Transportation Project Management

5 Schedule

“A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”

– Annie Dillard

When a friend or family member has a baby, the two most common questions are: is it a boy or a girl, and what is its name. These are natural, expected, and eminently reasonable. Similarly, when discussing a transportation project, the two most basic questions are: how much will it cost and when will it be completed.

A well-crafted schedule creates and maintains order amidst chaos. The schedule is an essential component of the triple constraint. Not only does it shape expectations for development and delivery, but it is the fundamental framework by which resources are allocated, funding is programmed, cash flow is planned, and inflation impacts are incorporated into cost estimates.

5.1 Critical Path Method (CPM)

“How does a project get to be a year late? One day at a time.”

– Frederick Brooks

While there are a variety of scheduling methodologies, the majority of transportation projects and programs are best run using the Critical Path Method (CPM). The CPM is a proven mathematically-based scheduling algorithm developed in the 1950s. It is a powerful approach that enables PMs to proactively manage their projects and promotes on-time and on-budget delivery. CPM scheduling analysis can quickly assess your current progress, where tasks can be run in parallel, the shortest time when a ...