Snapshot of my experience in planning, claims and applied research over the last 14 years.
Schedule Levels – Major Projects
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Level 1 Schedule Executive Summary, also called a Project Master
Schedule (PMS). This is a major milestone type of schedule; usually only one
page, it highlights major project activities, milestones, and key
deliverables for the whole project. It is used to summarise the project
schedule in reports and other documents when a more detailed schedule is not
required.
Frequently developed by the
‘client’ as part of its initial feasibility studies for the project and then
maintained by the contractor. Can be used to integrate multiple contractors /
multiple project schedules into an overall program schedule.
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Level 2 Schedule Management Summary, also called a Summary Master
Schedule (SMS). Maintained as a summarisation of the Level 3 Project
Coordination Schedule(s). It depicts the overall project broken down into its
major components by area and is used for higher-level management reporting.
Frequently developed by the ‘client’ as part of its
commitment planning for the project and then maintained by the contractor.
Can be used to integrate multiple contractors / multiple project schedules
for the overall control of a program. It will include the Level 1 information
expanded to show activities by area or major item of capital equipment.
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Level 3 Schedule Project Coordination Schedule (PCS) also called a
Publication Schedule. Initially developed as an integrated CPM overview of
the project, the Level 3 schedule is then maintained as an integrated rollup
or summary of the Level 4 schedule activities for reporting status to senior
management and to report monthly status to major clients, etc. The schedule
consists of a set of integrated Level 4 schedules based on Critical Path
Methodology (CPM) and is developed with detailed input from the project
management team. Usually developed by
the ‘main contractor’ as part of its tendering process for the project or by
the project team during the initial phases of planning.
The Level 3 schedule
spans the whole of the project and is used to support the monthly report. It
includes all major milestones, major elements of design, engineering,
procurement, construction, testing, commissioning and/or start-up. If the
Level 4 schedules are primarily developed by trade/sub-contractors, during
the initial phases of the project the Level 3 schedule provides the schedule
framework and constraints used by the subcontractors to develop their
tenders. During the execution phase of the project this schedule defines the
overall critical path and is the primary coordination tool for the overall
project.
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Level 4 Schedule Execution Schedule, also called a Project Working
Level Schedule. Level 4 is the detailed working level schedule, where each
schedule is an expansion of part of a Level 3 schedule, and is established
within the integrated project schedule. This is the key working level CPM
schedule displaying the activities to be accomplished by the project
workforce and is required for every project. The dates generated by the
schedule activities represent the anticipated start and completion of work
required to complete the project. If there is no ‘Level 3’ schedule,
activities in future months/years may be summary in nature but still provide
approximate start and completion dates for major pieces of work (this is
called ‘rolling wave scheduling’).
Developed
by the ‘contractor’, ‘subcontractor’ (trade contractor), or the project team
prior to commencing work on the project execution, or work in a phase or area
of the project. The Level 4 schedule may be for the whole of the project or a
part of the project depending on the size of the project and complexity of
the work. A critical factor is keeping each ‘Level 4’ schedule to a sensible
size that can be easily managed, updated, validated, etc. ‘Level 4’ schedules
may be for major sections of the work or for discrete processes such as a
‘Design Schedule’, ‘Procurement schedule’ and/or a ‘Commissioning Schedule’.
Generally, the ‘Level 4’ schedule represents the area of authority of a
section manager or engineer, so one manager is responsible for all of the
work in the schedule. Activities are generally over a week in duration
(depending on the nature of the project). Where used, short term ‘look ahead’
are produced from this level; typically ‘Three Week Look-ahead’ schedules are
updated every two weeks.
Level 5 Schedule Detail Schedule.
The further breakdown of the activities
of a Level 4 Schedule. A short term schedule used to map out the detailed
tasks needed to coordinate day to day work in specific areas.
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© Practical PM Pty Ltd, 2010
www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Planning.html
