Introduction - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 5

Schedule

What

How
much

Who

When

The Plan

How

By
whom

Why

Where

Figure 1.2 Planning and scheduling

as a network plan and activity time estimates assigned, CPM calculations can be made.
Planning ceases and scheduling starts when the first computation is performed that
shows a project duration. The project duration is then compared with the desired
schedule and scheduling begins” (O'Brien and Plotnick, 2009, p. 417).
To get an idea about the relationship between project planning and scheduling,
assume that you are planning a family vacation “project” for next summer. Your plan
may include considerations such as the following:

• Who will go on the trip?
• Which places do you want to visit? (You would like to visit many places, but
your time and monetary resources are limited.)
• What is the time frame for the vacation (just the starting and ending dates)?
• What is the total budget for the “project” (including the contingency you did
not tell other family members about)?
• What types of activities do you want to participate in during the trip? (Are there
sharp differences among the family members?)
• What means of transportation do you plan to use (your car, a rental car, air,
train, bus, RV, etc.)?
• What other issues, such as accommodations, food, and clothing, need to be
addressed?

The project schedule is simply the itinerary, such as the following:

• Leave home in Tampa, Florida, on June 8, 2015.
• Arrive in Panama City, Florida, on June 8, 2015.
• Leave Panama City on June 15, 2015.
• Arrive in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 15, 2015.