Construction Project Scheduling

Name: Construction Project Scheduling
Rating: 4.7 (1074 reviews)

Learn how to manage the schedule on a construction project. Master the fundamentals to accelerate your career

Created byTim Fairley

Last updated 5/2025

English

What you'll learn

We've helped over 20,000 students
Over 94% of students surveyed say we helped accelerate their careers
Taught in consultation with industry experts
Downloadable resources and 160-page Guidebook!
Understand the purpose and value of construction project scheduling
How to develop, monitor and control the project schedule.
The different types of construction project schedules used
The different team members involved in developing the schedule
The critical path and critical path method
Float and the different types of contingency
The role of productivities and production in developing the schedule
Master the fundamental skill to finish the project on time
Gantt charts

Course content

6 sections • 63 lectures • 3h 28m total length

Introduction2:53
Welcome to Section 1, where we'll provide an introduction to project schedule management and the contents of the course.
How to Take the Course3:08
Explore construction project scheduling concepts through short theory doses, practice activities, quizzes, and case studies to accelerate on-the-job learning in construction management.
Who am I and Why Should You Bother Listening?3:23
Learn essential construction and project management skills through real-world lessons on budgeting, safety, and end-to-end accountability across work winning, pre-construction, construction, and close-out.
Excel Gantt Chart0:15
What is Construction Management?2:20
Coordinate owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and the workforce to deliver infrastructure through planning, monitoring, change control, and scheduling, using cost estimating, procurement, quality management, and safety and environmental considerations.
Why do Construction Projects Fail?4:28
Construction projects fail because they are hard and unique, with unforeseen challenges; plan extensively, deliver the plan, and manage change with key construction management skills.
Who are these courses for?4:29
Our courses are focused on engineers and other construction management professionals working for general contractors
Who are these Courses for?4:29
Develop skills in construction project scheduling for major infrastructure projects, equipping delivery team members from tier one contractors to manage design development, tendering, pre-construction, construction, and closeout.
Project Scheduling - Guidebook!0:02

Section 1 - Introduction0:38
Welcome to Section 1!
What is Construction Project Scheduling?2:47
Learn about what project scheduling is and why it is important.
Try Building a Schedule
The Importance of Project Scheduling6:35
Construction project scheduling clarifies project duration, coordinates trades, and communicates timings to subcontractors. It highlights critical path, enables risk and change management, and supports on-time delivery and cash flow.
Case Study3:51
Let's look at a brief case study of project scheduling done well and project scheduling done badly
Planning Vs Scheduling2:18
Let's talk about the important difference between planning and scheduling
The Project Life Cycle3:04
Let's look at the project life cycle and how the different scheduling activities occur across it.
Levels and Types of Schedules5:51
Let's talk about schedule levels and the different types of project schedules used on construction projects.
The Schedule Development Process3:53
Let's look at how construction project schedules are developed in practice and the fundamental project management steps to do this.
Delivering the Schedule2:01
Deliver the project by implementing the schedule, tracking progress, coordinating works, and applying corrective actions; monitor critical path and earned value, then adjust with crashes, fast tracking, and change analysis.
Scheduling Software2:52
Developing a project schedule involves thousands of different calculations and different data points. To simplify this, planning and project control professionals use specially designed software.
Roles and Responsibilities3:45
Let's look at the different roles and responsibilities involved in creating a construction project schedule
Section 1 - Conclusion0:21
Great work making it through Section 1!
Chapter 1 Summary

Introduction to Section 21:03
Welcome to Section 2 where we'll cover the development of a construction project schedule.
Defining Activities - The Work Breakdown Structure5:54
Learn how to develop a work breakdown structure. In this section, we focus on teaching the tools and techniques to identify all the work that has to be done to complete the project.
Create a Work Breakdown Structure
Linking Activities - The Network Schedule7:45
Now that we have completed the Work Breakdown Structure and defined all the activities we need to complete to complete our project, we now have to schedule these activities.
The Delivery Methodology5:54
We need to know how we plan to deliver the works to properly sequence activities
Case Study - Activity Linkages0:56
Examine how missing activity linkages in a baseline schedule misrepresents work delivery and delays subcontractors. Avoid constant replanning by applying proactive planning to meet a fixed opening date.
Develop the Network Schedule
Resourcing4:57
Resourcing plays an important role in schedule development
Case Study - Activity Resourcing1:23
Explore activity resourcing in construction, linking procurement and contract management to schedule and budget, with self-perform earthworks and subcontractors in building versus civil projects and discretionary resource links.
Estimating Activity Durations8:43
To finalize our project schedule, we need to estimate how long each individual activity will take. For this section, we'll skip the practice activity as it is hard to accurately estimate activity durations without any real-world data. For the next practice activity, just use the activity durations provided.
The Schedule Model4:59
Now we know all the work that has to be done, the sequence of the works and the activity durations, it's now time to compile all this information into the schedule model.
Case Study - Schedule Model0:49
Balance audience and purpose to select the optimal schedule model, using milestone charts for high-level management and detailed gantt charts for resource planning in the delivery team, ensuring contract clarity.
Develop a Schedule Model
Optimising and Analysing the Schedule10:23
Let's see if we can improve our schedule model or resolve any constraints the model may have violated.
The iterative nature of schedule development1:44
Define the task list, sequence activities, and estimate durations to build and analyze the schedule model, while embracing Eisenhower's insight: plans are useless, but planning is essential.
Schedule Contingency and Risk6:25
Learn how to factor in contingency into the schedule model.
Agreeing on the Schedule4:55
Stakeholder buy-in is critical to developing a realistic and achievable project schedule.
Case Study - Agree on the schedule0:49
Agree on the schedule and secure buy-in from all stakeholders to ensure the project management tool drives delivery by the practical completion date.
Section 2 - Conclusion0:38
Develop and optimize a project schedule by defining the scope, breaking it into activities, sequencing, estimating durations, and communicating the plan to stakeholders to meet time-based objectives.
Test your knowledge of Section 2

Introduction to Section 31:04
Welcome to Section 3 where we'll talk about how to monitor and control the project schedule once works are underway.
Reading the Project Schedule3:49
Read and review the master schedule, decompose into a short range program, and elaborate a detailed srp to coordinate resources, constraints, and progress.
Delivering the Schedule8:20
Learn and understand the purpose and value of schedule monitoring and control.
Don't let things slip!1:09
Now we've developed our plan, it's time to put it into action! Get in the habit of not letting things slip!
Tracking Progress9:19
Learn how to record and monitor actual work complete on site. This section is all about tracking progress and will be our way of collecting data to analyse our schedule
Case Study - Monitoring and Controlling the Schedule1:19
Monitors and controls a high-risk schedule in a freeway project by breaking civil works into six zones, coordinating subcontractors, and accelerating off site commissioning to avoid schedule overruns.
Set up your own progress tracker
Schedule Analysis4:15
Learn how to analyse the schedule based on what's happening on site.
Managing Change2:56
Learn how to correct schedule variances and deal with things that go wrong.
Last Planner and Lean Construction4:59
Implement the last planner system, a lean construction method that builds collaboration and accountability through staged work, commitments, master schedules, make-work-ready meetings, weekly check-ins, and a constraint logbook.
Section 3 - Conclusion0:36
Deliver the project schedule by reading it, decomposing into a short-range program, delivering works on schedule, tracking progress with reports, and managing change and lane construction.
Test your knowledge of Section 3

Introduction to Section 40:41
Welcome to Section 4, where you'll learn about the different types of schedules used on construction projects.
The Master Project Schedule3:21
Learn about the master project schedule, the key project schedule that covers the complete project scope.
The Design Schedule8:17
Learn about the design schedule, the project schedule that covers the development of the engineering drawings and technical specifications.
The Procurement Schedule5:24
Learn about the procurement schedule, the project schedule that covers the processes involved in acquiring external goods and resources from the open market.
Construction Look Aheads4:24
Learn about construction look aheads, detailed project schedules used by the construction teams to plan for upcoming works.
Sub-Contractor Program2:55
Learn about the schedules developed and maintained by sub-contractors.
Completions and Close-Out2:04
Learn about a useful way of visualizing the schedule to identify clashes between work groups and communicate the schedule simply and effectively.
Section 4 - Conclusion0:24
Explore construction scheduling types and their specific applications, and understand why each type matters for project planning as you conclude section four and preview section five recapping course content.
Test your knowledge of Section 4

Bonus - Launch your dream career0:59
Section 5 Introduction0:20
Introduce section five by briefly recapping the previous four sections with a broad overview, helping you identify unfamiliar topics and revisit them.
The Basics of Project Scheduling - Summary2:08
Review the basics of project scheduling and what we covered in section 1.
Developing the Project Schedule - Summary2:24
Review the basics of developing the project schedule and what we covered in section 2.
Monitoring and Controlling the Project Schedule - Summary1:53
Review the basics of monitoring and controlling the project schedule and what we covered in section 3.
Types of Schedules - Summary2:10
Explore the master, design, procurement, lookahead, and subcontract schedules, showing how each drives end-to-end delivery, client reporting, and completions and closeout activities.
Try out our other courses!0:25
Overall Conclusion - Project Scheduling1:47
Review the different types of project schedules and what we covered in section 4.

Requirements

Basic understanding of engineering and infrastructure projects
Willingness to take your career to the next level

Description

So far, we've helped over 20,000 students accelerate their careers in construction management by mastering the fundamentals.

Learn how to develop, manage, implement and control the schedule on a construction project to ensure the work gets done on time!

The course is:

Proven - taken by thousands of students with satisfied results. Over 94% of students surveyed believed our construction management courses supported their career progression
Practical - developed in consultation with industry experts to teach you exactly what you need to know to succeed in the real world
Fast - we know you are busy, so we developed the course with that in mind and cut out every second of unnecessary information
Packed with Downloadable Resources - we offer students a 120-page guidebook and downloadable copies of all slides so you never forget what you learned!
Contains useful templates - we offer useful templates so you can apply the skills in the real world

And we are always improving. We want to hear your feedback and we are committed to helping you on your journey. We will always respond to questions, queries, or feedback suggestions.

We are super excited to have you enroll in Construction Project Scheduling!

Learn the fundamental skills required to deliver a construction project on time.

Major infrastructure projects involve thousands of people coming together to complete a set of activities in a specific order. This messy and complicated to manage. Working for a contractor, a client is paying your company a fixed fee to ensure all these activities are completed in a specified time period. If the works are not complete in this period, your company may be up for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in delay charges.

The course is broken down into four sections:

Section 1 - Introduction and Key Concepts
- What is construction project scheduling?
- Importance
- Planning Vs Scheduling
- The Project Lifecycle
- Levels and the Type of Schedule
- Schedule Development
- Delivering the Schedule
- Scheduling Software
- Roles and Responsibilities
Section 2 - Schedule Development
- Defining activities - The Work Breakdown Structure
- Sequencing Activities
- Delivery Methodology
- Resourcing
- Estimating Activity Durations
- Schedule Model
- Analyse and optimise the schedule
- Contingency
- Agree on the schedule
Section 3 - Delivering the Schedule
- Reading the project schedule
- Delivering the schedule
- Tracking progress
- Schedule analysis and treatment
- Managing changes
- Lean construction and the last planner system
Section 4 - Types of schedules
- Master Project Schedule
- Design schedule
- Procurement Schedule
- Construction look aheads
- Sub-contractor schedule
- Completions and close-out
Review and conclusion

If you're ready, let's get started!

Who this course is for:

Junior engineers starting off their careers in the infrastructure sector - particularly those working for contractors
Quantity surveyors and other construction professionals looking to develop practical construction management skills
Project Engineers
Project managers
Construction managers
Project schedulers and planners

Construction Project Scheduling

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Overview and Context9 lectures • 25min

Section 1 - Introduction to Project Scheduling12 lectures • 38min

Section 2 - Developing the Project Schedule16 lectures • 1hr 7min

Section 3 - Delivering the Schedule10 lectures • 38min

Section 4 - The Different Types of Project Schedules8 lectures • 28min

Section 5 - Summary8 lectures • 12min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: