Project Planning and Control

Project Planning and
Control
Fourth Edition
Eur Ing Albert Lester,
CEng, FICE, FIMechE,
FIStructE, FAPM
AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEW YORK OXFORD
PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO
Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP
200 Wheeler Road, Burlington MA 01803
First published by Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd 1982
Second edition published by Butterworth-Heinemann 1991
Third edition 2000
Fourth edition 2003
Copyright © 1982, 1991, 2000, 2003, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
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14 Float 96
15 Arithmetical analysis 104
16 Graphical analysis, milestones and LoB 112
17 Computer analysis 127
18 Simple examples 135
19 Progress reporting 147
20 The case for manual analysis 156
21 Subdivision of blocks 165
22 Project management and planning 172
23 Network applications outside the construction industry 181
24 Networks and claims 196
25 Resource loading 203
26 Cash flow forecasting 211
27 Cost control and EVA 220
28 Worked examples 256
29 Example of integration of tools and techniques 289
30 Hornet Windmill 312
31 MS Project 98 339
32 Project close-out 351
33 Stages and sequence 353
34 Abbreviations and acronyms used in project management 359
Glossary 363
Bibliography 371
Index 377
vi
Contents
Preface to the fourth
edition
About a year ago I was asked by a firm of insurance loss adjusters to
investigate the possibility of reducing the anticipated overrun caused by an

One of the by-products of computerization was the introduction of
precedence or AoN (activity on node) networks. These types of networks
seem to militate against manual drafting for large projects, because drawing
and filling in of the many node boxes is very time consuming, when compared
to the drafting of arrow or AoA (activity on arrow) diagrams.
However, the big advantage of the AoN diagram is the substitution of node
numbers by activity numbers. This clearly simplifies the numbering system
and enables activities to be added or changed without affecting the numbers
of the other activities. Indeed most computer programs add the activity
numbers automatically as the data is entered.
There is no reason therefore why a simplified form of AoN network cannot
be used in the manual drafting process to give the same benefit as an arrow
diagram. A selected number of the arrow (AoA) diagram examples given in
Chapters 12 and 18 have therefore been augmented by these simplified
precedence diagrams, in the hope that the important part of network analysis,
the initial drafting, will be carried out. Unfortunately the description of the
activities will have to be written into the nodes, which will usually reduce the
number of activities that can be accommodated on a sheet of paper when
compared with an arrow diagram. A ‘marriage’ of the two methods, called the
‘Lester’ diagram is given in Chapter 13.
At the time of writing, Earned Value Analysis (EVA) has still not been fully
embraced by certain sections of industry. One reason for this may be the jargon
associated with this technique. When we developed our own EVA system at
Foster Wheeler as far back as 1978 we used the simple terms of Actual Cost,
Planned Cost and Earned Value. Unfortunately the American CSCSC system
introduced such terms as ACWP, BCWS and BCWP which often generated
groans from students and rejection from practitioners. It is gratifying to note
therefore that the campaign to eradicate these abbreviations has prompted the
British Standards Institution and the Association for Project Management to give
prominence to the original English words. To encourage this welcome trend, the

as were considered to be more closely related to project management than
general management.
An examination of courses on project management will reveal that they
cover two types of skills:
1 Soft skills such as investment appraisal, communication, team selection,
team building, motivation, conflict management, meetings, configuration
management and quality management.
2 Hard skills such as project organization, project evaluation, project
planning, cost control, monitoring, risk management and change
management.
Preface to the third edition
As the first two editions already contained such hard skills as project planning
and cost control, it seemed logical to only add those skills which would
virtually turn the book into a Hard Skill Manual. This, it is hoped, will be of
maximum value to readers who have learnt the soft skills through past
experience or from the more general management courses including the
outward-bound management courses, so popular with up and coming
managers.
The original text has been updated where considered necessary, including
the list of the currently available project management software programs,
which are however being themselves updated constantly. One important
change is the substitution of the description of the Primavera P3 program by
the Hornet Windmill program. The reason for this change is that while
Primavera P3 is still an excellent project tool, the Hornet Windmill now
includes an integrated SMAC cost control system which can accept and print
both precedence and arrow diagrams and update progress on them directly and
automatically from the SMAC returns. Unfortunately, the stipulated book size
did not allow space for both, especially as the chapter on MS Project had to
be included, simply because after being ‘bundled’ with Microsoft Office, it is
now, despite its limitations, so widely used.

A. Lester

Preface to the second
edition
It is nearly 10 years since the first edition of this book was published, so that
an update is long overdue. Many of the reviewers of the first edition expressed
the opinion that the author was more than a little antagonistic to computerized
networks. In that, they were absolutely correct. The book was written during
a period when mainframe machines were still largely used and micros had
only just arrived on the scene. The problems, delays and useless paper
disgorged by the mainframe computers nearly killed network analysis as a
project control tool. Indeed, several large companies abandoned the system
altogether. The book was therefore written to show that critical path methods
and computerization were not synonymous – indeed, compared to the time
taken by the laborious business of preparing input data sheets and punched
cards, the manual method of analysis was far quicker. No apologies are
therefore made for the first edition.
Now, however, the personal computer (PC) can be found in nearly all
planning offices and many sites. The punched card has been replaced by the
keyboard, the test printout by the VDU and the punchgirl by the planner
himself. In addition, specialist software houses have produed sophisticated
programs (frequently marketed as Project Management Systems) which
enable the planner or project manager to see at a glance the effect of a
proposed change in logic or time, and produce at the end a vast range of
ouptus in tabular, bar chart, pie chart or histogram format, often in colour.
It was necessary, therefore, to modify or (in some cases) completely rewrite
several chapters of this book to bring the text up to date. For that reason, it was
decided to describe one of the better-known computer programs in some
detail, but the danger with computer systems is that they get improved and
enhanced year after year, so that even the system described may be out of date

Critical path methods were first developed in 1958 almost simultaneously by
the CEGB in England and the US Navy and Du Ponts in the United States of
America.
Since then, critical path methods under the name of CPM, CPA and PERT
have been further developed and used successfully as planning aids in a large
number of construction and manufacturing organizations for diverse purposes,
all over the world.
As a management tool, especially in project management of large capital
construction projects, network techniques are unsurpassed, provided – and
this is a very important proviso – the activities have been arranged in a
logical, practical and easily identifiable manner by people who know the
disciplines and problems involved. Unfortunately, there are numerous
instances where contractors believe that by merely producing sophisticated
computer-analysed networks, they improve their control and increase the
chances of completing on time. The fallacy of this belief is borne out by
a recent report published by the National Economic Development Office
(NEDO) which compared, among other factors, the planning techniques on
eighteen construction sites in the UK, Europe and America. Extracts of this
report are given in Chapter 8.
It is always dangerous to isolate individual facets of a project from the
overall jigsaw of problems, and while it is obviously unrealistic to attribute all
successes or failures of a project to good or bad planning, there is no doubt
that planning has a considerable influence on the final result.
In areas where labour disputes are not the main cause of delay, good
planning has a direct effect on timely completion, since materials and
drawings arrive on site in good time, and the major construction sequences are
Preface to the first edition
analysed and firmed up in advance, so that the correct plant and adequate
manpower is at hand when required.
Where labour problems are the main disruptive factor, the indirect effect of

contrast to many other publications which purport to deal with the subject, the
mechanism of control permeates the procedures that Mr Lester advocates. In
some chapters, such as that on Manual and Computer Analysis, it is there by
implication. In others, such as that on Cost Control, it is there in specific
terms.
The book, in short, deals with real problems and their real solutions. I
commend it therefore both to students who seek to understand the subject and
to managers who wish to sharpen their performance.

Acknowledgements
The author and publishers would like to make acknowledgement to the
following for their help and cooperation in the preparation of this book.
The National Economic Development Office for permission to reproduce the
relevant section of their report ‘Engineering Construction Performance
Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Construction, EDC, NEDO December
1976’.
Foster Wheeler Power Products Limited for assistance in preparing the text
and manuscripts and permission to utilize the network diagrams of some of
their contracts.
Mr P. Osborne for assistance in producing some of the computerized
examples.
Claremont Controls Limited, Suite 43, Wansbeck Business Centre, Rotary
Parkway, Ashington, Northumberland NE63 8QZ, for the description and
diagrams of their Hornet Windmill project management software.
Microsoft Ltd. for permission to use some of the screen dumps of MS Project
98.
Extracts from BS 6079: 1996 are reproduced with the permission of BSI under
licence No. 2003DH0199. Complete editions of the standards are obtainable
by post from BSI Customer Services, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4
4AL. Tel. 44(0)20 8996 9001.

a functional or ongoing business is managing a
continuum or ‘business-as-usual’.
Project Planning and Control
Project management is not applicable to running a factory making sausage
pies, but it will be the right system when there is a requirement to relocate the
factory, build an extension, or produce a different product requiring new
machinery, skills, staff training and even marketing techniques.
As stated in the definition, a project has a definite starting and finishing
point and must meet certain specified objectives.
Broadly these objectives, which are usually defined as part of the business
case and set out in the project brief, must meet three fundamental criteria:
1 The project must be completed on time;
2 The project must be accomplished within the budgeted cost;
3 The project must meet the prescribed quality requirements.
These criteria can be graphically represented by the well-known project
triangle (Figure 1.1). Some organizations like to substitute the word ‘quality’
with ‘performance’, but the principle is the same – the operational
requirements of the project must be met, and met safely.
In certain industries like airlines, railways and mining etc. the fourth
criterion, safety, is considered to be equally, if not more important. In these
organizations, the triangle can be replaced by a diamond now showing the
four important criteria (Figure 1.2).
The order of priority given to any of these criteria is not only dependent on
the industry, but also on the individual project. For example, in designing and
constructing an aircraft, motor car or railway carriage, safety must be
paramount. The end product may cost more than budgeted, may be late in
going into service and certain quality requirements in terms of comfort may
2
Figure 1.1
Project definition