When one takes a 30,000 foot elevation look at scheduling we are simply documenting failure rather than creating progress through the planned path forward. When one realizes a Project Schedule is a copulation of many smaller schedules of other subs, manufacturers, fabricators that are brought into the Project after the original schedule. Plus, the Project Schedule is usually based on 80 % design, 10% Procurement and 5% Construction and its only one's best guess at the future so the only guarantee is it will change. Then add to that a single project has say 50,000 project deliverables (Specific documents - actions required prior to any installation such as permits, submittals, certificates, samples, shop drawings, test reports, safety plans , financial - insurance plans and multiple product data confirmation packages that are not sufficiently identified in the schedule activities and typically are not contracted for until 2 to 3 months into the project so is it any wonder a schedule review accomplished on day 150 (5 months in) is not going represent any form of management if you are tracking schedule activity completions. Your Schedules are tracking less than 5% of critical activities, all the quality control predecessors are not being confirmed or even tied to the schedule ..... so why would think anything would happen on a tool that tracks completion and does nothing for progress. Wouldn't it be better to track starts and include all the deliverables? What's the chance for success if a NTP is issued and EPA permit is not in place, or an excavation firm cannot get a bond, or get a safety plan accepted ... or any of the safety, code, financial, or quality control permission request required to get on site much less begin work. Should we not be compelling action weeks before the Mobilization milestone on the Project rather than waiting 3,4,5 months to simply blame someone for noncompliance at the 1st schedule review. It's simply common sense to define the 5Ws for the predecessors for all participants associated with Mobilization and check them off in sufficient time so that the Schedule Milestone can be met
