Myths associated with Planning and Scheduling

"If a man can work Primavera...then he must be a planner."

I must be going nuts...I cannot remember posting this.

Anyone who knows me will know that this statement is the polar opposite of my thoughts on 'what makes a planner"

Hi Pranab,

few myths

1) Planner is the owner of the Program.

2) Planner can predict all issues.

3) If you lose an EOT claim, it was a wrong Baseline. (Most EOT claims are lost because preemptive mitigation appears less promising than a claim situation; truth is that preemptive mitigation by resequencing saves a lot of bother and buys you credibility)

4) Everything should be planned into the Baseline. (most procurement / method statements / shop drawings etc.. cannot be modelled at the start of a project, especially when the contract conditions require quick delivery of the program).

5) Planners are claim engines.

You can control the future by developing a schedule in ……. (your tool). Afterall our business is referred to as ‘project controls’.

The only thing a schedule can actually do is influence future decisions to the benefit of the project.  If it’s not doing this you have problems, management has very little influence over the immediate present, it’s too late ...... and no-one can change the past.

A ‘truth’ – useful schedules are useful because they are used!

If you need some more free resources see: http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Planning.html

Hi Pranab

Don't forget when you deliver your list of myths to explain the truths behind them.

and you might want to add one more:

Don't bother with keeping records - no one will need them anyway.

Best regards

Mike Testro.

Just for fun! I saw this posted on a wall of a Planner

1. A Planner is always right!

2. If not, go back to number 1

Cheers!

Daniel

Hi,

Dear Pranab please add in your presentation one line which I use in all presentations "Garbage In, Garbage Out" means if inputs are not given to planners correctly output will not correct.

I hope this line will good punch in your presentation.

Thanks

Regards

Sameer Khandalkar

Planners and Schedulers need to know nothing about the work they are making a schedule for.

•Unfortunately, some managers assign the schedule to the less capable person to latter find themselves into chaos.

•Companies shall make sure their schedulers understand what they are scheduling, on the job training shall be encouraged.

A schedule by a single person cost less and will be better as the others know nothing about planning.

•One of the most useful management tools is brainstorming, is free and you can use it without even knowing the term.

•By getting involved into the planning those who eventually will manage the job will make them commit, group planning is a team-maker.

Float is real and absolute.

• www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Resources_Papers_043.html

Resources do not matter.

• It is a fallacy there will be unlimited resources to solve any issue.

If you duplicate resources activity duration will be reduced to half.

• Productivity and crew composition are not linear.

Buffers are not needed better plan without any contingency.

• Unfortunately at times the unexpected happens or maybe some productivity assumptions were wrong.

Buffers shall be defined as activities. Perhaps my personal opinion about it being a Myth, the more the people believe in the statement the more of a Myth it is, if no one agrees then I would call it the mother of all myths.

• Buffer shall be interpreted as the difference in time between the optimistic schedule finish and your target job and target milestones not an activity itself.

• As the job progress the activities projections do move, therefore the effect of rain or seasonal changes will vary. Delaying events can be seasonal, so your buffer protection. Statistical methods will give you a better understanding on buffer protection.

• For the management of the job you need and unobstructed view, without buffers that will allow you to target to early dates. You cannot plan for a start of an activity for 2 days later because it might rain, what if not?

The schedule performance is the responsibility of a single person, usually one who has no control on the actual performance.

It is on the best interest of all that schedule logic not be changed.

• We are humans and schedule errors can occur, at times by a typo.

• Methods improvements can surface as the work progress.

I myths are popular wrong beliefs then your "myth statements" shall be the opposite, shall represent wrong beliefs.

Such as:

Schedules are cast in stone.

Schedules update themselves.

Hi Mike,

I know exactly where you are coming from Oracle want to take over the world and they think Primavera is the tool to do it!

Too much time is spent compling a schedule that can be resourced with costs, materials of any kind and labour. Project Managers then think the schedule will build the project and manage all thier resources.

Primavera is fast becoming a company accounting & project management tool.

Its like want to get a train from Southampton lto London and having to buy South West Trains not simply a ticket!

Hi David

I would suggest that if anyone can work Primavera they must be an IT expert with more interest in accounting than building.

No sensible planner would bother with the thing.

Best regards

Mike Testro

If a man can work Primavera...then he must be a planner.

Hi Pranab,

7. Planning engineer is responsible for the programme and if the dates are not met it is the fault of planning engineer.

8. No change in logical linking in the programme is allowed while programme is updated

9.The planning engineer is expected to precisely predict the sequence of works for the (3/4 year) project.

In fact i would be interested in presenting the idea that planning and scheduling are two seperate aspects. The planning details such as how much time is required for an activity, what methodology is to be adopted, how much resources would be required etc is better to be given by the  team who is gonig to execute the work. The ownership of the logics and sequencing of works should be with the guys who are going to execute it. The planning engieer is responsible for coordinating between the various teams. The planning engineer is required to do more in terms of scheduling the programme, de-bottlenecking, putting toegether the plans from various trades, compliling all that into an overall project programme, etc etc. Finally, the ownership of the programe must be withthe project manager, not the planning engineer.

Hi Pernab,

6- Planners and Schedulers should be EXPERTS in the field they are making a schedule for.

Regards

Bilal

Hi Pranab

3..... If the schedule says "Start on this date" it must be right.

4..... If there is enough float you can take your time to do the work

5..... It must be a good programme - there are at least 3 critical paths.

Best regards

Mike Testro