3 . Ensure a sufficiently linked programme with forwardlooking capability . The contractor ’ s programme must contain sufficient logic links . This means each task must have both a predecessor and a successor task . A simple test in the scheduling software can reveal adherence to this requirement . It allows for proper forwardlooking capability in the programme so that the effect of any delays can be predicted and shown as accurately as possible .
4 . Get clarity on the underlying assumptions and durations The contractor ’ s programme should be a credible representation of their intended timing and sequence of work . As such , a contractor must make certain assumptions in logic and the duration of each task . Ensure that the contractor clearly communicates these assumptions . Where work is production driven , the contractor should indicate their production rates , work rates and / or resources that ’ s underlying each task ’ s duration .
5 . Indicate all long leads , procurement , manufacturing , design and / or information required items on the programme . A common error many contractors make is to forget about the lead times for major sections of work or the process to enable an installation to commence . Major items of equipment can take months to be delivered to site . Steel structures for instance , require a process of shop drawing design , approvals , order placement , manufacturing and a lead time for delivery before installation can start . A properly conceived programme should clearly indicate all these stages and “ behind the scenes ” work required to commence a task on the programme .
6 . Ensure a baseline is set before measuring progress . A baseline is essentially a snapshot of all tasks and their corresponding data at a particular point in time . The purpose is to measure the change in each task ’ s actual data against the planned data ( baseline ). The result gives the project a variance which enables a project manager to measure and control the project ’ s performance . Without a baseline , this variance requires a manual measurement which is impractical .
7 . Set the requirement for updating the programme Although the JBCC obligates a contractor to update a programme by regular intervals , it doesn ’ t contain adequate requirements or agreement on the manner in which programmes are to be updated and / or revised . A good provision is to require updates to consist of two parts . The first is mainly retrospective and factual in nature . It seeks only to record actual progress on the accepted programme .
The second part of an update is prospective or forward-looking in nature . The goal is to render the remaining programme as accurate as possible taking account of any changed circumstances , revisions of the completion date or the contractor ’ s projected changes in the timing and sequence of their operations .
In the second step , a contractor should add all new or modified tasks , rectify errors , change the sequence or logic where it ’ s become unrealistic and change the practical completion date in accordance with any extension of time approvals . A contractor can also revise the planned sequence or durations of tasks to indicate how the completion date will be achieved . Where significant changes are made to a schedule , the contractor should record another baseline for future update measurements .
Both these steps should be recorded and archived as separate files and provided to the principal agent in the native format . This distinctly keeps track of ( a ) impacts caused by work completed to date and ( b ) impacts caused by changes made to the programme . It also ensures that any subsequent updates are again provided on a programme that is properly conceived , relevant , and realistic .
SOLID FOUNDATIONS PROVIDE BETTER OUTCOMES The amount of analytical rigor that goes into adjudicating claims has increased substantially over the years . With disputes becoming more prevalent and high-profile , professionals are paying closer attention . With a strong foundation of contemporaneous records , principal agents can make better informed decisions that will hopefully drive better outcomes for all parties to a project and increase a professional ’ s appointment flow .
Kobus le Roux is a project manager specialising in JBCC dispute resolution and forensic delay analysis . Kobus is currently the Managing Director at Le Roux Consulting .
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