Jul 16 2007
Asta Development is to provide educational articles for construction planners to help manage delay and disruption on construction projects.
One of the most topical issues facing construction planners and project managers is how to manage and avoid delay and disruption on construction projects. Project management software (http://www.astadev.com/ ) specialist Asta Development has created an online resource centre (http://www.astadev.com/case_studies/long/delaydisruption.asp ) that focuses on ways to manage and avoid delay and disruption on construction projects.
The resource centre includes articles that explain how planning techniques and construction project management tools (http://www.astadev.com/software/powerproject/index.asp ) such as Asta Powerproject, can help them manage delays more effectively. The articles are written by leading industry experts and provide a useful introduction for newcomers to the subject, as well as more in-depth material for experienced planners.
Topics covered include the three broad categories of delay, who is responsible for the different types of delays that can happen on projects (e.g. contractor or client), and the main techniques for analysing delays and their relative strengths and weaknesses. The role of critical path analysis for delay analysis is also covered, in particular the circumstances when it is effective and the instances when care needs to be taken in interpreting the results.
Michael McCullen, Managing Director of Asta Development, commented: "A proactive approach by contractors and clients to resolving issues relating to delay and disruption as the project progresses is preferable to projects going wrong and ending up in the courts. It is far better to have solid project management and planning processes in place so that extension of time requests can be agreed by the client as the project progresses - ideally on a monthly basis. To do this it is vital that the client is presented with accurate, timely progress reports on actual progress versus the contract programme and that there is greater visibility and openness in project reporting between all parties."
Whilst the advice from Asta is to do everything that it possible to avert costly legal disputes, its construction planning tool (http://www.astadev.com/software/powerproject/index.asp ), Asta Powerproject, has been used successfully by contractors and claims consultants as evidence in many cases. Project records from Asta Powerproject have been used as evidence in a number of high-profile court cases, including Great Eastern Hotel Company Ltd v. John Laing Construction and Skanska Construction UK Ltd v Egger (Barony) Ltd.
Asta Development also provides free online resources relating to Project Portfolio Management (http://www.teamplan.co.uk/products/projectportfoliomanagement.asp) for project management professionals in IT and professional services."