Construction scheduling, explained.

What finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish relationships mean, when each fits construction work, and how they go wrong.

7 min read

A step-by-step forward and backward pass on a nine-activity foundation-to-dry-in network, with early and late dates, total float, and free float.

7 min read

What lags and leads do in a CPM schedule, why they hide work, how lag calendars change dates, and when to replace a lag with a real activity.

7 min read

Paths with a little float are often a bigger risk than the critical path. How to define near-critical, track float erosion, and spot paths about to take over.

7 min read

Open ends and dangling activities make float lie and hide delays. How to find missing predecessors and successors, SS/FF danglers, and how to fix them.

7 min read

The types of date constraints in P6 and MS Project, which ones override logic, how they create negative float, and when a constraint is the right tool.

7 min read

Total float protects the finish date. Free float protects the next activity. How each is calculated, why float is shared, and how to use both on site.

7 min read

What CPM is, how the critical path is found, what float means, and how to read a CPM schedule on a real building job without getting lost.

8 min read

How to set up activity codes, filters, and saved layouts so superintendents, subs, and owners can each find their part of the schedule fast.

7 min read

How to set up work calendars, holidays, and anticipated weather in a construction schedule so dates are realistic and weather delays are provable.

7 min read

How to set construction activity durations from quantities, crews, and the people doing the work, so the schedule holds up in the field.

7 min read

An honest look at Excel for construction scheduling: where a spreadsheet works, where it quietly breaks, and the signs it's time to move to CPM.

7 min read

There is no magic activity count. Here is how to pick the right level of detail for a construction schedule and keep it maintainable.

7 min read

A practical way to structure a construction WBS so the schedule rolls up cleanly, matches how the job is built, and survives the first update.

7 min read

How to choose, define, and link construction schedule milestones so they mark real events and tell you something when they move.

7 min read

What resource and cost loading add to a construction schedule, what they cost to maintain, and how to tell whether your job needs either one.

6 min read

The typical sequence of a commercial building schedule, from permits to turnover, with the handoffs and long-lead items that usually drive it.

7 min read

What a schedule baseline is for, when to set it, what counts as a valid reason to re-baseline, and how to do it without losing the record.

6 min read

Planned value, earned value, actual cost, SPI and CPI explained with a worked construction example, plus where earned value misleads schedulers.

6 min read

A step-by-step process for the monthly CPM update: collecting progress, setting the data date, checking logic, and writing a narrative people read.

7 min read

Why out-of-sequence progress happens, how to find it in an update, and the four ways to fix the logic so the critical path stays honest.

7 min read

How to trace a milestone slip back through the driving path, separate late starts from long durations, and explain variance in plain terms.

6 min read

What retained logic and progress override actually do to out-of-sequence work, with a worked example showing how each changes the finish date.

6 min read

How to run a weekly subcontractor or OAC meeting from the CPM schedule and lookahead, with an agenda, prep checklist, and what to record.

6 min read

Each of the DCMA 14 schedule checks, what it measures, the usual threshold, and how to read the results on a construction schedule.

7 min read

What the data date is, how it splits actuals from forecast, the rules every update must follow, and the mistakes reviewers catch first.

6 min read

What the columns, bars, and float numbers on a CPM schedule mean in the field, and which parts a superintendent should check every week.

7 min read

How to bring what a pull planning session learned back into the CPM schedule: durations, logic, milestones, and float, without running two schedules.

7 min read

A practical method for cutting a three-week lookahead out of the master schedule, breaking it down for the field, and keeping the two in sync.

7 min read

How to prepare, facilitate, and close out a pull planning session so the trades leave with a sequence they built and will actually work to.

7 min read

How to screen lookahead work for constraints, run a constraint log people keep up, and clear the way before a crew shows up to a task it can't start.

6 min read

How to calculate PPC, how to record reasons for variance that lead somewhere, and why a high PPC doesn't mean the job is on schedule.

6 min read

What the Last Planner System is, how its five planning levels fit together, and where it meets the CPM schedule a scheduler already maintains.

7 min read

A field guide to the main forensic delay analysis methods: what each one does, what records it needs, where it is weak, and how to pick one.

7 min read

A delay notice preserves your right to time. What to put in it, when to send it, how it differs from a claim, and a template you can adapt.

7 min read

Weather days get granted when the records show unusual weather that stopped critical work. What to plan for, what to log daily, and how to count.

6 min read

The three delay categories that decide who gets time, who gets money, and who gets neither, with examples and a worked concurrency case.

7 min read

A fragnet is the small network that models a change or delay. How to scope it, tie it in, pick durations, and get it accepted without a fight.

7 min read

How to run a time impact analysis: pick the right update, build the fragnet, insert it, recalculate, and explain the result so it survives review.

8 min read

Float ownership decides who benefits when a delay lands on a non-critical path. The common contract positions, how each plays out, and a worked example.

7 min read

Three ways to look at a construction schedule, what each shows and hides, and which one to use for logic review, field communication, or repetitive work.

7 min read

Which file formats to use when moving a schedule between tools, what survives the trip, what breaks, and how to verify the result before anyone relies on it.

7 min read

What's inside a Primavera P6 .xer file, how its tables fit together, and what to check when you receive one or export one.

7 min read

What Section 01 32 16 usually requires, the clauses that cause trouble later, and a checklist for reading one at bid time or kickoff.

6 min read

Who needs which view of the schedule, in what format, how often, and how to keep everyone looking at the same version.

6 min read

A practical review checklist for owners and owners' reps: contract compliance, logic quality, the critical path, durations, and how to respond.

6 min read