Daily Schedule:
8:00am - Registration and coffee (1st day only)
8:30am - Session begins
4:30pm -  Adjournment
Breakfast, two refreshment breaks and lunch are provided daily.

Description:
The goals of our three-day seminar are to provide the participants with the essential knowledge, skills, and techniques to plan simple and complicated projects and to establish realistic schedules using both manual and automated scheduling and control tools. Basic scheduling tools and techniques are presented; logic diagrams, precedence networks (PDM), and bar chart tools are outlined; various duration estimation methods are introduced; the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) approach is adopted as the basis for scheduling, the Critical Path Method (CPM) and float calculations are demonstrated; resource estimation, allocation, and leveling methods are presented; schedule updating techniques,  schedule compression methods, and the best-in practice project scheduling techniques to avoid and prepare delay claims are introduced; project control using the concept of earned value analysis (EVA) is explained; and various scheduling capabilities of MS Project and/or SureTrak 3.0 scheduling software applications are demonstrated to build an integrated realistic schedule using a case study approach. Lots of questions and training exercises are included. The basic objective of the seminar is to combine scheduling fundamentals with software application to enable the participants to plan and control their projects effectively.

Enabling Objectives

• Understanding the differences between planning and scheduling.
• Developing realistic schedules using both manual and automated tools.
• Using the baseline and additional tools and techniques to effectively control project performance

• Creating the work breakdown structure (WBS) and use it as the basis for effective estimation and scheduling of project activities through simplified examples.
• Creating and reading bar (Gantt) charts and node networks.
• Estimating durations using a variety of techniques through simplified examples.
• Understanding the Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM), different types of relationships, lags, leads, and calculating floats.
• Developing schedule baseline using the Critical Path Method (CPM).
• Implementing effective adjustments to the schedule baseline.
• Updating projects to reflect project’s actual performance.
• Applying the concept of resource loading and resource leveling through simplified examples.
• Compressing schedules and crashing delayed project schedules.
• Understanding the reporting methods, preventing delay claims, and performing time-impact analysis.
• Controlling projects using the Earned Value Management (EVM) to manage time and cost performance.
• Preparing project schedules using the MS Project and/or SureTrak 3.0 scheduling software application.  

Target Audience:

Program Outline (3 Days):

• Project planning and scheduling definitions.
• Creation of Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and the use of scheduling software applications in coding the WBS and defining activity lists.
• Describing project calendars using the software application.
• Different project diagramming networks, bar chart and exercises.
• The definition of the Critical Path Method (CPM) and its application using various examples/exercises and the Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM).
• Steps involved in updating project schedules using both manual methods and scheduling software and examples/exercises.
• Resource allocation, productivity calculations, time-cost trade-offs, and leveling using both manual methods and scheduling software.
• Compression of project schedules and crashing, and applying what if scenarios using manual and software applications.
• Tips and tricks in scheduling, making your schedule more efficient, effective communications and reporting using software applications
• Dealing with delay claims and using the software application in performing time-impact analysis.
• On-hand training on MS Project scheduling software package using a case study approach.

Instructor
Mohamed Elbarkouky, Ph.D., PMP, is a project controls expert with more than 12 years of hands-on experience covering a wide range of project management technical areas. He has planned and controlled large number of successful civil, mechanical and installation projects of varying size and complexity in Canada, Greece, Africa, and the Middle East. Mohamed is a project management professional (PMP) and he currently works for a large Canadian Contractor Company, as a senior project engineer.