W2_Joseph Adewale_determination of percentage completion for a road construction project

Problem recognition, definition and evaluation.

Being a program manager on some projects, I am responsible for proper monitoring, control and reporting of cost, schedule budget and quality of the project from start till delivery.

In one of the  on-going construction project awarded to my company to supervise, the client request for an inception/ status report on the project as part of the project appraisal for fund recommendation to the contractor.

Being a new project to the company and on-going project on the side of the client/contractor, I was faced with the challenge of appropriate method to use for determining percentage completion.

Development of Feasible Alternatives/Solutions

       1.  Start/Finish : This method is applicable where detailed schedule for short term multiple tasks is involved and where activities lack define intermediate milestone. 

       2. Incremental Milestone:This method is applicable when each activity has significant  duration.

       3. WeightedUnits:This is applicable to task with long period of time having more than one overlapping subtasks, each with different unit of measurement. 

        4. Ratio: this is applicable when project spreads over a very long period of time. percentage completion is expressed by dividing hours spent to date by the current estimate of hours at completion

        5.  Supervisor Opinion: this is applicable where there is constraint of using more than one methods.

        6. Completed units: this is applicable when ratio of total activity is of equal parts and it is determined by comparing parts completed to the total activity.

Probable Outcomes of Alternatives / Solutions

Alternative 1: this could be difficult to estimate percentage completion for a long duration project since since it is very applicable for short multi tasking projects

Alternative 2: Parameter required to calculate the percentage complete are inadequate due to no sub activity.

Alternative 3: Determination of percentage complete might be difficult with this due to absence of sub tasks

Alternative 4: the determination of percentage complete with this method seems to be realistic since its easy to use.

Alternative 5: Since this depends on subjective decision, errors are liable and hence not appropriate.

Alternative 6: Since equal number of activity is required, determination of percentage complete are no realistic

Selection Criteria in determining the solution

1. Easy and realistic computation

2. No overlapping of task, sub tasks 

3. Task with uniform units of measurement 

4. Define schedule

Analysis and Comparison of the alternatives

Alternative 1 would have negative impact on the percentage progress due to long period required, also alternatives 2, 3 and 6 would require sub tasks before the percentage complete would be calculated hence doe not meet the listed criteria.

In the same vein alternative 5 has only qualitative basis which might generate errors while calculating percentage completion. However alternative 4 would appropriately satisfy the criteria since it gives project status at any time and easy to determine.

Selection of Preferred Alternative

Based on the analysed criteria, alternative 4 is best recommended for calculating percentage complete for the project.

Performance Monitoring/Post Evaluation

Determination of the project key performance index 

Schedule/ Cost variance is determined at any given time

Percentage complete is snapped at any time

Resource performance is easy determined

References

Tate,T, & Stackpole,C. (2006) Controlling Project Progress.The advanced project management memory jogger(1st ed) (chapter 7) (pp.91-94). Salem,NH: GOA

Sullivan, W. G., Wicks, E.M., & Koelling, C.P. (2009). Engineering economy and design process. In M.J. Horton (Ed.), Engineering economy (14th ed.) (chapter 1.3) (pp. 27). New Jersey, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.