Avoid Project Schedule Slippage

Minimize project schedule slippage by following these steps during each project update meeting and thus ensure that the necessary items are reviewed for the most accurate schedule status possible:

1. Review all procurement activities with less than 30 days of total float and status the duration for all submit, approve and F/D activities and review their tie-in points to actual work activities and eliminate incorrect logic ties. Improperly updating procurement activities is a recurring problem. Procurement activities require constant attention and accurate updating to properly reflect schedule status. If work activities are proceeding without approval of the procurement item tied into them, then break the tie-in and tie it to the end of the phase or project. This allows the schedule status to be reflected properly. If later the item is not approved and work needs to be removed and replaced, the appropriate activities should be added at that time.
2. Carefully review all total float paths of 30 days or less where the first activity on the float path has an early start date the same as the as of date of the report. These float path(s) activities may become the new critical path after the update if sufficient progress has not been made on them during the progress reporting period. For instance, look at a 5 day float path with the first activity on the float path having an early start date the same as the as of date of the report. Fifteen days of progress must be reported on the five-day float path's work activities to keep it from possibly becoming the new critical path (this is assuming 20 workdays between update dates).
3. During the update, review the general flow of the contractor's work crews (each trade) as well as the number of crews (each trade) which the current approved schedule indicates are his stated plan. This becomes very important if there is a persistent departure from the contractor's plan, as the schedule will not forecast slippage, but only report it after insufficient progress is indicated at the monthly schedule status updates.
4. At each update, determine whether there are similar activities that have duration(s) on them which after performing actual work in the field it is evident that they are either too short or too long. These activity duration(s) should then be discussed with the contractor and adjusted accordingly so that the schedule forecasts and tracks the project progress realistically.
5. On projects being processed by the contractor, it is important that the RE staff and the contractor review the critical path of the updated schedule for accuracy and realism. This should be accomplished before the project status reports are accepted and recorded. The opportunity to review the updated schedule before memorializing it is one of the major reasons and benefits of having the schedules processed at the project sites.
6. Take a weekly interest in reviewing the project schedule with the contractor's project manager and discussing what work needs to be accomplished in the current week as well as the following week. This gives both you and the contractor confirmation on your highest priorities to facilitate positive project progress.

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