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Role
plan, assess, control
Scope
Idea to commissioning
Measurement
Progress against the baseline
400+
turnarounds and projects as our base of experience
What sets us apart
We plan ourselves – with everyone involved.
We get the status where it arises, assess it and show what it means for the completion date.
A reliable schedule is created where the work is done. That is why we talk directly to everyone involved: the trades, contractors and partners, suppliers, engineering and operations. We assess what we find, we inform, and we show what the status means for the completion date. That way, the schedule also contains what nobody else reports.
Swipe sideways to view →The arrows point outwards: we gather the status in conversation with those involved, where it arises.
How we assess
A percentage report alone is not enough for us. We are schedulers and assess progress ourselves: based on feedback from the specialists and site management, the reported quantities and what we see on site. This gives the earned value – how much of the planned work has actually been done.
Plan
Earned value
Swipe sideways to view →On the reporting date, less work has been done than planned. The backlog is clear before anyone reports it. Example values.
And then we take control
Every deviation is communicated and actively managed. We make sure it is dealt with as quickly as possible and reflected in the schedule, and we help to take corrective action. We follow up until the corrective action has been completed successfully – and, where necessary, escalate in good time along the reporting line agreed together at the start of the project.
We act as the operator’s extended arm and report to the operator, not to the executing companies. We control the cost side as a separate service in Cost Control and the documents in Document Control; if you need flexible capacity, you get the same disciplines as Project Controls on demand. Plant shutdowns follow a different pace – that is what Turnaround Scheduling is for.
Scope of services
What we take on
From building the schedule with everyone involved to the successful completion of the project.
Integrated project scheduling
One schedule across all phases – with work breakdown structure, milestones, delivery dates, permits and critical path. Built together with everyone involved, in their words and with their commitments.
Collecting progress ourselves
We get the status where it originates: from the trades, the contractors and partners, the suppliers, engineering and operations. That way the schedule also shows what nobody else reports.
Assess, forecast, report
Progress measured against the baseline, not estimated: earned value, trend and a reliable forecast of the completion date – turned into reports that project management and the steering committee can base decisions on.
Actively managing deviations
Every deviation is communicated and actively managed – with a person responsible, a deadline and our support in taking corrective action. We follow up until the corrective action has been completed successfully and escalate in good time where needed.
Interface management
Trades, contractors and partners, suppliers and ongoing operations working to one coordinated rhythm. In projects, most delays arise at the interfaces, not in the activities themselves.
Integration with Cost & Document Control
Where cost and documents are also controlled, they run on the same structure as the schedule – one consistent picture across all three disciplines.
What you gain
What you gain
A schedule that reflects realityUpdated regularly and promptly, based on validated data from everyone involved.
Deviations visible earlyStated with their impact on the completion date – and therefore ready for a decision.
Active control until it worksWe follow up until the corrective action has been completed successfully.
Reports you can decide onTransparent for project management and the steering committee.
An independent viewWe report to the operator and are independent of the executing companies.
Our approach
We actively steer – all the way to success.
Five steps that start again in every reporting cycle. The last two make sure the project gets back on track.
01
Collect
We get the status where it originates – in person, talking to the trades, the contractors and partners, the suppliers, engineering and operations. The people working on it every day know best where it stands.
02
Evaluate
What does the status mean for the completion date? The progress collected is measured against the baseline, the trend is projected forward and the remaining duration is forecast again. Only this assessment turns a report into a statement.
03
Show
We say what the status means for the completion date – projected and calculated. That makes every deviation transparent and ready for a decision.
04
Control
Every deviation is communicated and actively managed. We agree with the people responsible how to take corrective action and make sure it actually gets under way.
05
Follow up and escalate
Is the corrective action working? We check at the next cut-off date and follow up until the action has been completed successfully. If it is not working, we inform the next level of the agreed reporting line in good time – while decisions can still be made there.
Context
When we support your scheduling
Three typical situations in which many parties are working towards the same date.
01Capital and modification projectsWith many interfaces between trades, suppliers and ongoing operations.02When the schedule needs to regain acceptanceThe schedule was created but is hardly used any more. We improve it, bring it back into the conversation and steer from it again.03Temporary reinforcementOperators who want to strengthen their scheduling for a while.
How are you different from scheduling that merely maintains schedules?
We plan ourselves, together with everyone involved. We talk to the trades, the contractors and partners, the suppliers, engineering and operations, gather the status there, assess it and show what it means for the completion date. Then we actively steer: we make sure corrective action is taken, follow up and escalate where necessary. We report to the operator – we are independent of the executing companies.
What does “escalate” mean in your organisation?
If an agreed corrective action is not working, we inform the next level in good time – while decisions can still be made there, not just before the missed deadline. Who is informed and when, we agree together at the start of the project. For us, escalation is therefore not a conflict but an agreed path.
How does project scheduling differ from turnaround scheduling?
In the pace and the drivers. A turnaround is about days and shifts, about trades working in tight spaces and about float measured in hours. A capital project is about months: permits, lead times for equipment, engineering approvals and interfaces with ongoing operations determine the course. Both are scheduling, but they are two distinct disciplines – and we staff each with experts who specialise in it.
Do you also control costs?
This service centres on the schedule. We control the cost side as a separate service, Cost Control, and link the two if you award them together – then schedule and cost deviations sit side by side and are assessed together.
Which tools do you work with?
We work in the operator's systems, such as Primavera P6 or MS Project, and fit into your existing planning landscape. We only introduce new systems if you want us to and the requirements of your project or your company call for it.
What does planning and scheduling cost?
We bill by the hour, by day rates or at a fixed price – we work out together which model fits. The effort depends on project size, reporting frequency and whether we build the schedule or take over ongoing control. If you need flexible capacity, Project Controls on demand is the right model. The initial call is free of charge.
Our glossary explains technical terms from the shutdown and project business – 59 entries, each linked to the relevant service.
From the blog
From the field.
Further reading: an article by our specialists on this topic.
Project Controls · Mario Leonhardsberger
Project control from 0.1 FTE: when Project Controls on demand is enough and when it is not
Many smaller projects run without cost and schedule control because a full post per discipline is not worth it. It also works at a smaller scale: from 0.1 FTE.