Volumes of work

I think for initial estimates, we are on the same page, but of course you need to account for risk which I understand is off topic for this discussion.

For progress monitoring, I totally agree with you: "Collect actual data, look at volumes of work that were done and remained" but we also use our own intelligence to derive the ETC numbers from those and this is maybe we might be looking a this differently.

If one day I had the pleasure of meeting you in person, I would like to discuss further with you about this topic. It is tough to put everything in writing.

RK

Yes, it is tough to put everything in writing.
I raised this question because project planning and management approaches used in Russia and our project management software are somewhat different from those used abroad. Russians are used to work with volumes and norms and so they are frequently disappointed when try to apply Western tools (P6, MSP) to managing their projects.
I want to understand why this approach that looks natural is not required in the West.
There are many other differences in our approaches and methods that may be discussed in future. But this one is very simple and good for the start of these discussions.
Thank you for your responses, I enjoyed our discussion.
Best Regards,
Vladimir

The term Volume or Quantity in relation to work done to date or work to be completed by a specific time line is ambiguous in nature and on any project documentation this metric is always a best estimate in order to complete a specific task or deliverable. The reason for this is based on the level of skill and experience available to you that exists to you on the project team. So when you talk about Quantity, no matter how precise your quantity surveyor is in relation to the likely construction cost of a project, the final tally will be a estimate of the total cost. So having a metric that is based on estimations as an active property means that all other metrics that are dependent on this metric would be out by an increasing margin of error depending on the initial estimate for quantity. Most projects start with some fixed metric of certainty such as allocated budget, project team numbers, time given to complete project or contingency budget and work from their with everything else stemming from these certainties being an estimate, even if original budget, team size, timeline or contingency budget changes in the meantime.

Dear Luis,
Volumes of work are defined at activity level and represent an initial information on project activities (how many meters, tons, pieces shall be done). When resources assigned for activity execution and their productivities are known it is possible to calculate activity duration and other parameters. Using internal or industry norms that usually are applied to volume units of certain types of activities it is possible to get objective estimates of activity duration and cost if activity volume is known.
Other ways of activity and cost estimation are subjective and not reliable.
Optimization is performed when the project is scheduled taking into account all existing constraints.

Vladimir,

It seems to me that you are approaching project management in a very logical and mathematical way where X in equals X out. It seems that you are trying to put a project management methodology into an equation that will fit in all project management scenarios and all you have to do is just plug in the numbers turn the crank and outcomes your complete approach to a specific project. Unfortunately this approach has been looked at before and as each project is a unique set of variables even if repeated like for like you will still get a different outcome. A key skills for a project manager is communication and this is because not everything will go to plan not matter how well thought out an approach is as a project manager needs this skill to relay to people the reason why something has not gone to plan, modifications that need to be made and lessons learned as a result to all relevant parties involved with project.

Dear Vladimir
A few years ago there were in Portugal the Technical Tables which was a kind of Bible for the Construction where estimates were made

Yes, of course volume is one of many factors that are used in activity and project tracking and it is the main (but not the single) factor for activity planning.
But it is not planned and tracked in popular project management tools and this prevents to apply norms and justify other estimates.

Vladimir,

It seems to me that you are approaching project management in a very logical and mathematical way where X in equals X out. It seems that you are trying to put a project management methodology into an equation that will fit in all project management scenarios and all you have to do is just plug in the numbers turn the crank and outcomes your complete approach to a specific project. Unfortunately this approach has been looked at before and as each project is a unique set of variables even if repeated like for like you will still get a different outcome. A key skills for a project manager is communication and this is because not everything will go to plan not matter how well thought out an approach is as a project manager needs this skill to relay to people the reason why something has not gone to plan, modifications that need to be made and lessons learned as a result to all relevant parties involved with project.

And as a result of lessons learned you will approach the next project differently even if its an exact replica of the previous project. Project management is all about iterative and incremental learning; that is what you learned from the previous project you will apply to the next project and so on. So if incorrectly estimated the amount of bricks you needed to build a wall and then if you are building the same wall you will closer to the true figure but it will still be an estimate until the wall is complete and the stake holders have signed off. A simple example but the truth when it comes to project management.