Construction Schedule Analysis
The construction schedule analysis experts at Blue Marble Risk Solutions analyze the cause-and-effect relationship of complex construction issues affecting the project schedule to prepare and evaluate construction delay claims as claims consultants; advise dispute resolution strategies as consulting experts; and deliver expert witness testimony for litigation, arbitration, mediation, and other dispute resolution forums.
Capital project execution involves an intricate coordination of dynamic, interwoven activities and numerous stakeholders such as owners, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and regulatory agencies. The variable and complex nature of modern capital projects creates a tendency for schedule delays and other project disruptions. Scope changes and other issues commonly manifest as delays to project completion, milestones, or succeeding work activities; extended overhead and rental costs; material cost escalation; schedule compression or acceleration; and/or construction productivity losses. Consequently, schedule delays and other schedule-related issues are the one of the most common topics of construction claims and dispute resolution proceedings.
The project schedule provides a comprehensive representation of planned and actual project events, and can be an effective tool used to isolate root causes of project issues and circumstances, including schedule delays, schedule compression, and other cost growth issues. Critical path method (CPM) schedule analysis or other industry-recognized scheduling analysis methods provide the most effective means for identifying and quantifying schedule delays and for pinpointing schedule acceleration and/or inefficiencies. Critical path method (CPM) schedules provide a method to determine if issues impact(ed) the project or simply consume(d) schedule float. For this reason, schedule delay analysis using forensic CPM scheduling methodologies is often preferred by courts and alternative dispute resolution forums for the identification and quantification of critical path delays.
Schedule analysis, or delay analysis, refers to the evaluation and examination of how project events or circumstances interacted in the context of the set of relationships and constraints unique to a particular project. The purpose of a schedule analysis is to pinpoint project delays or failures; ascertain the significance of individual variances from the project plan; quantify the associated impact(s) to other work activities, project milestones, and/or project completion dates; and determine liability and causation. Schedule analysis conclusions are often used to substantiate change orders and quantify monetary impacts, such as lost revenue, liquidated damages, or delay damages.
Unraveling the complex interrelationships between events and circumstances to identify root cause, determining and apportioning responsibility, and quantifying delays and monetary damages requires a unique collaboration of experience and technical expertise. The scheduling experts at Blue Marble Risk Solutions have advanced, hands-on knowledge of critical path method (CPM) schedule analysis principles and methodologies, as well as extensive working experience in a contract claims environment involving scheduling issues. Further, our schedule analysis experts have a thorough understanding of the principles, practices, and standards of care, known as industry best practices, that are applied to facilitate successful project planning and execution. Our technical expertise and extensive experience with best practice implementation translates into a proven ability to successfully analyze and resolve construction disputes concerning construction delay, acceleration, productivity, and other project management issues.
As an integral part of the client/consultant/attorney team, our scheduling experts analyze the cause-and-effect relationship of complex construction issues affecting the project schedule to prepare and evaluate construction delay claims as claims consultants; advise dispute resolution strategies as consulting experts; and deliver expert witness testimony for litigation, arbitration, mediation, and other dispute resolution forums. Our experts specialize in prospective and forensic (retrospective) schedule analysis by using the following industry-recognized schedule delay analysis methodologies:
- As-Planned versus As-Built Analysis
- Window Analysis (Contemporaneous Period Analysis)
- Time Impact Analysis (Fragnet Analysis)
- Impacted As-Planned Analysis
- Collapsed As-Built Analysis (But-For Analysis)
Our schedule analysis experts evaluate contract requirements, project facts, the nature and context of issues being analyzed, the extent of available documentation, and the applicable dispute resolution forum to determine the schedule analysis method best suited to the project. We then use an efficient, targeted strategy for diligent substantiation research using project documents, data, and witness interviews to deliver comprehensive analysis and dispute resolution assistance.