chris Carson, PSP
Excellence Corporate Director of Project Controls
Initiative Alpha Corporation
101 West Main Street, Suite 7100
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-533-9368 Office
757-342-5524 Mobile
Chris.carson@alphacorporation.com
PMI College of Scheduling
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
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