Breaking Through Baselines: Getting it Right the First Time

Listen to the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

From the podcast webpage:

In this episode, hosts, Micah Piippo and Greg Lawton chat with guest speaker, Kevin Fuller, discuss a hypothetical construction firm plagued by schedule delays due to poor baseline schedule development. Kevin Fuller, ALICE Technologies Inc. Industrial Solutions Leader takes on the challenge of fixing this issue. He shares his insights into best practices for improving construction project schedules.

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding Baseline Schedule Development: The first step in addressing schedule delays is to thoroughly understand how baseline schedules are developed. Often, companies rely on historical data and loosely defined parameters, leading to inaccuracies and uncertainties in the schedules.
2. Elevating the Role of Planners: To overcome scheduling challenges, it's crucial to elevate the role of planners and schedulers within the organization. They should play a strategic role, helping make informed decisions based on accurate schedules and forecasts.
3. Integrating Advanced Tools: Implementing advanced tools like Alice Technologies can revolutionize scheduling. These tools facilitate the creation of baseline schedules using a library of predefined schedule fragments, optimizing them based on logical and soft construction logic.
4. Data-Driven Decision-Making: Emphasize the importance of data-driven decision-making in schedule management. Utilize historical project data and analytics to inform future scheduling processes and identify areas for improvement.
5. Collaborative Planning: Foster a culture of collaborative planning and communication between project teams. Encourage regular meetings and information sharing to ensure that everyone is aligned and informed about the project's schedule.

One Takeaway Action

Act as an outsider and audit current baseline processes and workflows. Create a process guide for your team and new team members to understand. Identify weaknesses, challenges and improvements.