Project CPM Schedule Preparation
a case study

This case study will demonstrate an example of how much it costs or how long it takes to prepare a schedule for a moderate size project.

The following case study documents the services recently provided to a general contractor client along with the costs associated with the services provided.

The project:

This client's project consisted of the renovation of three school buildings on a church campus. The buildings were for preschool, elementary school and middle school students. All three buildings required extensive interior demolition and renovation. Site work was a big portion of the project and included a new concrete amphitheater, retaining walls and flatwork. Project duration was committed to be 180 calendar days. The total value of the project based upon the general contractor's bid was approximately $1,500,000.

Planning phase:

Preliminary schedule #1 was prepared based upon the project plans, specifications, and interviews with the estimator and project manager. This first schedule consisted of 180 activities. Activities were organized into 6 categories including one for each building, submittals, site work, and amphitheater. This schedule was faxed directly to the client's computer and printed in either color or black and white using 81/2x14 paper on his printer. Cost for preliminary schedule #1 was $1,500.

Preliminary schedule #2:

The first preliminary schedule was changed to reflect additional phasing of site work. Activity durations were updated based on subcontractor and field supervisor input. Material lead times for several critical materials was added. Cost for preliminary schedule #2 was $700.

Preliminary schedule #3 and As-planned schedule:

A few minor adjustments were made based upon owner's input and sequence changes made by the field supervisor. This schedule became the as-planned schedule for the project. Cost for the as-planned schedule was $700.

Updates #1 through #6:

The schedule was updated every month and each update required from 2 to 4 hours of scheduling time. Forms were generated to help the superintendent keep track of actual activity start and finish dates. All reports and schedules were faxed directly to the clients computer and printed in color on 8-1/2 x 14 paper at the clients office. The project went generally as expected with several change orders updated into the schedule. There were no major delays or requirements for recovery schedules. Total cost for all 6 updates was $2,800.

Summary:

In this case the total cost for scheduling services including preliminary, as-planned, and all updates was $5,700.