A CPM schedule is only useful if its logic is sound. These five mistakes show up again and again in schedules we review.
1. Open-ended activities
Every activity except the first and last needs a predecessor and a successor. Open ends break the critical path and make float calculations meaningless.
2. Too many constraints
Hard constraints force dates instead of letting logic drive them. Use them only for real contract milestones.
3. Activities that are too long
Activities longer than 20 working days are hard to track. Break them into smaller pieces by area or floor.
4. Ignoring resources
A schedule that needs three crane crews at once, when you have one crane, is not a plan. Check resource loading for your key trades.
5. Not updating
A baseline that is never updated quickly becomes fiction. Update monthly and record actual start and finish dates.
Our planners build and update schedules in Primavera P6 and MS Project. Learn about our CPM scheduling service.