I have seen schedules that do not utilize a Work Breakdown Structure. Not sure why this is. If it is just a case of being unfamiliar with the WBS format, I have prepared a basic outline below that is easy to understand and use in new building construction. The WBS outline with its corresponding Gantt chart and customized information columns is a valuable presentation tool.
WBS for Buildings
Level One
Building Project Title
Level Two
Structural Phase
Rough-In Phase
Finish Phase
Level Three
Structural Phase
Substructure/Foundations
Superstructure/Building Frame
Concrete Slabs/ Slabs on Metal Decking
Roof Deck/Weather-tight Roofing
Rough-In Phase
Underground Utility Rough-Ins
Concrete Slab on Grade
Exterior Wall Rough-ins
Overhead Ceilings Rough-ins
Interior Wall Rough-ins
Mechanical Equipment
Electrical Equipment
Plumbing Equipment
Sprinkler Equipment
Information Technology Equipment
Finish Phase
Exterior Wall Finishes
Roof Water-tight Finishes
Wall Finishes
Ceiling Finishes
Floor Finishes
Mechanical Finishes
Electrical Finishes
Plumbing Finishes
Sprinkler Finishes
Information Technology Finishes
Building Equipment
Building Furnishings
A Level Four would be an additional detailed breakdown of the above Level Three titles. The above WBS is a basic outline that I find to be the most useful and accommodating for new building construction. An existing renovation project would require an Abatement/Demolition Phase included in level two with level three abatement subphases. Other WBS formats may prefer to outline the Project Specifications using the Divisions and Sub-divisions listings. Still, other formats may list all the Contractors involved in the project or list all the Trades as the WBS outline method. The choices for the WBS outlines are many and depend on the perceived notions of the scheduler. One thing that is certain and that is a Level 2 or 3 or 4 WBS is better than no WBS levels at all.
Also, I prefer to keep Engineering as a separate schedule, as well as Procurement, from the Construction Schedule.
Engineering/Architectural applies mainly to the Administrative side of a Project in that it includes many actions and facets leading up to the actual production of construction documents; drawings and specifications. This phase is too complicated and scrambled that only the most general schedule outline is of any possible use: Obtain Financing, Produce the Construction Drawings and Specifications, and Advertise for Bids. It is not the creation of the schedule that is the problem. It is getting accurate and timely update information from multiple sources that is the problem. Financing is the first basic step for all projects and obtaining financing moves so slowly that timelines get blurred. This phase is the chicken and egg riddle, which came first? Nobody wants to do something for nothing and this is only the first of many conundrums. Eventually, the pressure builds and someone coughs up the money one way or another in order to get things moving in the right direction. The Right Direction. Now that is a term that hardly describes itself as it refers to scheduling the Engineering, the E in EPC. As an idiom, it means to ?progress in a sensible direction.? Since good sense is not a driver in this process, let us skip all the in-between stuff and get to the eventual end of this phase, which is Bid and Award, because this is the point where the construction process begins. Once the bids are received and the lowest bidder is chosen (usually not a sensible outcome) and awarded the job, the project schedule is created and the procurement phase starts up.
In the good-old-days, Procurement, the P in EPC, meant: buyout the entire job as quickly as possible, get all the subcontractors on board as quickly as possible, get all the shop drawings and catalogue cuts submitted for approval as quickly as possible, and mobilize to start construction as quickly as humanly possible. With the advent of computerized scheduling the thought process has changed to buyout the critical contracts first and leave the rest until they become critical. Bad Idea. Buying out subcontracts and purchases as they become critical is one of those not-so-sensible direction concepts. If anyone thinks that subcontract awards and purchase orders should be controlled by the Project Schedule, they are just simply asking for trouble. The best advice is to get all procurements done early and not wait for some line item in the schedule to show-up on the so-called critical path.
Sitework, which is an integral part of the construction schedule, should be nevertheless, an isolated schedule or an isolated section within the construction schedule. Sitework moves at a different pace, which is usually a faster pace than the building process and Sitework has its own boundaries. The boundaries in a typical construction site include: the Property Line Limits, the Sitework Limits, the Building Construction Limits, and the Building Footprint Limits. The boundary between the Building Footprint and the Sitework Limits is a shared construction zone between the General Contractor and the Sitework Contractor and is generally understood to extend approximately 5 feet from the building footprint or building perimeter. This zone is the Building Construction Limits. Who does what, when, and where is a coordination problem more than a schedule problem and should be treated as such due to the variety of factors that determine sequencing of site and building work.
WBS for Sitework
Level One
Sitework Project Title
Level Two
Mobilization Phase
Site Utilities
Site Finish Phase
Level Three
Mobilization Phase
Mobilizations/Temporary Services
Clearing/Removals/Demolitions
Rough Grades/Earthwork
Site Utility Phase
Sanitary Service
Storm Service
Fire Protection Dedicated Service
Water Service
Gas Service
Electrical Service
Special Services
Site Finish Phase
Site Improvements
Special Site Improvements
Landscaping and Plantings
Site Furnishings
Site Demobilizations
A Level Four would be an additional detailed breakdown of the above Level Three titles.