Programmes are invaluable when fully functional but often they are made to look right but don’t function as they should. These flawed programmes could lead to some serious issues if not resolved.
How does that work?
Well a programme is much more than a few bars on a screen or sheet of paper. They are evolving complex systems of links which if not put together properly are fundamentally flawed.
Its possible that you could be working your way through a project and not realise this for quite some time. Especially if the programme goes unmonitored or progressed for long periods of time
Programmes are an important tool for successful project delivery and should inform decisions made during the lifecycle of a project. A flawed programme may result in incorrect information swaying a decision the wrong way.
The use of constraints, calendars, misplaced logic can all affect a programme and the float that it shows.
So many people draw up a programme to look right, there’s so much more work involved to make sure it operates as it should. There are many more factors to considered should be to make sure that project float is true and correct.
Both Charted Institute of Builders and United States Defence Management Agency have great tests which can be used to determine areas of concern with a programme. These are great tests for any programme and you don’t have to be on a building or US defence project to use them. They are definitely worth using for checking your programmes.
They will check a manner of aspects from excessive durations, float, broken logic etc… These are all aspects which need to be right for a programme to be correct and you would be surprised how many fail on first assessment.
A flawed programme may give you:
🔸 False sense of project float
🔸 The wrong critical path leading to misplaced focus
🔸 Misinformation on re sequencing assessments
🔸 Flawed Extension of Time Assessments
🔸 Flawed need or assessment of Acceleration
🔸 Errors with coordination between trades
Early identification of issues will lead to rectification to allow the programme to show the true impact or entitlement.
Just think back to the last time you carried out a programme compliance review. If it was a while ago then I would strongly recommend reviewing your programmes. This might seem like a daunting task but if you start with your riskiest projects first then you have your priorities right. (Riskiest doesn’t always mean longest or most valuable either…)
If you don’t want to use a CIOB or US DCMA standard then we can use a tailored 26 point check instead. Contact us for quick and easy programme reliability reviews.
Planetal provides Tendering, Delivery Planning and Forensic Delay Expert Services to the construction industry. For more information on how we can help click one of the links below:
Forensic Delay Expert Services
For any further information or to discuss any programme requirements contact us on:
