Statusing Concrete, Out-of-Sequence Work, and a Delivered Material
At the data date of 15 May, a 480-activity schedule is 62% complete. 'Place concrete-foundation' was planned for 200 m³ over 10 days; the field reports 140 m³ placed in 6 days and marks the activity 80% complete. Its predecessor, rebar, finished on plan, but the successor, 'cure and inspection,' has an actual start before the concrete activity's finish. Procurement activity 'Structural steel delivery' shows 0% complete, though the steel is in the laydown yard. The updated schedule shows the project 8 days behind the baseline finish and the concrete path with 4 days of float.
1. How should the concrete activity be statused, and what remaining duration would you calculate?
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Status the concrete activity on physical percent complete: 140 m³ placed divided by 200 m³ planned equals 70%, not the 80% duration-based figure. The 80% likely comes from 8 of 10 planned days elapsed, which assumes uniform production and overstates progress. Remaining duration should be calculated from the actual production rate: 140 m³ in 6 days is about 23.3 m³ per day; 60 m³ remaining divided by 23.3 is about 2.6 days, rounded to 3 days. If the remaining concrete is in a more difficult location, adjust the rate with the superintendent. Record the actual start and the data date, and keep the original duration for comparison. This distinction matters because duration percent complete distorts earned value and the forecast finish.
2. How should the out-of-sequence successor and the procurement status be handled?
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For the out-of-sequence successor, first confirm the actual start. If 'cure and inspection' genuinely began before concrete finished - for example, on a completed portion - split the concrete activity into segments or add a start-to-start relationship with the correct lag, and record actual dates. If the successor did not start, correct the data. Do not leave the successor with an early start, because the software will compute remaining logic from a false sequence. For procurement, the steel is on site, so status the delivery activity as complete with the actual delivery date, even if the planned date was later. Leaving it at 0% understates progress, overstates remaining work, and distorts earned value and float. Then re-run the update.
3. What is the effect on the forecast and what should be communicated?
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After correction, recalculate and re-examine the driving path. The 8-day slip may be understated if the concrete is actually 3 days from completion rather than 2, and if the procurement status removes float from the steel erection path. Compare the corrected forecast with the previous update and the baseline, and report both performance and the data-quality corrections in the narrative. State what changed, why, and the effect on the completion date and key milestones. Do not bury the correction: a change in status method that moves the forecast should be disclosed, with revised remaining durations and logic changes. If the correction reveals a new critical path, flag it for the next update.