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Advice on a University MSC Topic

12 replies [Last post]
Sun, 2007-04-22 04:57
Neil Brady
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Guys

Once again I come seeking advice !

The last post proved invaluable in helping answer a question posed in my current MSC in Project Management.

Now I need help with another.

I am tasked with creating a WBS, schedule and Project execution plan for the building of a new Primary School.

However thus far my searching on the net has shown little information as to how someone might approach this.

Can anyone point me in the right direction ? Example project plans for building something like this etc ?

As always your advice is greatly appreciated !!

Kind Regards

Neil

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Replies

Mon, 2007-04-23 18:15
#1
Rodel Marasigan
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Hi Neil,

I understand where you’re coming from. I have been on that situation when I take my project management course. My advised is to refer to your scope statement and design brief. That should gave you an idea of what are the inputs for your WBS. As you said, your project is for primary school building. The primary requirements for your project are to answer these questions.

a)     Where is the location (rural, urban, city or jungle)?
b)     What size or for how many students it requires?
c)     What type of building required? (Single storey, Pre-Fab, multi-storey, split level, etc…)
d)     What are the facilities required?
1.     Class rooms? How many?
2.     Auditorium?
3.     Play ground?
4.     Open stage?
5.     Is their a need for chapel?
6.     Offices? Ex: faculty room, teacher’s room, etc...
7.     Toilets and bath? What size?
8.     Canteen?
9.     Library?
10.     Sports facilities? (soccer field, foot ball field, basket ball court, etc...)
11.     etc…
e)     Structure? (Concrete, Structural Steel, Concrete Blocks, wood or timber, required piles or mass foundation, etc..)
f)     Finishes?
g)     Paving and landscape?
h) Budget and time frame?

I believed if manage to answer this questions you can create a good template of WBS. As long as you defined the main objective and project deliverables when creating WBS then that should be a good result.

Regards,
Rodel
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Mon, 2007-04-23 07:51
#2
Anoon Iimos
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it will be a long story! you can start from the site survey / investigation (i believe you have an initial study beforehand, like space planning, environmental planning etc.)

1. land acquisition report (make sure it’s legal)

2. site / survey investigation report

3. environmental (noise, pollution, waste management etc.)

...

for continuation you have to pay me! (remember building is my forte!)
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Mon, 2007-04-23 06:24
#3
Neil Brady
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"I want to do it for you for free" Go for it I say !!

We have been asked to do this to not only test our abilities from the Project Management side of things but also to test how we can achieve our goal by investigation and finding the appropriate information.

Cheers
Neil
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Mon, 2007-04-23 06:03
#4
Anoon Iimos
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Neil,

to be honest, I want to do it for you for free, but i’m afraid you might fail!

i’m wondering why you have to go on something you don’t know anything about? Make a project that you know inside-out.

anyway, you can start from scratch, fabricate your drawings and specifications and start from there. i’m a laborer before i become a civil engineer so i know how to build.

regards
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Mon, 2007-04-23 05:00
#5
Neil Brady
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"check your drawings and specifications, and consult your engineer (builder, designer) for the methodologies... "

Anoon, this is my biggest challenge, because I am doing it for my university course, the whole thing is hypothetical, I have no drawings, specifications or Engineers to consult !

CLove

This is exactly what I am meaning. I need to prepare the WBS / Schedule and a Project Execution plan. This will help

Cheers

Neil
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Mon, 2007-04-23 02:52
#6
Anoon Iimos
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check your drawings and specifications, and consult your engineer (builder, designer) for the methodologies...
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Mon, 2007-04-23 02:34
#7
Clive Randall
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Neil
A question is fermenting at the moment as to why somebody is asking you in a petro chem course to plan a primary school
The education system continues to baffle me as a mere mortal
However here goes
Foundations (piles rafts etc)
Pile caps
Underslab drainage
backfill blinding membrane steel fix
concrete (maybe preceeded by formwork)
Columns
Roof slab or first floor slab
Blockwork partitions
Electrical 1st fix conduits maybe wiring
Toilets 1st fix including ventilation lighting plumbing
Screed/plaster
Windows maybe before plaster
Roofing including waterproofing
External finishes may not be neccessary if brick is used
2nd fix ME&P
Joinery
Painting mist coat
Ceilings
Final fix
final paint
external works
Piss off and get paid


Very brief menu of activities of course there is loads missing like balustrades signage blah blah blah
Why dont you take yourself around your college and see what goes to make it up. Just sit in the room you are in now and do it
its not rocket science thats why we never crashed a school



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Mon, 2007-04-23 02:15
#8
Neil Brady
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Guys, your advice as ever is valuable, but I think I am not making myself clear.

I understand WBS, I understand coding, what I am asking is how would I go about building a primary school.

I.e what types of activities are needed, such as lay foundations, build walls etc

The challenge I have is that I am not a builder so I have no idea of where to even start.

I am sure for a primary school there are all manner of activities that should be taken into consideration, however if I don’t know what they are I am lost.

Hope this makes it more clear

Cheers

Neil
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Mon, 2007-04-23 01:58
#9
Clive Randall
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ok
So the types of activities are the ones I listed initially

It should be driven by how you want to subdivide your programme
As I said earliere think about what you would like to issue to people

For a primary schoolI would make it really easy and break it down pretty much the same as the Bof Q so you can identify the trades, I cant see much point doing the geographic split but if its more than one storey maybe didvide on a floor basis
Maybe you want some procurment in there as well as design
Cant see commissioning warrantying its own coding

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Mon, 2007-04-23 01:52
#10
Anoon Iimos
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you are establishing WBS to make things identifiable, measurable and can be organized accordingly.

there are no specific WBS, that will depend on what exactly you’re doing

if you’re making coffee, then coffee is your finished product! but you have to specify if it is black, with sugar or with cream, with water or without!
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Mon, 2007-04-23 01:43
#11
Neil Brady
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Clive

Thanks for the reply, however What I am looking for specifically is the kind of activities that would make up the WBS as opposed to how to build one.

Cheers

Neil
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Sun, 2007-04-22 23:30
#12
Clive Randall
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Neil
There has been a number of threads on this and a great deal of discussion between parties on how you should set up a WBS

However put yourself at the other end of the task and ask yourself what do I want people to get
ie do I want to be able to give specific elements of a programme to a subby ie curtain wall, windows, blockwork etc.
Do I want to be able to identify the project elements ie design, procurement fabrication construction commissioning.
Do I want to split the project geographically ie block 1, 2 3 etc.

Now its a tall order to get this right first time or indeed at anytime but have a go yourself.
Try to avoid the habit of giving everything a unique WBS coding you should always be printing a sort with about 10 or more activities.

So read what the other threads on this subject say then give it a go

Remember the WBS is an aid to sorting a programme such that discrete elements can readily identified and utilised.
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