Programming and planning

Question 1

What is float and what are some different types of float?

Answer 1

Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the subsequent activity or critical path.

Some types of float are:

• Total float: time an activity can be delayed without delaying the planned completion date
• Time Risk Allowance: duration allowed in each activity by the contractor to account for the risk of not completing the activity in the minimum possible period (owned by contractor)
• Terminal Float: duration between planned completion and current contract completion date (owned by contractor)

Question 2

What is the critical path?

Answer 2

• The longest sequence of activities in a project which must be completed on time for the project to complete on due date
• Critical path activities have no float, any delay will result in a delay to the overall completion date

Question 3

What is a dependency in a programme?

Answer 3

Where a task or activity is reliant on another task/activity to complete before it can start

Question 4

Level 3 - Summary of Experience - Example 2

What key factors did you consider when preparing the Basildon Park programme?

Answer 4

• The client’s governance procedures
• The level of risk involved in each option
• The overall sequence of the programme tasks
• The correct logic links to use
• The critical path of the project
• Procurement and construction timelines due to being Grade 1

Question 5

Level 3 - Summary of Experience - Example 1

What advice did you give the client in relation to the critical path and what other options were considered?

Answer 5

• Advice was that the programme advantage for taking a much more commercially risk approach was minimal, therefore not worth it
• Advised that there are factors out of our control which would impact the programme and should be considered in the assessment of delivery risk

Question 6

Level 2 - Summary of Experience - Example 1

What are the timeframes for an OJEU tender?

Answer 6

• Open Tender is 35 calendar days

- 10 days standstill period

Question 7

What advice would you give a client, post-contract, on how to speed up a programme?

Answer 7

Instruct the contractor to accelerate

Question 8

What are the risks associated with acceleration?

Answer 8

• Acceleration activities don’t impact the critical path
• If using shift work; can lead to inconsistencies in the quality of work
• Night/weekend work can be expensive due to enhanced pay requirements
• Imbalance between supervision, labour, plant and materials can affect productivity
• More resources means more welfare, higher risk of H&S, higher risk of one trade damaging another trades

Question 9

When you’re developing a master programme for a client, what are some of the first questions you’d ask a client to help you develop that master programme (things that are different for every client)?

Answer 9

• What is your governance process and timings, key meetings, etc.?
• When do you want to complete?
• What procurement route would you consider?

Question 10

How do I get from one RIBA stage to the next?

Answer 10

• Stage gate approvals

- Client sign-off of key deliverables within the stage

Question 11

What are the four different types of logic links within a programme?

Answer 11

Start to start
Start to finish
Finish to start
Finish to finish

Question 12

Name some methods of assessing an EOT claim?

Answer 12

• Planned Impacted method
• Time Impact Analysis
• Time-slice Window Analysis
• Collapsed As-Built Analysis

Question 13

What is involved in the Impacted As-Planned Analysis? What are the advantages / disadvantages?

Answer 13

Introducing a delay event sub-network into the baseline programme; needs to be logic-linked

Advantages:
- Simplest / least expensive

Disadvantages:
- Doesn’t consider actual progress and changes to the original programme

Question 14

What is involved in the Time Impact Analysis? What are the advantages / disadvantages?

Answer 14

Introducing a delay event sub-network into updated programme; needs to be logic-linked

Advantages:

• Simple / inexpensive
• Contemporaneous critical path

Disadvantages:

• Doesn’t capture eventual delay as subsequent project progress is not considered
• Has to predict critical delay based on a future planned programme

Question 15

What is involved in the Time-slice Window Analysis? What are the advantages / disadvantages?

Answer 15

Using updated programme, progress of works divided into time slices, actual critical path and critical delay status at the end of each slice retrospectively

Advantages:

• More sophisticated view on delay
• Removes complexities of reviewing project as a whole

Disadvantages:

• Only done retrospectively
• Requires more specialist analysis

Question 16

What is involved in the Collapsed As-Built Analysis? What are the advantages / disadvantages?

Answer 16

Retrospective analysis by removing the delay event from the programme and seeing the impact on the completion date

Advantages:
- Precise delay period attributable to that cause

Disadvantages:

• Logic-links may have to be introduced to an as-built programme
• Measures only incremental delay as the completion date will not collapse further than the closest near critical path
• Reliant on good records

Question 17

What is involved in the As-Planned vs As-Build Analysis? What are the advantages / disadvantages?

Answer 17

Technique to compare the planned timings of the programme activities with the actual timings

Advantages:
- Simple / cheap

Disadvantages:
- May not provide sufficient analysis of delay events