INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION
SCHEDULING WITH MS PROJECT 2016
BUILDING A MASTER SCHEDULE FOR
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Practicing Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
[Link]..
WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION
SCHEDULING?
Construction scheduling is
The process of listing all project tasks.
Sequencing tasks logically to define the workflow.
Assigning time durations to tasks to plan the project
timeline.
Important for tracking project progress, managing
resources, and completing on time.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
WHY USE MICROSOFT
PROJECT ?
Industry standard for project scheduling and
planning.
Provides a visual Gantt chart for easy schedule
visualization.
Enables resource allocation and workload balancing.
Offers comprehensive reporting tools for project
tracking.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
KEY SCHEDULING CONCEPTS
Tasks/Activities: Discrete work items to complete.
These are individual units of work that must be
completed to achieve project objectives.
In MS Project, tasks represent specific work items
like "Foundation excavation" or "Electrical wiring."
Breaking the project into clear tasks helps in
accurate scheduling and resource management.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
KEY SCHEDULING CONCEPTS
Milestones:
Key events or deadlines without duration.
Examples are events like "Approval of design" or
"Completion of structural work."
They help track progress and signal when key
deliverables or phases are achieved.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
KEY SCHEDULING CONCEPTS
Dependencies:
Task dependencies define the order in which tasks
must occur.
The most common type is Finish-to-Start (FS), where
one task must finish before the next can start.
Other types include Start-to-Start (SS), Finish-to-Finish
(FF), and Start-to-Finish (SF).
Establishing dependencies ensures a logical flow of
work and affects the overall schedule.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
KEY SCHEDULING CONCEPTS
Duration:
Estimated time to complete each task.
Accurate duration estimates ensure realistic timelines
and help identify critical activities.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
KEY SCHEDULING CONCEPTS
Critical Path:
Longest path of dependent tasks determining total
project time.
Tasks on the critical path have zero float and any delay
in these tasks directly delays the project completion
date.
MS Project highlights the critical path, enabling
focused management on those tasks.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
STEPS TO BUILD A PROJECT
SCHEDULE IN MS PROJECT
Step 1: Define Project Start Date - Set the official
starting point for your project schedule.
Step 2: Enter and Structure Tasks - Input all
project activities and organize them logically using
summary tasks.
Step 3: Estimate Task Durations - Assign realistic
durations to each task based on scope and resources.
Step 4: Set Task Dependencies - Link tasks to
reflect logical sequences and constraints.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
STEPS TO BUILD A PROJECT
SCHEDULE IN MS PROJECT
Step 5: Assign Resources - Allocate personnel,
equipment, and materials necessary for tasks.
Step 6: Review and Adjust Schedule - Check the critical
path and overall timeline; refine as needed.
Step 7: Set the Baseline - Save a snapshot of the current
schedule to use as a comparison point during project
execution.
Step 8: Update Progress - Regularly track actual
progress and compare it to the baseline to detect
deviations.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
STEPS TO BUILD A PROJECT
SCHEDULE IN MS PROJECT
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR
EFFECTIVE SCHEDULING
Break down work into small, manageable tasks.
Use summary tasks to group related activities or
phases.
Update task progress regularly to reflect actual
status.
Use filters and views to focus on critical or delayed
tasks.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
CONCLUSION AND NEXT
STEPS
Project scheduling is iterative and requires
continuous monitoring.
MS Project 2016 enables visualization, adjustment,
and control of schedules.
Stay tuned for a hands-on session using a sample
BOQ and scheduling practice.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |
OUR NEXT STEPS
We will share the MS Project 2016 software and a
sample BOQ in our telegram channel ([Link]
ETCONp).
Please download the files before heading to our next
video.
Stay tuned for a hands-on session using a sample
BOQ and scheduling practice.
Yonatan Tadesse
Lead Engineer |Prac. Prof. Engineer| Project Mgmt. Pro. (PMP)® |