Dear All:
Levels for schedules/plans/programmes are just indicators of detailing.

Level-01 is the most basic schedule to get an overview of time span and important deliverables.(Most of the clients are happy with Level-01 schedule for tendering , so lets call it tender programme)---WBS
Level-02 is the extension of Level-01 with more detailing clearly indicating the delivery of each work pack. Usually submitted after contract award as the ’Contract Programme’ - Work Pack
Level-03 is an extension to level-02 for execution. Each work pack is expanded to planning pack.This is usually developed after level02 submission and start of execution.-Planning pack
Level-04 is the extension of Level03 . very extensive. Assignable activities. Can be used to extract ’look ahead programmes’ for a week. This is used to plan & track day to day or weekly progress.(to simplify lets say supervisors carry this plan!). Normally progress trackers will be developed based on Level-04 , since it has got each and every activity listed.With manhour/weighting for each activity ..its easy to track overall progress & productivity.

Cheers!

Sreejith Nair

Dear All,

I would like to start with this saying;
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius

Adapting Confucius’s wise words to our level 2, 3 , 4 …n schedules, I am of opinion:

Levels of schedule is really simple, but some team members insist on making it complicated.

If I can persuade the Client and project manager, and intermediate management of following: I would say:

I need ONLY three levels:

Level 1: no more than 20 activities including milestones

Level 3: activities representing important, significant, focal scope of work. You need a planner with the expertise in identifying these activities. First understand the work, second simulate the work process and extract the key activities.

Between these two levels, you use the roll-up function that any software has in order to inform different levels in the organization.

Cheers,

Kieran
I forgot one schedule layout: EAS: Early activity schedule - i.e. all activities to be processed during the first two or four or six weeks, depending on project/customer.
Regards
Dieter

Kieran
you are absolutely right, these items have to be defined before a project or programme starts. Let’s regard a programme as to be a combination of projects with relations (relationships, common resources, budgets) in between. So this matter is the same for project and programme.
When you offer a project to a possible customer, you’ll attach schedules with a headline indicating the level (among others). In general customers want to check your standards/written procedures, e.g. for the different levels for time-reporting. So you show them. These standards must be distributed to customer, controlling, the team, i.e. all stakeholders.
Second step will be the contract where you’ll include a schedule. Last chance to define your time-related reporting is the kick-off meeting. If you’ll miss, advocats will already prepare bottles of champaign - or equivalent.
Our standard-layouts for example are:
Level 1: Contract milestones + 1 bar for each phase - i.e. one page A4/letter-format.
Level 2: L1 + critical path + important events, e.g. arrival at site for important long-lead items --> maximum 1 page A3.
Level 3: Detail schedule - size depends on project: size, time-frame, risk...
Level 4: Detail working schedule, e.g. documents, working steps for construction...
As you see, these levels are for different target groups: L1 for highest management, stakeholders, L2 for management, L3 for PM, team, customer’s controlling, L4 site manager, document control... Of course for a certain contract these standards can be replaced by different ones.
Important is: It is one schedule and all levels are created by layouts, using filters.
Regards
Dieter

Have a look here: http://www.planningengineers.org/publications/papers.aspx
the following paper: "Standards for the Levels of a Programme or Schedule"