Proposing P-Duration: A New Scheduling Parameter — Seeking PMI Community Feedback Before Formal Publication
After 20+ years of GCC project controls practice — across $2B+ in EPC and infrastructure programs — I'd like to share a concept and invite feedback before pursuing formal publication.
THE PROBLEM
On a major water transmission project in Oman, I reviewed a recovery schedule claiming to compress several critical activities to durations that — on forensic analysis — were physically impossible, regardless of crew size or budget.
The activities involved mandatory regulatory hold periods, sequential testing protocols, and authority inspection requirements. No resources could change these.
We have Planned Duration (resource-constrained). We have Crash Duration (minimum via resource acceleration). But we have no formal term for the minimum duration that exists regardless of resources.
INTRODUCING P-DURATION
P-Duration: The minimum achievable duration for any project activity, constrained by physical, sequential, and regulatory factors — independent of resource availability. It is the absolute scheduling floor: the point at which adding further resources produces zero additional schedule compression.
Three constraint categories:
1. Physical — concrete cure, BESS battery conditioning, RO membrane stabilisation
2. Sequential dependencies — activities requiring specific predecessor physical states
3. Regulatory — mandatory inspection hold periods, authority certification windows
WHY IT MATTERS
P-Duration applies directly in three areas: reviewing recovery schedules for physical feasibility, validating baseline schedule floors, and EOT/forensic delay analysis. Over 20 years, I applied this logic to recover $22M+ in Claims and EOTs across the GCC. It now has a name.
Full article with worked examples and comparison tables:
[Paste your LinkedIn article URL here]
QUESTIONS FOR THE PMI SCHEDULING COMMUNITY
1. Is this concept already formally named in existing scheduling or PMI literature?
2. Have you encountered schedules in practice that violated what I'm calling P-Duration?
3. Does the proposed definition accurately capture the concept?
4. Which PMI standard or Practice Guide would be most appropriate to extend this into?
I am preparing a formal paper for AACE Transactions and PM World Journal. Genuine input from experienced practitioners at this stage is valuable.
— Pavankumar P, PMP® | GM – Planning & Project Controls, Jakson Green | 20+ Yrs GCC | $2B+ Portfolio
