Project Variance Log Document

Arsalan,

At home for such document(s) we do not use the term variance. We know them by their function as there are so many and among others name them:

1. Change Orders and Directives Log
2. Drawings Log
3. Endorsements (usually procured by Client) and Permits (usually procured by Contractor) Logs
4. Insurance Status Log - to follow up status of Contractor and Subcontractor's Workmen Compensation Insurance and other insurances such as the Comprehensive Liability and Automobile Insurances that might expire during the course of the job.
5. Issues Log - Can include among others Notices to Comply and other Pending Items to follow up that are not under other log.
6. Rain Days Log
7. RFI - Request for Information Log
8. RFP - Request for Proposals Log
9. Project Close Out Check List - Some keep/name it as a Log
10. Project Status Log - usually updated with the schedule to include a summary of current Baseline versus Current update. Include summary items for Current versus Baseline: BOQ costs, percentage complete, remaining project duration, status of payments among a few others.
11. Purchasing and Deliveries Log - usually for the use by the Contractor
12. Safety Meetings and Notices Log
13. Test Results Log
14. Transmittals Log
15. Visitor's Log

  Most of these documents are of great value to the scheduler as they provide items and dates that must be used on the schedule updates as well as on delay analysis schedules.  I must assume every construction scheduler know most of them, still there are a few that might not be so well known such as the Endorsements and Permits Log.



At home it is not unusual for our jobs be delayed by reason of Endorsement and Permits issues that we find it useful to keep these under a separate log.  Some logs such as the Concrete Test Log can be used to re-construct and verify schedule dates.



I suggest you download some samples from the web by doing a search using their specific names and hope the provided names can be of some help.  Another source can be to look at the pre defined logs on commercially available software for Document Control, perhaps Primavera Contract  Manager and Prolog.

Although I never liked P6 nor P3e, Primavera Expedition the precursor of Primavera Contract Manager in my opinion was good so I assume this product is good.  I recall it had an Insurance Log that included Dunning Notices so before expiring it would generate the warning and the Dunning Notices.

Needless to say that although common they are not exactly the same on every job therefore we can always learn something new by looking at what others are doing.

Good Luck,

Rafael

Variance or difference can be displayed in many different ways for almost all fields [not in order of preference].

1. The first method that comes to my mind would be to disclose variance or field differences on the Gantt table.
2. The second and my favorite is to show time distributed data using histograms. This will graphically display time distributed difference, very difficult and time consuming to mimic using difference fields that only show difference between current fields status and baseline/compared status at their respective DD.
3. The third would be to generate variance trends, although not available in most software.
4. Another would be to generate tabular reports to display field differences.

The following figure displays variance or field differences on the Gantt table as well as my favorite time distributed data using histograms.

Good Luck,

Rafael