BULK MATERIAL HANDLING WBS FOR AN EPC

Mike,

"Not every function is best done by programming software."

Agree. 

"Not every function is best done by any single software, they complement each other."

With regard to procurement, usually critical to the schedule, I still prefer to keep it within the programming (Scheduling) software and use the Excel option on few occasions, as an alternate option but not as the rule, while the accounting software for procurement purposes serves as a control function.

Still the management function of the job procurement is best done at the project level.

As you can see from the above menu bar the Excel icon is present at most screens, it does not means it is better done by Excel, it is just a supplementary option.

I have seen somewhere else samples of your Excel reports for forensic presentations, in my opinion they are very good.

"If you drew down your definitions from Spider help files then there is another website with identical data - someone is passing off anothers work."

It is common for Spider to make reference to PMI definitions, same as do many others, it makes sense to me even when I am not a fan of the PMI. Vladimir keeps making reference to the PMI source, it is just I did not copied them.

Ishmael,

Here are some possible ways to organize your Materials Procurement reports.

1) By Submittal Packages.

2) By Supplier.

3) By Assemblies.

4) By Country of Manufacturing.

5) By Delivery date, say month of delivery.

You can group them by any of the above and sub group them using any of the remaining. If your software does not provide multiple MBS then most probably you can use multiple material codes, similar to organizing activities by activity codes and keeping them under different layouts.

What it is important is that you pre-define your organization outlines to be ready at a click of the mouse for whenever you need them in a hurry. I do not believe there is such thing as a Universal WBS or  Universal MBS, that even for a particular job one is not enough, a few perfect and too many overwhelming. Keep them in proportion to your needs.

Best regards,

Rafael

Hi Rafael

If you drew down your definitions from Spider help files then there is another website with identical data - someone is passing off anothers work.

Not every function is best done by programming software.

It is preferable to utilise spreadsheets when they can produce better and clearer results.

In delay analysis 60% of my work is done on Lotus 123 - 20% in MS Word and 20% PowerProject > used only to display the resulting picture.

Mix n Match as required.

Best regards

Mike Testro

Mike,

Source of definitions: Spider Project Help files.

Of course summarized and with a few comments as to highlight the central theme on how to handle Materials Procurement, an issue that came to the surface in the discussion.

Essentially it is common sense, you do not define activities based on the material details such as supplier, date of delivery, date needed, amount ordered, cost, rate of use versus time, etc. you use the software database to keep the records and tie these to the activities and reports.

You at times might be interested on grouping your material reports by Supplier and PO, at other times by Assemblies as if a part of the Assembly is incomplete it might delay execution of the activities. It is not uncommon for some individual parts of an assembly to be from different suppliers.

It is not just the deliveries form your suppliers but also deliveries schedules of materials to your subcontractors.

Perhaps the word Outlining to describe WBS and Breakdown Structure can be of help, nothing esoteric, very elementary, reminds me of  the grammar composition class when in elementary school.

http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/outlining.html

It is essentially an issue of how you organize and report on your Consumable Resources (known as Materials in Spider Project), some software provides you a way to organize your reports at the click of the button, so every time  you need to take a look at the report for a particular item you just select the Outline definition and click, no need to export to Excel and then organize the data just to take a look. It is a software refinement that will make it easier, similar to using WBS to organize your schedule or no WBS at all and keeping your activities not organized.

Exporting everything to Excel is kind of rudimentary, not a good solution unless your software falls short of functionality.

It is easier to open your Materials Gantt, take a look at the issues instantly and make the necessary adjustments on the spot as illustrated on the following screen capture. Just a matter of using the right view and organizing your screens and reports.

Best Regards,

Rafael

Hi Rafael

Please name your source when quoting from the web

http://www.projectmgt.com/Files/Article-WBS%20How.pdf

Best regards

Mike Testro

Hi Ishmael

I assume you are referring to bulk material such as Aggregate Cement rebar etc.

This is best tracked on a spreadsheet for each material.

Column A > delivered to stockpile estimated total in row 2.

Column B > taken to work front estimated total in row 2.

Row 3 in each column is a cumulative total of each entry

Row 4 is a reconciliation to show:

1. When more material has to be ordered

2. Accuracy of the estimate at the work front.

Some software will do this for you such a PowerProject consumable resources but the spreadsheet is more open and visible.

Best regards

Mike Testro

BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES

Each brakdown structure has a purpose do not confuse them. You shall create as many WBS, OBS, PBS or MBS as you need.

For organizing your reports which organizational structure you will use will depend on which Gantt Type you are using, if from Activity Gantt you will use WBS, If using Resource Gantt you will use OBS if using Materials Gantt you will use MBS. It will also depend on for whom is the report created.

We define a WBS as per Owner requirements and a couple of WBS as per our needs, same goes for the other breakdown structure types.

WBS Definition:

Work Breakdown Structure is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work. The WBS is decomposed into work packages. The deliverable orientation of the hierarchy includes both internal and external deliverables.

MBS, Material Breakdown Structure Definition:

All project materials form a hierarchical material structure. It is displayed in the Material Gantt. Materials shown in the material breakdown structure of the Material Gantt can be converted to material groups of different hierarchy level. Materials can be grouped on different grounds, for example according to the material category, material supplier, etc.

You can create several material structures within a project In various structures the same material can be a member of different material groups. Working with multiple material breakdown structures helps to receive reports and executive summary on individual material groups. Rules of working with material breakdown structures are the same as for other breakdown structures.

For materials management you shall use Materials Gantt reports as your main control system, here Activity Gantt can be used as a secondary system.

Depending on your software capabilities the details will vary, it might even be your software does not provides for good material management reporting. Beware that low end packages only provide for a single WBS definition and no MBS at all.

Best Regards,

Rafael

ples let me have procurement procedure deatiled.

thx....

Dear Ishmael 

I dont have WBS for procurement, but you can breakdown your WBS by work of location, the material required to complete the certain activity, and its procurement. hope this helps.

The WBS can be divided into various phases

Such As

1) Name of Project

1 a) Design Phase.

   b) Tendering phase 

   c) Procurement phase 

and so on.

Read the Contract documents, boq for further differtiation.