ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE V

project PLAN and PROGRAM

A PROJECT PLAN and a PROJECT PROGRAM may seem similar.
Although each concept plays a role in completing a project on time, they are two
differing concepts: a plan is a means to achieving project objectives, and a program is
devised to answer the "who, what, when, why, how much, and how long?" questions.

project plan

The PROJECT PLAN is a formal, approved document which is used to guide both project execution and
control. It is a comprehensive document which involves (but is not limited to) the scope of work, baseline
schedule, budget, costs, expenses, planning assumptions and facilitate communication among the
stakeholders. Activities, milestones, resource requirements, major products are detailed and documented in
project plans.

The project plan creates a road map to represent all the details of a project in a sequence from the beginning
until the end of the project’s life cycle. In doing so, the project plan integrates the plans of all individual
processes into one coherent document. It deals with the “what” questions related with the project and
provides a general vision for the project.

Some ideas to help planning a project effectively include:

▪ Plan to plan (it can be difficult to get people together to develop a plan). Create an agenda for your
planning session to ensure you remain on track.
▪ Ensure that the people who will implement the plan have a say, otherwise contributors may not have a
sense of commitment to the plan.
▪ Be prepared to “re-plan” – unexpected obstacles will undoubtedly crop up. Also, do not plan in too much
detail if there is a likelihood that the plan will have to be changed, which wastes time.
▪ Create a risk analysis by asking “what could go wrong?” Sometimes simply identifying risks can help to
avert them. But don’t go into analysis paralysis – you can’t identify every possible risk.
▪ Keep in mind the purpose of the project. A problem statement will assist to ensure that actions achieve a
result, but ensure that you identify what the client really needs.

work breakdown structure (wbs)

A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) is a deliverable-

oriented breakdown of a project into smaller components. A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE:
work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that the process of subdividing project
deliverables and project work into
organises the team's work into manageable sections. The WBS
smaller, more manageable components
is a tree structure, which shows a subdivision of effort required
to achieve an objective.

The purpose of subdividing the overall project is to group these into components that are easier to estimate
and plan, and to assign components to a specific team for completion. One must decide when to stop dividing
work into smaller elements. This will assist in determining the duration of activities necessary to produce a
deliverable defined by the WBS.

It is common for work breakdown structure elements to be numbered sequentially to reveal the hierarchical
structure. The purpose for the numbering is to provide a consistent approach to identifying and managing
the WBS.

Tshwane University of Technology: Department of Architecture + Industrial Design Emile Paulsen 2023/02/27
project program

A PROJECT PROGRAM (also called a project schedule) is a graphic

A project program shows
presentation of all activities in a project required to produce the output. the planned dates for
Project programs show the activities, durations, dependencies, performing activities
milestones, start and finish dates, calendars and the CRITICAL PATH in a and the planned dates
diagram. The project program is often used along with a WORK for meeting milestones
BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) which divides the project scope into
meaningful segments.

A project program will identify the following:

▪ dates and durations of allocated tasks

▪ a critical path (more details below)
▪ tasks that can only be carried out sequentially (after other tasks are completed)
▪ tasks that can be carried out simultaneously
▪ 'float' within tasks that are not on the critical path
▪ the need for specific resources

PROJECT PROGRAMMING is not something that should be carried out once the tasks have occurred: this
should be used as a tool to help to plan activities, monitor progress and identify where additional resources
may be required.

Project programs may be prepared for the following purposes:

▪ OVERALL PROGRAM – which will include activities leading up to the appointment of consultants,
work outside the scope of the main project, and an ongoing program for operation and evaluation
once the project is complete
▪ DESIGN PROGRAM – which schedules tasks from the appointment of the professional team to the
appointment of a contractor
▪ INFORMATION PROGRAM – which will schedule when the consultants will issue information
▪ program for APPROVALS
▪ PROCUREMENT PROGRAM – to facilitate obtaining tenders for construction
▪ CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM – devised by the contractor, which will schedule construction activities

construction program

All construction projects require a construction program, regardless of the scope of the works. These
programs are invaluable in the coordination of time-control activities, and for the control of resources and
cost. Architectural professionals must become conversant in such programs, or to employ another consultant
to adjudicate these.

The underlying principles of the construction program are:

▪ the program must indicate each construction activity The contractor's construction
▪ each activity must follow in a logical sequence programme is not part of the contract
▪ programs should provide for the requirement as to documentation, and is not enforceable
when necessary information is required on site under the JBCC contracts. The date for
▪ each activity must have a start date, duration and practical completion is enforceable and
completion date failure of the contractor to meet the
completion date may lead to penalties.
▪ activities are to be networked

Tshwane University of Technology: Department of Architecture + Industrial Design Emile Paulsen 2023/02/27
By graphically representing the activities of construction, the program enables a visualisation of the intended
sequencing of construction activities that may reveal problems that can be resolved before they arise on site.
Computerised programs are able to instantly update and can monitor progress on a short-term basis. In
addition, such programs can calculate the materials and labour resources required to complete specific
activities.

Once the construction program has been created, it is important to keep it up to date. Unforeseen
circumstances will arise during the project, and the real value of the program is that it will provide new data
regarding the status quo of the project. The scheduling of the works can be adjusted to move resources to
problem areas from other areas that are ahead.

When extensions of time are granted, it is imperative that the construction program is revised to the new
date for practical completion and that the revised program is issued. Regardless of the programming system
is presented by the contractor, the architectural professional must be able to interpret the program and be
capable of monitoring the contractor’s progress.

gantt chart

Named after the engineer Henry J. Gantt, the GANTT CHART was conceived as a timeline bar chart, which
consists of a graphic representation. The vertical axis identifies the tasks, while the horizontal axis shows
time. It is the most widespread scheduling method as it adapts well to both small and large projects of all
types, assuming they are not overly complex. It is the most commonly used method of scheduling works in
the construction industry and can be easily understood, even by those less familiar with scheduling tools.

In preparation of a Gantt timeline bar chart, the following basic data may be included:
▪ activities in the order in which they will be carried out
▪ budget or cost
▪ quantity or corresponding units
▪ predicted performance
▪ duration of the activity

critical path method (cpm)

In the construction program, the path is defined as a sequence of connected

events which flow from the start of the project to the end. The time CRITICAL PATH:
necessary in covering any of these paths is the sum of the time corresponding The longest sequence of
to each of the tasks involved. The CRITICAL PATH is the one that requires tasks that determine
the longest period of time to progress from start to completion and indicates the project schedule.
the minimum timeframe necessary to complete the whole project.

The essential technique for using the CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM) is to construct a model of the project
that includes the following:
▪ list of all activities required to complete the project (typically within a work breakdown structure)
▪ the time (duration) that each activity will take to complete
▪ the dependencies between the activities
▪ logical end points such as milestones or deliverable items

Using these values, the CPM calculates the longest path of planned activities to logical end points or to the
end of the project, and the earliest and latest that each activity can start and finish without making the project
longer.

Tshwane University of Technology: Department of Architecture + Industrial Design Emile Paulsen 2023/02/27
The critical path is essentially the route which represents a project's bottleneck. The reduction of the total
execution timeframe will only be possible if the activities on this path can be shortened, since the time
necessary to execute non-critical activities does not affect the project's total duration. The habit of
accelerating all project activities in order to reduce the total timeframe is therefore unnecessary. Decreasing
the duration of one or more critical activities, can reduce the project's total timeframe; but it may also change
the critical path so that activities which were not previously critical become so.

program evaluation and review technique (pert)

The PROGRAM EVALUATION and REVIEW TECHNIQUE (PERT) is a method of analysing the tasks
involved in completing a project, especially the time needed to complete each task, and to identify the
minimum time needed to complete the total project. It incorporates uncertainty by making it possible to
schedule a project while not knowing precisely the details and durations of all the activities. PERT relies on
arrow and node diagrams of activities and events: arrows represent the activities or work necessary to reach
the events or nodes that indicate each completed phase of the total project.

CPM and PERT are complementary tools, because CPM employs one time estimate and one cost estimate
for each activity; PERT may utilize three time estimates (optimistic, expected, and pessimistic) and no costs
for each activity.

Tshwane University of Technology: Department of Architecture + Industrial Design Emile Paulsen 2023/02/27