Scheduling

H&R believes and practices a proactive approach in scheduling its projects. As Construction Managers it is our responsibility to take the leadership role in managing the schedule. Owners' decisions, design team production of drawings, procurements, municipal approvals and on-site construction are incorporated into our comprehensive schedules.

We do this in a cooperative team format that has every member of the team contributing to the schedule. We do not dictate the schedule but rather ask for project team members for their commitment to the schedule and to honour those commitments.

H&R's success has been built upon the close working relationships that we develop with our clients, architects and engineers, and our track record speaks for itself. H&R uses Microsoft Project 2000 as its scheduling software of choice. This is a sophisticated software program that allows for critical path scheduling and the monitoring of planned versus actual activities.

It is H&R's standard approach that our Project Managers and Superintendents are the authors of the schedule together with the owner and design team. The schedule for this project will be prepared and updated on-site and will form a regular attachment to bi-weekly project meetings. The schedule will be discussed in detail bi-weekly with the entire project team and updated accordingly.

In order to properly monitor the overall project, master project schedule will be broken down into finer details under the categories of schematic and design development, contract drawings, municipal and building permits, procurement and construction building (project by project). As the projects move forward, monthly and weekly schedules will be produced so that activities can be monitored daily to identify problem areas and allow for a proactive approach in advance to solve any problems before they occur.

Meeting the Schedule

In order to meet agreed schedules and undertake an efficient construction program, we typically manage and organize the events in the following manner:

• Prepare during the conceptual and schematic design phase of the project a fully detailed critical path schedule which will encompass all the major milestones and examine major information flows. It will also determine major decision dates.
• Immediately upon award, long term delivery components that impact upon schedule will be isolated and pre-ordered to ensure the integrity of the schedule.
• Work will be tendered sequentially using a fast track methodology when contract documents are started. This will provide the time needed to proactively manage the current marketplace conditions.
• The master schedule will be broken down into month by month activities and further detailed in a weekly activity list.
• Schedule monitoring will occur at bi-weekly meetings amongst the members of the project team.
• Innovatively approach scheduling and continually seek methods to improve the timing of our construction program. For example, with finishing trade contractors we would regularly identify construction population in given areas and examine the benefits of speed of shift work versus the chaos of overpopulated work areas that may impact upon workmanship.
• To ensure compliance with the schedule in off-site work, we demand planned schedule information and insist upon frequent planned visits to ensure schedule compliance.

H&R believes that a proactive and alert management style motivates the trade contractor marketplace. Coupled with sound and ethical business practices, this creates a vibrant working environment.