Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)

Integrating Subcontractor Data into an Integrated Master Schedule

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Generating and maintaining a project’s Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) that meets management needs as well as customer requirements is difficult under the best of circumstances. The challenge becomes even more complex when subcontractor work effort must be incorporated. Issuing a subcontract is, in effect, handing off a portion of the work scope to an outside entity that becomes responsible for performing that work and meeting all technical requirements. 

Another consideration for contractors where Earned Value Management System (EVMS) contractual requirements apply is whether the subcontractor is considered a major subcontractor because of the contract value, scope of work, or high risk factors. The EVMS requirements are flowed down to these major subcontractors; they will have the same contractual requirements and challenges as the prime contractor. Most subcontracts do not fall into this category. Many are small, short term, or firm fixed price (FFP) subcontracts. 

Regardless of the category of the subcontractor, the subcontractors and the prime contractor all need an IMS to plan and coordinate work effort as well to measure progress. Using FFP subcontracts on development projects has the potential to increase risk significantly when expectations for scheduling rigor are not clearly defined. 

A Real World Example

H&A EVM consultants supported a multi-billion dollar development project that illustrates the challenges with integrating subcontractor schedules into a prime’s IMS. The prime contractor had two major subcontractors with EVMS flow down requirements. They also had 22 FFP subcontracts without EVMS flow down requirements. 

These FFP subcontracts were also mission-critical. The prime’s first priority was to define the required schedule format and data content in the request for proposal (RFP) to the subcontractors. Standardization was essential, along with specific instructions to ensure the schedule data could easily be incorporated in the prime’s IMS. 

As the basis for a customized project specification, the team selected the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) Data Item Description (DID) DI-MGMT-81650, an earlier DID that preceded the Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) and Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report (IPMDAR) DIDs. The requirements were simplified and trimmed to selected sections in the DID for the detailed schedules. The document was assigned a specification number within the prime’s document management system so it could be used for future procurements. 

Early Schedule Submittals: A Wake-Up Call

All the subcontractors dutifully proposed and were awarded subcontracts. The FFP subcontractors were required to submit initial schedules using the scheduling tool of their choice at the end of the first month of performance. To ensure compliance, the prime contractor tied the subcontractor’s first payment milestone to the acceptance (receipt, review, and approval) of their first schedule. 

This turned out to be one of the best decisions made during project startup. 

Those first schedules quickly revealed that many of the lower tier subcontractors had no experience developing logic-driven schedules that could comply with the reduced requirements document. They were unable to generate even the most basic project schedule. It was an eye opener to realize that while the first tier companies and most of the second tier companies did know about project scheduling, some of the second tier and all of the lower tier companies lacked that expertise.

The Solution: A Prime-Led Schedule Development Workshop

The prime’s schedule team, largely comprised of H&A schedulers, quickly initiated a week long on-site workshop open to all subcontractors who wanted help building their IMS. Every one of them signed up as they recognized acceptance of their schedule was a prerequisite for payment. 

Prime contractor personnel were assigned to each subcontractor to help them build schedules that met the requirements. Most of the subcontractors were able to produce an acceptable schedule within the first three days. The other subcontractors required the full week.

The workshop approach provided two major benefits.

  1. The subcontractors gained experience in developing a logic-driven schedule that they could maintain and status. They had a better understanding of what the prime contractor expected them to provide. 

  2. The prime’s schedule team gained a better understanding of each subcontractor’s scope of work and execution strategy. They had a better picture of the entire IMS as well as interdependencies. Without this knowledge, the next step of determining the best strategy to incorporate the subcontractor’s schedule data into the prime’s IMS would have failed. 

Strategies for Incorporating Subcontractor Data into the Prime’s IMS

The NDIA Integrated Program Management Division (IPMD) Planning and Scheduling Excellence Guide (PASEG) is a useful source of information on scheduling best practices. The section on External Schedule Integration offers basic guidance on flowing down detailed scheduling requirements to subcontractors. It also provides a short list of things to consider, such as coordinating dates and change control:

“Status dates should be consistent between the prime contractor and supplier schedules. If the subcontractor’s schedule update is to a different point in time, it could potentially affect the IMS analysis results. If it is not possible to have consistent status dates between the various schedule elements then implement a strict process, with support of all parties, to manage the impacts.

Change control procedures are established and understood. The prime contractor should clearly communicate which type of schedule changes will require pre-approval before incorporation and which type will require coordination only or documentation upon submittal. The lack of a disciplined change control process can result in disconnects between the prime contractor and subcontractor’s schedule.”

Remember the prime contractor’s IMS includes a baseline and a current schedule. The complications can be significant when all the variables are considered such as calendars, mix of schedule tools and options, scheduling techniques, resource loading, and custom fields.

That still leaves the question of how to incorporate the schedule data from an external source into the prime’s IMS. The PASEG outlines three approaches.

  1. Full integration where the entire subcontract schedule is incorporated into the prime’s IMS. 

    Pros: Provides maximum visibility into the critical and driving paths as well as forecast completion dates.

    Cons: Often not feasible with a large number of subcontractors. Mix of scheduling tools complicates the process. 

    Use Notes: This option is often reserved for major subcontractors or teaming partners. Works best when the prime and subcontractor are using a common scheduling tool or the subcontractor has direct access to the prime’s IMS scheduling tool to maintain their data. Otherwise, the prime must incorporate additional processes to import the external data into their IMS. There are other complications, as different schedule tools calculate dates differently, that will need to be handled in the integration process. 

  2. Using interface milestones. 

    Pros: Easier to implement and maintain. Yields the best results with less complex or lower risk subcontractors. 

    Cons: Provides less insight into the subcontractor’s current schedule performance. It does not easily support critical path analysis when paths run through subcontract work effort.

    Use Notes: Requires the manual update of each interface milestone to reflect the latest forecasted dates from the subcontractor’s schedule. The prime must ensure their IMS is properly coded. Contractors often use “External Inbound” and External Outbound” codes along with a subcontractor code and any other codes needed to identify who is receiving/giving to whom.

  3. Representative model. This is a middle ground approach between integrating the entire subcontractor’s schedule into the prime’s IMS and using interface milestones. Requires a summarization or representation of the subcontractor’s work to be entered into the prime’s IMS.

    Pros: Provides a summarized version of the subcontractor work effort that retains enough schedule logic for critical and driving path analysis. 

    Cons: IMS content must be carefully entered and maintained to retain the required relationships to the external schedules for accurate critical path analysis. Requires a higher level of schedule discipline and a defined process to ensure the accuracy of the data between the external schedules and the prime’s IMS. 

    Use Notes: It is often beneficial to provide the subcontractor with a copy of their schedule that includes an extra column that identifies the prime’s task ID that is the “parent” of the summarized or consolidated work. In the initial IMS submission from the subcontractor, the prime added a custom field (Prime Parent ID). That IMS file was returned to the subcontractor, and the use of the special field was agreed upon. In each subsequent submission by the subcontractor, the prime team checked for tasks with no “Prime Parent ID” and added one that would allow integration. This kept the two companies’ schedules synchronized. If changes were made by the prime team that changed the field data in the subcontractor’s IMS, the changes were coordinated. A recommended practice is to group and sort the subcontractor schedule by the prime’s IDs to ensure that it is done properly. 

What Worked for the Complex Development Project

In the situation described earlier, the schedule team determined a hybrid approach was the best solution, depending upon the subcontractor’s scope of work.

  • The full integration approach was quickly eliminated; it was impractical. There were too many schedules, and some were too complex. It would have been a logistical nightmare. 
  • Selected simple FFP subcontract work effort was incorporated using the milestone method. The schedule milestones were carefully aligned to the payment plan milestones so that one set of milestones served both purposes.
  • For the subcontracts with EVMS flow down requirements and the other subcontracts, including some FFP subcontracts, the representative model was used. The prime’s control account manager (CAM), responsible for the subcontractor’s scope of work, was required to condense the subcontract schedule into a representative model that made sense to the CAM. The most common ratio turned out to the 10:1, with 10 subcontractor tasks rolling up to 1 prime contractor IMS task, carefully maintaining the prime’s control account and work package structure. With proper coding, the subcontractor schedule could be easily reviewed and analyzed by the CAM as well as other project personnel.

Need help establishing strategies to integrate subcontractor schedule data?

Every project presents unique scheduling challenges, and the approach for integrating subcontractor data often needs to be tailored to fit the situation. H&A earned value consultants and master schedulers have seen and solved them all. With deep experience across diverse industries and project types, our experts deliver the insight and leadership needed to help contractors implement practical, results-driven solutions for integrating subcontractor data. Call us today to get started.  

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Survey of Schedule Acceleration Techniques

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Survey of Schedule Acceleration Techniques - An overview of schedule acceleration techniques discussed in the PASEG

The NDIA Integrated Program Management Division (IPMD) Planning and Scheduling Excellence Guide (PASEG) includes a list of the acceleration techniques that can be applied to reduce project schedule duration. That section of the guide provides the background for project team discussions on accelerating complex integrated master schedules (IMS) in government contracting environments. This blog is intended to increase awareness of the techniques in the guide and provide some additional insight into their application. It relies heavily on the guide’s content. 

An additional purpose of this blog is to promote the use of the NDIA IPMD nomenclature across the defense industry spectrum. In much the same way as the earned value management (EVM) acronyms of BCWS, BCWP, ACWP and others have become standard terminology, it would be beneficial to have a more standard way of discussing schedule acceleration techniques. As the PASEG is an industry guide developed and maintained in collaboration with U.S Government agencies, the PASEG promotes a common understanding of these techniques.

One caution. Modifications like the ones discussed here can introduce additional risk into the schedule and reduces flexibility. Be careful when modifying the schedule. A good practice is to first create a copy of the schedule and assess the effects of your changes before you adopt them. The trade-offs may or may not be acceptable depending upon the objective you want to achieve. If the schedule is the priority, there is likely to be an impact on the work scope or cost. There can also be unintended consequences when potential impacts are overlooked. 

Let’s review the techniques from the PASEG. 

  1. Crashing. 

The guide says “This technique allows for the acceleration of schedule by applying additional resources or more experienced resources to do the work in a shorter period of time. This method assumes that the task can be completed in a shorter amount of time with the increase in resources.”

We probably have all used this method when we are shopping on the internet and we are faced with the choice between receiving the item in 5 days or accelerating that to 3 days or even the next day. We are paying more to get it faster. But what is really happening behind the scenes? Do they pick your order first? Do they pack it first? Do they ship it on faster carrier? Those are the actions you would be considering on your project when you want to accelerate something by crashing the schedule.

Using outside or contract labor is a form of this where we boost our workforce for a period when we need extra effort. A form of this is offloading some work to a subcontractor.

A more detailed example comes from the factory setting where certain orders are “expedited”. What that might mean is that the normal movement process is subverted. The normal process might be as shown in Figure 1 with a queue time while your order waits for the machine. The machine will be torn down and set up for your work when it is most efficient to do so.

Process with wait time
Figure 1: Process with wait time

When you crash this process, you might simply remove the queue time so that as soon as your order arrives the machine is torn down and set up for your job to eliminate the wait time as shown in Figure 2.

Process with wait time eliminated
Figure 2: Process with wait time eliminated

However, using this approach is likely to increase cost and has the potential to introduce other risks to the project. A real-world example comes from the semiconductor industry where the factory was running both standard products and custom products. A normal custom order time of 8 weeks was cut to 2 weeks by using this approach. The cost that was charged to the customer for the rushed custom order was about 10 times the normal cost of an order to repay the factory for lost efficiency. 

  1. Fast-tracking.

The guide tells us “This technique accelerates the plan by performing work in parallel. With this method, extra attention needs to be put on resource de-confliction to ensure resources are not over allocated.”

We have all used this technique and probably had mixed outcomes. It seems simple and attractive. It embodies a “just get it done” mentality. If there are sufficient trained and capable resources then this can work. The resources can be used on both efforts at the same time. If that is not the case, then basically we would have to revert to pushing effort out of the way for another effort. This type of modification can introduce additional risk that may need to be mitigated.

  1. Streamlining.

The guide defines this technique in this way: “This technique depends on the team’s ability to find an alternate and more efficient completion methodology for the task/s. This includes reuse, innovation, and possibly eliminating non-value-added work. With this method, the program has to weigh the level of potential risk involved with these choices. Make sure that this does not drive a “run to fail” mode on the program. Ensure that tasks are meeting the full requirements and scope.”

Here we really need to be careful. In some cases, we might be working with specifications or requirements that demand a certain approach and cannot be changed or waived. Then we need to ask the question, “If there is a better way, why didn’t we assume that in the first place?”

In some cases, we might find this approach fits in with opportunity management. Maybe there is new software or a new machine available that can speed things up and still get things done correctly. We have all been in that situation; just remember the last time you went through a Windows upgrade. Did that go smoothly for you? 

In the area of software in particular, we must be aware of the entire ecosystem of tools we use and consider that any new tool applied in a hurry can result in problems. Case in point: one large contractor shifted from 2D drawings to 3D models to speed up and improve the processes, however not all the key suppliers were able to receive and use 3D models. The supply chain broke. Mom and Pop at the M&P Shop could not understand the new work orders. 

  1. Focused Work.

The guide describes focused work like this: “This technique employs the program management team to help in reducing multitasking and to remove barriers for the personnel on the program that are working critical and near critical program tasks. This method requires the program culture to adapt and “protect the critical/driving path” and to support the people that are working those efforts. This also requires the program manager to perform daily barrier resolution.”

A discussion on multi-tasking might be fun here, but we will assume for this blog that multi-tasking pulls resources away from tasks to do other selected tasks and that is not always the best approach. The big question here is what happens to the other efforts on the project when we focus on certain tasks. This technique can work well but only if we are aware of the impact to the other work and manage that work as well. Risk can be increased by adopting this approach so be alert. If we really are just removing barriers then we can benefit from this method. If we are just pushing aside other efforts to concentrate on this one, we need to know that and handle all the work properly.

  1. Calendar Adjustment.

The guide tells us, “This technique accelerates the plan by changing the amount of working hours available each day or working days available each week. This method is possible only if the resources and task location support working the increased work periods. Attention needs to be put on resource de-confliction to ensure resources are not over allocated.”

This is possibly the most attractive technique. Who has never had to resort to overtime to get something done? It is common to work extra hours, even over some weekends to get back on schedule. To a schedule practitioner, the calendar adjustment wording refers to the calendar in the scheduling tool and how it can be changed to add time in a day or convert non-working days to working days. 

This approach is not free. Overtime costs more than regular time and added shifts bring added costs. You should be aware you need to make a trade-off to determine whether the cost can be justified.

  1. Delay or Descope.

The guide advises, “If other techniques are not a viable option and the resultant schedule delay impact is unacceptable, an option exists to propose delaying or removing the selected scope.”

Notice the use of the word “propose.” Working on a contract may not afford the opportunity to eliminate work or consciously delay work. Coordination with the customer is required. Depending upon the customer’s immediate needs, they may be willing to take a more flexible approach to which work scope items can be delivered in a given time frame when they need to deploy something quickly. 

The PASEG goes on to tells us about things to promote and things to avoid. Those discussions are informative and useful. You are encouraged to obtain a copy of the PASEG and learn more on your own. More than that, you are encouraged to use this terminology and spread the use of it so that adoption spreads. 

Interested in learning more? The H&A Three Day Project Scheduling Workshop includes content on schedule acceleration techniques as well as managing schedule risk. This is a standard public workshop. Many of our clients schedule an in-house workshop that is specific to the scheduling tools they use such as Microsoft Project or Oracle Primavera P6. Call us today to get started.

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Understanding the As Late As Possible (ALAP) Scheduling Option in Practical Terms

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Understanding the As Late As Possible Scheduling Option in Practical Terms

Many project professionals have spent entire careers without ever using the As Late As Possible (ALAP) scheduling option, although the underlying idea feels familiar. Why? Because it’s very similar to the “just-in-time” concept widely used in manufacturing and logistics.

In materials management, just-in-time means having what you need arrive exactly when you need it, minimizing storage costs and reducing inventory. The same principle can apply to project labor, but with some important cautions.

The “Right Time” for Project Work

On development or design projects, doing work too early can be counterproductive. If designs change, early work may become obsolete, forcing costly rework. The “right time” to perform a task is often determined by schedule logic. In some cases, however, it can also be guided by the ALAP constraint.

Before we explore when ALAP makes sense, let’s quickly review the two primary constraint options in Microsoft Project (and most other scheduling tools).

ASAP – As Soon As Possible

As soon as possible:

  • Is the default setting for forward-scheduled projects (when you set a project start date).
  • Means tasks are pushed as early as possible, immediately after their predecessors finish.
  • Is ideal when you want the earliest possible completion and clear visibility into float/slack.

In an ASAP chain, every task begins at the earliest opportunity, pushing resources as far to the left as possible on the Gantt chart as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1: As Soon As Possible Scheduling Option
Figure 1: As Soon As Possible Scheduling Option

ALAP – As Late As Possible

As late as possible:

  • Means tasks are scheduled as late as possible without delaying the successor or project finish date.
  • Is used in backward-scheduled projects (those planned from a fixed finish date) or when you want to defer work until the last responsible moment.
  • Microsoft Project automatically places each task at the latest feasible start date that still satisfies all constraints.

Switching a chain of tasks to 100% ALAP dramatically shifts all work to the right on the timeline as illustrated in Figure 2. The impact on management is significant: Every task now has zero total slack, which means any delay, even one day, directly delays the project finish. Multiple paths can appear “critical,” making control and reporting more complex.

Figure 2: As Late As Possible Scheduling Option
Figure 2: As Late As Possible Scheduling Option

When ALAP Makes Sense

There are legitimate reasons to use ALAP selectively. For example:

  • When a task consumes resources you don’t want engaged early (e.g., expensive equipment rental or specialized consultants).
  • For just-in-time deliveries or procurements where early completion has no benefit.
  • When modeling backward scheduling. For instance, working from a fixed delivery date toward today.
  • A mixed schedule. Mostly ASAP but with a few ALAP tasks can balance flexibility, cost control, and realism as illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3: A Schedule Using ALAP and ASAP
Figure 3: A Schedule Using ALAP and ASAP

A Real-World Example

One of H&A’s senior scheduling consultants once faced this exact dilemma while helping to prepare a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar defense proposal for a project with strict annual funding limits. 

With less than two weeks before the submission deadline, the Proposal Director was exasperated: “I keep asking the engineers what can be delayed! Why does everything have to happen up front? The front-loaded schedule is blowing our funding cap!”

A quick inspection revealed the problem: every task was set to ASAP. The entire effort was jammed toward the beginning of the timeline, creating a massive early demand for resources. After several failed attempts to persuade the engineers to move work later, the consultant proposed something unconventional: “Let’s flip the question. Instead of asking what can we delay, let’s ask what must be done now.”

The H&A scheduling consultant converted the entire schedule to ALAP, instantly shifting all work to the far right of the timeline. The resulting view inverted the problem, from overspending early to under-spending, and gave the team a new way to discuss priorities.

In meetings, engineers were asked to move tasks from ALAP to ASAP one at a time, stopping when the annual funding limit was reached. The discussion changed from “Why can’t we do this now?” to “What can we afford to do this year?”

The result wasn’t elegant, but it solved the immediate problem: the funding limits were clearly observed, the resource profile became manageable, and the trade-offs were visible to everyone.

How ALAP Affects Critical Path and Risk

Because ALAP tasks consume all available float, they appear critical even when they may not truly drive the project finish. This can obscure the actual critical path, making it difficult for project managers to distinguish between genuine schedule risks and artificial ones. In Earned Value Management (EVM) environments, this matters. Earned value metrics depend on knowing which tasks drive completion. Excessive use of ALAP can lead to misleading forecasts and distort DCMA data quality metrics such as the Total Float test and the Critical Path test. For this reason, auditors often recommend using ALAP sparingly and documenting the rationale wherever it’s applied. 

Note: in a sophisticated scheduling environment, it is possible to make a copy of the integrated master schedule (IMS) and revert to ASAP to look for critical paths in the normal sense.  

Combining ALAP with Other Constraints

In practice, project managers often use a blend of constraint types. For example, you can combine ALAP with “Must Finish On” or “Start No Earlier Than” dates to simulate external dependencies such as contract milestones, funding release dates, or material delivery windows. This hybrid approach allows the schedule to model reality while maintaining logical control. However, it’s important to track these constraints carefully. Too many “hard” constraints of any type can reduce the schedule’s dynamic nature and make automated forecasting less accurate.

Guidance from Industry and Agencies

Industry and government scheduling guides consistently advise restraint when using ALAP. The DCMA data quality tests consider the presence of ALAP tasks as a potential red flag because they can mask schedule float and obscure the true drivers of program completion. Similarly, the GAO’s Schedule Assessment Guide recommends minimizing artificial constraints and using logic-driven sequencing whenever possible. ALAP may be appropriate for modeling constrained resources or fixed delivery milestones, but it should always be justified and documented. Within DoD and NASA programs, reviewers often require clear evidence that ALAP usage is intentional, controlled, and limited to well-understood modeling cases. It should never be used as a workaround for poor sequencing.

Key Takeaways

  • ASAP emphasizes early starts, clear float visibility, and traditional forward scheduling.
  • ALAP emphasizes delayed starts, tighter resource control, and is useful in backward or funding-constrained planning.
  • Use ALAP sparingly and intentionally as it can obscure float and create multiple critical paths.
  • In creative problem-solving, toggling between ASAP and ALAP can reveal insights about timing, funding, and necessity that might otherwise remain hidden.

Final Thoughts

The ALAP constraint is a powerful but double-edged tool. It can simplify discussions about funding limits, resource phasing, and timing priorities, but it also carries risk if used indiscriminately. Like most features in commercial off the shelf (COTS) scheduling tools, its value depends on the user’s intent and discipline. The best project schedules blend logic, transparency, and flexibility. Understanding when to use ALAP (and when not to) can make the difference between a reactive plan and a truly managed one.

Interested in Learning How to Use More Advanced Scheduling Techniques?

Master schedulers skilled at asking the right questions to solve project management challenges hone their craft based on years of experience and working with other scheduling experts. There are always opportunities to learn more. H&A routinely offers basic, advanced, and tailored scheduling workshops taught by senior master schedulers with decades of experience in all types of project environments using common scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project and Oracle Primavera P6. Give us a call today to get started. 

Humphreys and Associates also offers basic and advanced EVMS training as well as tailored EVMS training that aligns with a client’s EVM System Description. 

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How to Get the Most from Your IMS: What Makes an IMS Useful?

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How to Get the Most from Your IMS: What Makes an IMS Useful?

A major challenge with an Integrated Master Scheule (IMS) is making the most out of this powerful project management tool. Large and even not-so-large projects are required to have an IMS which adheres to the requirements of the Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) or Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report (IPMDAR) Data Item Description (DID) and meets the schedule data quality checks available. But having met the DID requirements and passing the quality checks does not mean the IMS is being used to get the most information into the hands of decision makers on the project. 

The IPMR or IPMDAR DID, even though detailed and thorough, is generic. The same DID is used on a contract whether it is for an important new hardware-based system, a new software system, or some other goal. The DID misses the point that the type of product on the contract means that unique topics may be the most important. There is no focus in the DID; it is high level and comprehensive. What’s missing are the special interest or special focus schedules that can be drawn from the IMS with good coding, grouping, filtering, and sorting techniques.

Remember that the statement of work (SOW) for the project is really comprised of promises made in the various plans submitted in the proposal and updated after contract award. The System Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), the Software Development Plan (SDP), Make/Buy Plan, Procurement Plan, Test and Evaluation Management Plan (TEMP), and others all contain commitments that should be translated into actions in the IMS. There should be access to the portions of the IMS that show how these commitments will be accomplished.

Examples of Special Interest Schedules

On a new hardware-based project, key pieces of information revolve around getting designs done and into a form to plan for the procurement of the various things needed to build the end items. This information often resides in the IMS but must be pulled out into a “drawing release” schedule. That is a schedule showing the transition from design to 3-D models or drawings. Pinpointing the times and links in the IMS where design becomes actionable for procurement enables the project team and their suppliers to be prepared to execute the procurements. The teams or engineers (designers) and procurement people should be focused on the drawing release schedule with frequent, at least weekly meetings to coordinate.  

One of the serious issues I witnessed on a project was the lack of preparedness in having trained and qualified drawing checkers who could sign-off and release drawings. Because of the need for flight safety considerations, the drawing checker position could only be filled by qualified people. Instead of preparing months ahead for the wave of drawings, the waves were allowed to crash into the far-too-few checkers. What was supposed to be a short cycle became weeks long as drawings sat waiting for release.

As the transition is made from design to production, then the procurement schedule becomes another focused schedule which should show the information about what is being procured, from whom, and when it will be delivered. This information is used by the engineers, procurement, and inventory control people including receiving to understand the timing and volume of inbound items. Frequent coordination with suppliers and internal team members using this focused schedule helps to ensure a smooth process. Will the factory be ready to receive, inspect, process, and store all the inbound items?

What about software development as a special topic focus schedule? This is often needed. The project personnel must be able to quickly understand where in the cycle the software is and when releases will be made as well as what the release is needed for in the overall project. 

Think about all the other important focus areas that could exist on a project. For example, the training effort should be in a focused schedule showing the development of the training material (courseware), training aids, facilities, instructor preparation and anything else needed to execute the statement of work related to training.

Testing is possibly more complicated than training. This includes development of test plans and procedures, as well as the creation of test fixtures and tools. The preparation of test personnel capable of performing complicated tests should be in the focused schedule.

By now you get the idea. The IMS is the combination of all these schedules, the thing that coordinates between and among them. But the focused schedules are the real bread-and-butter of the schedule discipline. It is shocking to see a project where these do not exist. Maybe the managers don’t know they are needed or possibly that they are available. Maybe the schedule team did not prepare for these extractions from the IMS.

If your project does not have focused schedules and does not use them, the project is in jeopardy. These schedules should be generated and used frequently; weekly at least.  Even if the IMS itself is only undergoing a monthly update, the detailed schedules should be much more alive and part of the weekly communication between work teams on the project.

Tips and Suggestions

  • How to get started. Begin with the source documents and their authors, the SEMP, the TEMP, and so on. Make a list of the likely focused schedules that need to be drawn from the IMS. Read them and extract the information you need to build your IMS. If you are just starting the IMS, you could build individual schedules with the authors and then integrate them into the IMS. If you already have built the IMS, you can find the tasks you need and code them so they will appear on the focused schedule. Once coded, extract the focused schedule from the IMS using the applicable coding filters and verify it matches the commitments that were made in the source documents from the various authors. 
  • Hold “report court.” Rather than reading and sorting through all the various plans, schedule a project meeting with the key team members and ask them what reports and what schedules they need to do their jobs. Remind them of the commitments they made in the plans. They can bring or provide a list and description to you, and you can decide “in court” which items you can or cannot incorporate into the IMS. That can help to streamline what is included in the IMS and who is responsible for what. 
  • Create a schedule data dictionary if you haven’t already done so. This is essential to identify standard as well as project unique activity, milestone, or resource coding and how the coding is used so there is a common understanding of the content. The customer will need this information as well as when the IMS is provided as a monthly performance reporting data deliverable (see the IPMDAR Section 2.4.2.20, Data Dictionary for Native Schedule File). It is a prerequisite to ensure consistency in use as well as to establish a level of discipline throughout the IMS development and maintenance process. Ensure tasks always include the necessary coding. Ideally, you did your homework on the likely special topic schedules you need to draw from the IMS before starting to build the IMS. Otherwise you may need to determine various sorting and filter techniques to identify the tasks that require additional coding details. As noted above, once the tasks are coded, you or other project personnel will be able to extract the various special interest schedules from the IMS as needed. 

Need help?

Building a useful IMS for complex projects is not easy. Up front planning for the development of the IMS can help to identify the necessary outline codes and other coding to be able to group, filter, or sort the activities to extract the special topic or special focus details from the IMS. The IMS is an essential communication tool for everyone on the project. How the schedule is constructed and coded makes a difference. H&A scheduling subject matter experts (SMEs) have decades of experience in a variety of complex project environments and can help you avoid common pitfalls. Contact us today.

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Why Expert Planning and Scheduling Resources Matter

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Why Expert Planning and Scheduling Resources Matter

At Humphreys & Associates, conducting a requirements analysis of a contractor’s current integrated program management or earned value management (EVM) practices is one of our most frequently requested services. We are also the “911” call that contractors make when they need to quickly solve an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) compliance issue. When we reviewed our findings and observations from the past year, a common issue that stood out was the lack of sufficient scheduling expertise.

As many project managers, project control teams, and control account managers (CAMs) recognize, a well-planned and constructed schedule provides a model of when work will be performed and what resources are required to perform the work. A well-planned and constructed schedule must be realistic, challenging, and achievable, and be based on a well-thought-out execution plan. It also provides an overall view of performance to date and displays the forecast schedule for remaining work.

Equally important, a well-planned and constructed schedule becomes the principal communication tool for the project team. It shows when major events are planned to occur as well as the completion dates for all activities preceding them along with the resources required to support the scheduled activities. Ensuring resources are available to execute the schedule and performing a schedule risk assessment (SRA) also help to ensure the schedule is realistic and achievable.

A well-constructed and maintained schedule facilitates project performance analysis and to assess how changes affect project objectives. It provides an early warning of potential issues for effective and timely management corrective action.

Scheduling Best Practice Guidance

Several industry and government documents discuss scheduling principles and best practices for major projects within the US Federal Government acquisition environment. Two frequently referenced documents include the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Integrated Program Management Division (IPMD) Planning and Scheduling Excellence Guide (PASEG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules. These guides define what is considered a “good schedule.”

Some of our recent blogs have highlighted the nuances of producing a well-constructed integrated master schedule (IMS) that reflects the work to be performed and communicates that plan to everyone on the project. This includes Improving Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) Task Duration Estimates, Including Level of Effort (LOE) in the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), and Establishing Milestones in the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) Appropriately.

What’s the Problem?

A project’s integrated master schedule (IMS) is only as good as the team that built it and the master planner/scheduler that assembled it. Scheduling is a combination of art, science, and discipline. A master planner/scheduler ensures there is clear communication on what needs to be done when along with defining how to handle day-to-day issues. They translate all of the inputs and organize the puzzle pieces into a coherent road map for the entire project team to understand and to use. The experience and schedule maturity level of the planner/scheduler is a key ingredient.

When our earned value consultants identify issues with the construction or content of an IMS, a common discovery was that the client’s scheduling team needed help with basic scheduling techniques.

Here is a sample of common findings in the past year where the client’s scheduling team and/or the master planner/scheduler, could not provide satisfactory answers to schedules under review. They needed more mature scheduling expertise.

  • Invalid critical path. The team could not display the critical path from “time now” through the end of the project. When asked to push an activity on the critical path by 300 days, they could not explain why the successor activities and end date did not move by the same 300 days.
  • Lacked awareness of the scope of work. During scheduling reviews, we ask the team how they know all requirements have been accounted for in the IMS. A common response is they rely on the individual CAMs to identify their scope of work requirements. In many instances, the entire team did not read the required contractual documents such as the statement of work, systems engineering management plan, CDRL requirements (DIDs), or the program management plan that affects them. Some did not understand the work breakdown structure (WBS) or the purpose of the WBS and how important it is for integration with the cost tool.
  • Improper baseline management. We have found that team members and/or the planner/scheduler simply insert the new baseline dates instead of updating the baseline task by task. A separate baseline IMS file should be maintained monthly and approved baseline changes should be incorporated into the revised baseline IMS, and then updated in the current IMS file.
  • Change management was lacking. The team could not explain or identify the changes incorporated into the IMS. Many planners/schedulers do not realize they are the “historians” for the project. The planner/scheduler should understand the impact of every change order or delay on the schedule. A big part of this is documenting who (customer or project team) caused the delay or whether it was caused by both parties. All changes during a reporting period should be assessed for delays and documented in the monthly schedule status report. If a change order causes a delay, it must be documented in the monthly report. Why is this important? Project records should document what and who caused the delay.
  • Ah-hoc integration of major procurement items and subcontract management. Without a documented approach for how material is incorporated into the IMS, it can be a daunting task to identify impacts when delays occur. The planner/scheduler should understand how purchase order line items are structured and should include tasks for each within the IMS. For subcontracts that have EVM and IMS requirements, it is important that the subcontractor’s schedule is modeled within the IMS at the appropriate level of detail. As a result, delays can be clearly demonstrated.

Meeting the Challenge

Planning and scheduling are critical to the success of all projects. Having a strategy to develop competent planners/schedulers ensures you have the resources with the necessary creative talent, skill set, discipline, and communication skills needed to produce quality schedules. Strategies to help scheduling personnel to improve their level of expertise include:

  • Establishing a corporate training program for planners/schedulers. This could be an internal set of courses or public training courses could be leveraged as part of that training program. The goal is to ensure the planners/schedulers and other project team members have the knowledge base to successfully develop and maintain schedules for your business environment. H&A offers a range of project scheduling training workshops that can help schedulers to implement industry best practices in an EVM environment tailored to common tools such as Microsoft Project (MSP) or Primavera P6. These workshops include hands-on exercises that help the students learn how to apply what they are learning in a real-world environment.
  • Hands-on mentoring. Our clients are often aware of the limitations of their scheduling personnel particularly when it comes to incorporating more advanced scheduling techniques such as SRAs. H&A provides planning/scheduling and risk management subject matter experts (SMEs) to help clients establish a repeatable process as well as to conduct a series of hands-on workshops with the client’s project planners/schedulers. These workshops help them to gain the experience they need to routinely conduct SRAs, to use the schedule and risk tool outputs wisely, and to use that information to produce more realistic schedules.
  • Producing schedule procedures or guidance to ensure the scheduling team is following a consistent repeatable process. Consistency helps to ensure that project personnel have the necessary knowledge base to develop and maintain an IMS in an EVM environment. This includes integrating the IMS with the cost tool as well as other systems such as an M/ERP system in production environments or integrating subcontractor scheduling data.

In situations where it is necessary to bring in outside scheduling personnel to supplement a project team, it is important to verify the scheduler’s skill set and level of expertise in an EVM environment. Just because someone states they know how to use a given scheduling tool it doesn’t mean they know how to plan and schedule. The company you choose to support you matters.

H&A routinely provides expert scheduling staff augmentation services for clients that need to fill short or long term planning/scheduling resource needs. Some clients need surge support to develop a baseline schedule for a new contract award and/or to get them through the initial work definition and planning process. H&A planners/schedulers frequently help project teams to establish and execute the weekly or monthly business rhythm until the client’s project control team is ready to take over.

Another common request is for H&A master planner/scheduler hands-on expertise to resolve a variety of schedule issues. H&A planners/schedulers often provide one-on-one mentoring to client project personnel to work through perceived or identified deficiencies. This can range from helping to configure the scheduling tool appropriately, teaching how to use the software effectively, and showing how to fix schedule construction issues as well as establishing a disciplined process that improves the quality of the schedule.

We know the planning/scheduling resources we provide to clients have the necessary level of planning, scheduling, and EVM expertise. The people we hire are required to complete a scheduling exam to verify their knowledge level; they are also known resources that other H&A consultants have worked with.

Interested in learning more? 

Whether you need training, hands-on mentoring, or staff augmentation, H&A has the support services and solutions to fit your needs. Call us today at (714) 685-1730 to get started.

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Establishing Milestones in the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) Appropriately

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The purpose of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) is to model and communicate the plan to accomplish a project’s objectives. A key part of that model is the identification of key events that are represented as milestones. The selection of these milestones should be done with consideration for its purpose – what does the milestone represent and communicate? You should be aware of the intent of each milestone that is entered into the IMS. The IMS is a critical communication tool to ensure everyone on the project has a common understanding of the project’s work flow. Too many times I have witnessed a scheduler slam a milestone into the IMS without regard to how it impacts the schedule logic. This could be due to haste but, in my experience, it is often due to a lack of understanding of the purpose of the milestone.

Figure 1 illustrates a common diagram for a milestone. 

Gate Review Milestone. C may not proceed until the Gate Review has been completed.
Figure 1 Example of a Gate Milestone

As illustrated in Figure 1, the milestone is a gate and will hold up work in task C until the milestone is claimed as finished.

If the intent is to have the milestone act as an indicator instead of a gate, then the diagram in Figure 2 could satisfy that intent. If a successor is needed for the indicator milestone, something like the “End of Project” milestone could be added.

Indicator Milestone - C may proceed as soon as A is completed. Until the Milestone is claimed finished, it will move along with the data date leaving its baseline behind and indicating it has not been claimed.
Figure 2 Example of an Indicator Milestone

An accomplished scheduler knows the dangers of a Merge in the IMS. The Merge introduces schedule risk. Imagine the damage to the schedule risk assessment (SRA) if a Merge were entered as illustrated in Figure 3.

MERGE in the IMS - Neither C no D may proceed until the Gate Review has been completed. Does C really depend on B or does D really depend on A?
Figure 3 Example of Merge Risk in the IMS

In addition to adding risk, as the question indicates in Figure 3, the situation portrayed may not be true.

Is the purpose of a milestone clear to everyone?

What is the real purpose of the milestone? That must be defined first so the diagram can be entered properly into the schedule, and the IMS can model the correct steps for the project. Along with the definition of the purpose, the completion criteria should be defined and documented.

Unfortunately, this problem often extends to others on the project and even to those most responsible for the project – the Program/Project Managers (PMs). A case in point. Some years ago, a high-level customer PM challenged me, in my role as the contractor IMS architect, after the PM’s schedule subject matter expert (SME) expressed their concern that milestones in the IMS were being input incorrectly.

The milestone in dispute was the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The PM and the PM’s schedule SME said the review was a gate and therefore should be modeled as illustrated in Figure 4. Note: In the real schedule, there were many more predecessors and successors to the milestone. Figure 4 simplifies the schedule content for clarity.

MERGE in the IMS - Neither C nor D may proceed until the Gate Review has been completed. Does C really depend on B or does D really depend on A?
Figure 4 Impact of a Gate Review Milestone

They both agreed that Tasks A and B were tasks to be done during the review itself and that the Milestone was to represent the satisfactory completion of the review. According to the definition of the PDR in the Integrated Master Plan (IMP) entrance/exit criteria, the review would lead to a letter of acceptance. The letter of acceptance was the definition of done in this case. When asked how long it would take from the time the review in A and B (and all predecessors) would be held until the letter was received, the answer was something in the order of weeks.

A literal reading of the IMS would go like this: “Hold the review in tasks A and B (and all predecessors) then wait for the approval letter before starting any other work.”

When asked if it was the PM’s intent for the several hundred engineers and others working on the project to put down their pencils after the review and wait for the letter while doing nothing as shown in PM’s desired version of the milestone in the IMS, the immediate reaction of the PM was shocked silence. Of course not. The project could not go on hold for even one week waiting for a letter. The teams would disband, and the workforce would be gone. Work would stop.

I then told the PM it was not the contractor’s intention to go parade rest and wait for the letter even if he had thought that was what was supposed to happen. If the review in A and B was deemed successful with some reasonable set of action items, then the teams would proceed. It might be that they would proceed on risk, but they would proceed anyway. I then showed the PM and the PM’s schedule SME how we would model the review in the IMS to show proceeding on risk. It would look like the example in Figure 5 if we implemented the milestone as an indicator milestone.

Review as Indicator Milestone - C and D may proceed when their respective predecessor is completed. The milestone is not a gate.
Figure 5 Review as an Indicator Milestone

The PM thought that could work but was concerned there was no gate review aspect to this diagram and PM control of the project would be weakened or lost. I then showed him how we could put the review into the IMS as an indicator with a delayed gate effect. In other words, work would proceed while the letter was being prepared but would stop at some point if the letter was not received. That diagram looked like the example in Figure 6. 

Review as Indicator Milestone but also a Gate - C and D may proceed on risk when their respective predecessor is completed. E and F however may not proceed until their immediate predecessor (C or D) and the Gate Milestone are finished.
Figure 6 Review as Indicator and as a Gate

The letter could be prepared while the teams worked on tasks C and D. If issues arose then the teams would be compelled to stop after tasks C and D individually. In this case an issue with task C might not hold up task D and conversely, an issue with task D might not hold up task C. This was a measure of control the PM thought would be adequate when the need for the approval letter in the milestone was also added.

Talking Through the IMS to Verify the Intent of Milestones

The point is that the IMS is a model of the project that should define exactly what is supposed to happen. What exactly is the IMS telling us to do? Is the review a gate? Is it just an indicator? What do the documents and agreements say about the milestone? This is definitely not the time to quickly slam a milestone into the schedule logic without taking the time to think about its purpose or what you want to communicate to someone else on the project.

This story also highlights the importance of ‘reading’ or ‘talking through’ the IMS. When it was explicitly stated that the project would be put on hold if the schedule depicted in Figure 4 were followed, the team quickly realized the need for a better approach, leading to the development of a more effective plan.

Interested in Learning More?

There is an art and skill that is honed over time for creating integrated master schedules that accurately reflect the work to be performed and clearly communicates that plan to everyone on the project. There is always more to learn. H&A offers basic and advanced scheduling workshops taught by senior master schedulers with decades of experiences in all types of scheduling environments that can be tailored for the scheduling tools you are using. Give us a call today to get started.

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