Computers ind. Engng Vol. 17, Nos 1-4, pp. 149-153, 1989 Printed in Great Britain.

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0360-8352/89 $3.00+ 0.00 Copyright 1989 Pergamon Press pie

THE DEVELOPHENT OF A UNIVERSITY SPORTS COMPLEX: A PROJECT IAHAGEHERT APPLICATION

Nancy L. Mills,

Ph.D.

Department of Engineering University of Southern Colorado Pueblo, Colorado 81001-4901

aBSTRaCT

The development of a university sports complex requires an integrated planning, scheduling and management approach, a requirement which is underscored b7 the desire to overlap design and construction activities in order to complete the facility on an accelerated schedule. The analysis of the project utilizes project management techniques: development of network models, identification of critical paths, and scheduling, cost control and resource allocation considerations. The use of computerized project planning and control tools provides flexibility and enables easy modification of the plans.
KEYWO~DS

To provide health, physical education and recreation facilities, the master plan for the university campus included a sports complex to be constructed in two phases. Phase I, completed in 1971, contained a gym_ nasium, limited locker room facilities, offices and a classroom for physical education. The second phase will contain a competition-sized swimming pool, indoor racquetball/handball courts, wrestling, aerobics and weight training rooms, additional classrooms, expanded locker and office facilities, and a community Sports Hall of Fame. The new facility is estimated to cost $2,000,000 and will be funded by a generous gift from a local family, as well as a bond issue which will be supported through student fees. The desired project construction duration is less than one year, with start up in September 1988 and completion in August 1989.
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Project management; project and control; critical path INTRODUCTION

planning

Project management map be defined as the process of managing, allocating, and timing resources in order to achieve a given objective in an expedient manner [1]. Project management involves the use of powerful management tools to assess tradeoffs between performance, time (schedule), and costs. By using these tools, the project manager seeks better control over the project, shorter development times, lower costs, and higher quality with better customer relations.
Among t h e b e t t e r known tools of project management are Gantt Charts, precedence diagramming, CPM (Critical Path Method), PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique), and GERT (Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique). A number of different computerized versions of these and other planning and scheduling techniques are available to assist the project manager. 149

The development of the university sports complex fits the requirements for a "project", since it is a onetime activity with a definite life cycle for its completion. Furthermore, it is a complex undertaking with unique characteristics, occurring in an environment of some conflict. [2] Hence the recommended approach to completing this facility on schedule and on budget involves the use of project management.
A key step in the process is to develop a clear understanding of the objectives for this project. In this case, the objectives were spelled out in a request-for-proposal (RFP) document released by the university. Included in this document is a description of the facilities, the desired start and completion dates, and the approved budget. The primary ob-

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Proceedings of the l lth Annual Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering

Jective is to c o m p l e t e the f a c i l i t y on s c h e d u l e and on or under budget. R e s p o n s e s to the RFP are evaluated and an a r c h i t e c t u r a l firm and a construction manager are selected. These firms, along with the university's representatives, form the project team. D e v e l o u l n a The P r o ~ e c t S c h e d u l e The p r o j e c t team's first a c t i v i t y is to d e v e l o p a schedule. It is important to note that, at this point, the s c h e d u l e is t e n t a t i v e b e c a u s e there will be several iterations of schedules before a final one is established. In d e f i n i n g a schedule, there are three m a j o r steps involved. The first is i d e n t i f y i n g the a c t i v i t i e s that must take place. A c t i v i t i e s are usually d e f i n e d as a s p e c i f i c task (or set of tasks) that needs to be accomp l i s h e d b e f o r e the p r o j e c t can be completed. To define these activities, the p r o j e c t team selects critical areas that reflect m i l e s t o n e s in the project.

The second major task is to define the d u r a t i o n of time it will take to c o m p l e t e each activity. This may be a c c o m p l i s h e d by using input from e x p e r i e n c e d people who have p r e v i o u s l y p e r f o r m e d similar type a c t i v i t i e s or by using resources which contain inf o r m a t i o n that has been c o l l e c t e d over many projects, such as c o n s t r u c t i o n standards. It may be d e s i r a b l e to identify a range of f e a s i b l e time estimates, such as optimistic, pessimistic and most likely. The last step is to d e t e r m i n e the order in which the a c t i v i t i e s and their d u r a t i o n s will take place. A p r e c e d e n c e d i a g r a m can be u t i l i z e d during this step to show p a r a l l e l and serial a c t i v i t i e s and to illustrate dependencies. A p r e l i m i n a r y precedence d i a g r a m is shown in Figure 1, which also lists the a c t i v i t i e s and their time durations. This diagram reflects the t o t a l l y serial nature of the relationships among activities identified at this point in the process.

Figure

I.

Initial A c t i v i t i e s and P r e c e d e n c e D i a g r a m

ACTIVITY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Project A p p r o v a l Select A r c h i t e c t S c h e m a t i c D e s i g n Phase D e s i g n D e v e l o p m e n t Phase C o n s t r u c t i o n D o c u m e n t s Phase C o n s t r u c t i o n Bid Phase Award C o n t r a c t Construction Phase

~ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

~ 5 i0 16 16 8 8 35 weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks

The p r o j e c t team's first attempt at d e f i n i n g a schedule, shown in Figure 2, has a p r o j e c t d u r a t i o n of two years, from S e p t e m b e r 1988 to September 1990, w h i c h does not meet the d e s i r e d deadline. The c r i t i c a l path is also shown on the schedule. The d e f i n i t i o n of a c r i t i c a l p a t h is the path of a c t i v i t i e s w h i c h cannot be d e l a y e d at all w i t h o u t s l i p p i n g the schedule. T h e s e a c t i v i t i e s w o u l d make up the longest path t h r o u g h the network and p r o v i d e the total d u r a t i o n or e l a p s e d time of the schedule. C r a a h i - - the g n h e d n l A The next step in the p r o c e s s is take the c r i t i c a l path of the

to

s c h e d u l e in Figure 2 and "crash" or reduce the time a l l o t t e d for as many a c t i v i t i e s as p o s s i b l e to allow the p r o j e c t to be c o m p l e t e d at an earlier date. C r a s h i n g allows the project m a n a g e r to e l i m i n a t e time from certain activities, while performing other a c t i v i t i e s s i m u l t a n e o u s l y to cut overall p r o j e c t time. Figure 3 shows the redefined activities, revised time d u r a t i o n s and the r e s u l t i n g p r e c e d e n c e d i a g r a m with both serial and p a r a l l e l activities. The new s c h e d u l e is disp l a y e d in Figure 4, which also shows the new c r i t i c a l path. It can be seen from this s c h e d u l e that the project team is g e t t i n g closer to the o n e - y e a r c o m p l e t i o n constraint.

Mills: Development of a university sports complex

151

Figure 2.

Initial Schedule 1988 1989 S 0 N D J F MA

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ACTIVITY I. Project Approval 2. Select Architect 3. Schematic Design 4. Design Development 5. Construct Documents 8. Construction Bid 7. Award Contract 8. Construction

M J J A SON
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1990 D J FMAM
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Figure 3.

Revised Activities and Precedence Diagram ACTIVITY P.RF~J:~F~b~JI

I. 2. 3. 4a. 4b. 4c. 5. 6. ?a. 7b. 7c. 7d. 8.

Project Approval Select Architect Select Construction Manager Project Definition Phase Program Plan Site/Soils/Survey Concept Design Schematic Design Phase Design Development Phase Construction Documents Phase Bid Package #1 Bid Package #2 Bid Package #3 Bid Package #4 Construction Phase

1 1 2 2 4a 3,4b,4c 5 6 6 6 6 7a

I week 3 weeks 2 4 2 4 4 7 36 44 48 40 weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks weeks

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Proceedings of the 1lth Annual Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering

Figure 4.

Revised Schedule

ACTIVITY
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Project Approval Select Architect Select Cons. Mgr.

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4a. Program Plan 4b. Site/Soils/Survey 4c. Concept Design 5. 6. Schematic Design Design Development ----

7a.

Bid Package

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7b. Bid Package #2 7c. Bid Package #3

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8. Construction

It is important to note that any time an activity is crashed, there is a cost associated with that crashing. In general, a cost analysis would need to be done to ascertain the cost effectiveness of eliminating time from the schedule. In this project, the project team is concerned with keeping the total cost of the project within budget. At this point, the schedule focus is shifted from the entire project schedule to a detailed analysis of the construction phase of development. This analysis includes a line-by-line breakdown of the entire construction process. In doing this analysis, many construction activities were broken down to their subtasks and assigned a duration time period. Although this process is tedious, it does prove to be beneficial in developing the new schedule shown in Figure 5, which meets the target completion date of August 1989. This exercise provides a more accurate reading on how the project should progress on a week-by-week basis once construction begins. It also gives the project manager a better feel for any additional time that might be eliminated from the project schedule. However, the cost of any further analysis seems unjustified at this point since the schedule and cost goals have been met.

Monitor~nm the Schedule The final step in the process is progress monitoring: the tracking of actuals against the plan. These actuals include project data on performance, cost and time. The project manager uses the same tools to monitor the progress of the project and guide the team throughout the project llfe cycle. If there is a deviation from the original schedule, the schedule is modified to reflect the changes. All corresponding activities are also altered and a new critical path is generated.

For a project of the type described in this paper, the techniques and tools of project management are quite useful in both planning and controlling the project. The flexibility built into the process of project management allows easier alteration of schedules and a better overall management of projects in general. The use of computer scheduling programs enables easy modification of schedules to arrive at the desired critical path. Modifications that occur during the accomplishment of the project which affect the schedule can be input into the program to determine the effects on the achievement of critical deadlines.

Mills: Development of a university sports complex

153

Figure 5.

Final Schedule

ACTIVITY I. Project Approval 2. Select Architect 3. Select Cone. Mgr . 4. Soils Testing 5. Preliminary Design 8. Design Development 7. Final Design 8. Construction a. Excavation b. Caissons c. Underslab d. Foundations e. Slab on Grade f. Masonry/Steel g. Structural Walls h. Roofing i. Drywall J. Acoustical k. Flooring i. Pool m. Mechanical n. Electrical o. Sitework
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1988 0 S l

1989

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[1]

Badiru, AdedeJi B., aaement in ManufacturinR a n d HiCh Technolo=v Operations, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1988. Kay, Emily, "Buyers" Guide: Project Management Systems: Alliances Can Bridge a Diversity of Packages", PC Week, August 29, 1988, pp. 57-63. Meredith, Jack R. and Samuel J. Mantel, Jr., Pro~ect Management: A ManaRerial ADDroach, 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1989. Moder, Joseph J., Cecil R. Phillips, and Edward W. Davis, Project Management with CPM. PERT and Precedence Dia=ramminm, 3rd Edition, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1983. Promram Plan and ExistlnH Facility Analysis for Phase iI o~ the Health. Physical Education and Recreation Facility, University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, Colorado, July 1988.

[6]

Silverman, Melvin, The Art of ManaEina Technical Prolect~, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1987. Wasil, Edward A. and Arjang A. Assad, "Update on Project Management Market Leaders", Decision Line, September/October 1988, Pp. 17-19.

[2]

[7]

[3]

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Nancy L. Mills, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern Colorado. She previously taught at Oregon State University, where she earned an MBA and PhD. She has also held a number of industrial engineering positions in industry. Her current teaching and research interests include economic analysis, facilities planning, ergonomics, and site selection/economic development. She is a member of IIE, ASEE, TIMS, Mensa, Alpha Pi Mu, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi.

[4]

[5]