Scheduling as Part of the Project Management Effort - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 272

updated and adjusted during the execution of the project, and every attempt is made
to get the project completed within the baseline (estimate): money and time. These
two functions intersect in many ways, such as the following eight:
1. The estimator needs to know how long the project's duration is in order to esti-
mate certain costs, particularly overhead costs (management team, field office,
utilities, etc.).
2. Estimating and scheduling departments collaborate to provide information
to the procurement department. The estimating department explains what
resources are needed and howmuch, and the scheduling department tells when
they will be needed. This facilitates the procurement of labor, materials, and
equipment. 3
3. The scheduler sometimes estimates the durations of activities with help from
the estimating department, since estimators usually keep track of the crews'
productivities.
4. Many schedules are cost-loaded. The cost must be imported (manually or elec-
tronically) from the cost estimate.
5. In most construction companies, tracking of money and time are combined
under the Project Control Department. This department typically includes
cost estimators and schedulers who continuously compare the actual perfor-
mance to the baseline budget and baseline schedule. Earned value management
(EVM), discussed in Chapter 7, is part of the project control effort and is an
integrated approach to project cost and schedule control.
6. Progress payments depend on the schedule of values (prepared by the esti-
mator) and the percent complete (reported by the scheduler 4 ).
7. Resource allocation and resource leveling are cost related, although they are
scheduling functions.
8. Schedule compression always involves a balance between cost and time.
Both cost estimating and scheduling require breaking down the project into
smaller components (activities, tasks, items, etc.) that are managed and controlled
easily (usually homogeneous, measured with one unit). However, the cost estimator
and the scheduler may think differently about this breakdown. The cost estimator
usually divides the project into items according to their nature, with no regard
to location or chronology. So, 2-by-4 wood studs can be combined in one item,
even though they may be installed in different locations and with different timing.
The scheduler's attitude toward the project breakdown is focused on the timing
3 The project schedule might have an impact not only on the procurement schedule but also on the estimate,
because the timing may affect the cost of labor, materials, and equipment.
4 Percent complete is initially reported by the field crews (foremen) but collected and formalized by the
scheduler.