Los Angeles commercial general contractor

Let’s talk
Menu

Services

Construction scheduling services

Critical path schedules, schedule reviews, scorecards and program management, built with our custom tools and the experience of having built to a schedule in the field. We stay proactive, so the team pushes forward and clears roadblocks before they hold up the work.

Who hires us for this

Owners and contractors who require a dependable timeline

Our founder has built and run schedules as a superintendent, a general superintendent and the president of a general contractor, so the schedule we produce is realistic.

Owners hire us to review the schedule their contractor has given them. Contractors hire us to build a baseline, set up a scheduling program across their projects, or train their people.

Field experience and project controls

Schedules written by builders, held to a scheduler’s standards

  • Built in the field

    Baselines are built in a workshop with the superintendent and the early trades, walking the first 90 days in detail and every handoff after it. If the field did not help build the schedule, the field will not follow it.

  • Held to project controls standards

    Logic, float, constraints and durations are checked on every update against the tests a professional scheduler uses. Float belongs to the project, the accepted baseline is preserved, and every update carries a written narrative.

  • Run on our own jobs

    We are a general contractor first. The program on this page is the one our own projects run on, so what we set up for your team has already been worked through on a live job.

What we do

Scheduling consulting, on one job or across a company

  1. 01

    Critical path schedules

    A baseline built from the drawings, with clearly organized WBS, realistic logic, long lead items and AHJ activities included.

  2. 02

    Schedule review

    A written review of another contractor’s schedule: the logic, the durations, the float and what is missing.

  3. 03

    Schedule scorecards

    A scorecard for each project every month, so a company can see which schedules are healthy and which projects are drifting off track.

  4. 04

    Schedule program management

    The standards, the templates, the training and the monthly review for every schedule a company runs.

    What a program includes
  5. 05

    Recovery schedules

    When a job has slipped, a plan to recover it that the trades have agreed to.

  6. 06

    Delay analysis support

    The record and the schedule analysis when a delay has to be explained.

Schedule program management

What a scheduling program includes

A program gives every project the same standards, the same rhythm and people trained to run it. We set it up with your team, and we work with the team on monthly updates, with site visits where they are needed to manage the overall project.

  1. 01

    Standards and templates

    One way to build a schedule, used on every project.

    • WBS structure, activity coding and naming conventions
    • Calendars and limits on activity durations
    • A schedule management plan for each project
    • Baseline and update file conventions
  2. 02

    The master schedule process

    A baseline the team signs off on, and an update on the same date every month.

    • Baseline workshop with the PM, superintendent and early trades
    • Long lead items tied to the dates they are needed on site
    • Monthly update on a fixed data date
    • A written narrative: what moved, why, and what it means for the finish date
  3. 03

    The look-ahead process

    The master schedule plans the job, and the look-ahead is where it gets built.

    • Every line tied to an activity in the master schedule
    • Refreshed from the master every week
    • Constraints cleared before the foreman meeting
    • What finished as promised, tracked every week with a reason for every miss
  4. 04

    Team training and SOPs

    People trained to run the program, not just to open the software.

    • Training tracks from schedule literate to expert
    • SOPs for the daily huddle, the weekly work plan, the constraint log and the delay huddle
    • Built around your own projects
  5. 05

    Scorecards and reviews

    Every schedule measured the same way, every month.

    • A monthly scorecard for each project
    • A schedule quality check on every update
    • A monthly review across the company
    • Role scorecards for superintendents, project managers and schedulers
  6. 06

    AI in scheduling

    We bring AI in where it adds value and the team will use it. The system proposes and the team decides.

    • The look-ahead drafted from the master schedule
    • Actualize monthly updates from the daily logs
    • Issues brought to your team’s attention when they arise
    • Set up on the tools your team already uses
  1. FoundationThe standards, the monthly scorecard and the narrative.
  2. Field integrationThe daily huddle, the weekly work plan, the constraint log and what finished as promised.
  3. Full systemEvery project on the same rhythm, reviewed together each month.

Each phase is stable before the next begins.

The program documents

The documents behind a scheduling program

Every program we set up is built from a library of standards, templates and procedures, written for your company and the tools your team uses. This is what goes in it.

  1. AStandards

    1. A1
      Scheduling standardsSoftware settings, calendars, WBS and activity coding, naming and duration limits, for P6 or Microsoft Project.
    2. A2
      Schedule level definitionsWhat a level 1 to level 5 schedule holds, and who works from each.
    3. A3
      Roles and responsibilitiesWho builds, updates, reviews and approves the schedule at each step.
    4. A4
      Schedule lifecycle mapWhat the schedule has to contain at pursuit, preconstruction, contract, construction and closeout.
    5. A5
      Schedule management planOne per project: the data date, the update cadence, milestones, reporting and the specification’s schedule requirements.

  2. BPreconstruction and the baseline

    1. B1
      Preconstruction schedule checklistThe schedule items to settle at schematic design, design development and construction documents.
    2. B2
      Baseline workshop agendaThe pre-work, who attends, and the walk through the first 90 days and every handoff.
    3. B3
      Baseline acceptance checklistContract and specification, scope, schedule mechanics, constructability, risks and team sign-off.
    4. B4
      Procurement scheduleEvery long lead item from submittal to install, tracked against the date the field needs it.
    5. B5
      Schedule contingency planNamed contingency activities in the schedule, kept out of the durations and tracked as they are used.

  3. CEvery week

    1. C1
      Look-ahead templateThe three-week and six-week views, every line tied to an activity in the master.
    2. C2
      Constraint logEach constraint with its type, owner, promised date and age.
    3. C3
      Weekly work planWhat each trade commits to next week, with the reasons for last week’s misses.
    4. C4
      Percent plan complete trackerCommitments kept against commitments made, week over week.
    5. C5
      Daily huddle agendaFifteen minutes: yesterday, today, roadblocks, safety and coordination.

  4. DEvery month

    1. D1
      Monthly update procedureThe data date, actual dates, progress, logic review and quality check, step by step.
    2. D2
      Schedule quality checkThe open ends, constraints, lags, float and durations every update is tested for.
    3. D3
      Monthly schedule scorecardMilestones, completion rates, slide by level and the quality checks, one page per project.
    4. D4
      Narrative template and guideWhat every update narrative covers, with examples of a good one.
    5. D5
      Monthly schedule review agendaThe review across every project, what is presented and who attends.

  5. EDelays and recovery

    1. E1
      Delay huddle notesThe same-day record of what happened, what it affects and who acts.
    2. E2
      Delay logEvery delay entered the day it happens, never edited after the fact.
    3. E3
      Recovery schedule procedureRecovery built as its own scenario, with the accepted baseline preserved.
    4. E4
      Pre-task planLabor, material, equipment, information and space confirmed before critical work starts.

  6. FTraining and roles

    1. F1
      Training curriculumThree tracks, from schedule literate to expert, built around your own projects.
    2. F2
      CPM skills self-assessmentWhere each person stands on the skills the program needs.
    3. F3
      Role scorecardsThe measures for superintendents, project managers and schedulers.
    4. F4
      P6 training materialBuilding a schedule from the drawings, updating one, and reading one someone else built.

How we run it

The tools we use on our own jobs

Each view below is drawn from a sample project. On a live job, the same views are built from that project’s own schedule and records.

Every week, on site

The look-ahead and the constraints behind it

The look-ahead

The master schedule plans the job. The look-ahead is where it gets built.

Each week the look-ahead is drafted from the master schedule. The superintendent corrects it, the trades review it, and anything the draft proposes, like the RFI above, waits for a person to approve it.

Every line ties back to an activity in the master, so the two never drift apart, and the master stays current without anyone retyping the field’s plan.

What you receiveA look-ahead the field works from, tied line by line to a master schedule that stays current.

Three-week look-ahead · KitchenSample project
Activity
Week 1Week 2Week 3
Frame wallsFraming
Ductwork rough-inMechanical
RFI 142: confirm the ceiling layoutProposed · GC and MEP
Frame ceilingFraming
Receive light fixturesDelivery
Install light fixturesElectrical
Drop sprinkler headsFire protection
Install air outletsMechanical
Add RFI 142 ahead of the ceiling framing?ApproveReject
Drafted from the master scheduleCorrected by the superintendent, reviewed with the trades

The constraint log

Every constraint has an owner, a promised date and an age.

Before the foreman meeting, each activity in the next three weeks is screened for what could stop it: the predecessor work, submittals and RFIs, materials, labor, inspections, access and information.

An open constraint moves up as it ages, from the team to the project manager to leadership, so nothing waits quietly.

What you receiveNext week’s work cleared before the crews’ schedule is locked in. No more 60% plan complete.

Constraint log · this weekSample project
ConstraintTypeOwnerOpenStatus
Ceiling layout confirmedRFI 142 · ahead of ceiling framingInformationArchitect6 daysOn track
Light fixtures on siteNeeded Friday of week 2MaterialsElectrical9 daysOn track
Air outlet submittal approvedAhead of the week 3 installSubmittalsMechanical17 daysWith the PM
Ceiling access for sprinkler dropsAfter ceiling framingSpace and accessSuperintendent2 daysOn track
Up to 14 days with the team15 to 21 days with the PM22 days and over with leadership

Every month, across the job

The update, the scorecard and the review

The monthly update

A month of logs becomes the schedule update and its narrative.

The slowest part of a schedule update is collecting what happened. We use our system to read the month’s daily logs, meeting transcripts and active project information to produce a draft of the update and the narrative: what was built, what moved, why, and what it does to the dates ahead.

A scheduler reviews it against the job and actualizes it in the schedule. Monthly schedule meetings are now working sessions and are no longer drawn-out meetings to actualize the schedule.

What you receiveA formal update each month with a written narrative an owner can read in one sitting.

Monthly update 04 · NarrativeSample project
  • 0 daysMovement in the finish date
  • 8 daysFloat to the opening
  • 3Activities slid 10 days or more
What moved
Level 2 framing finished five days early. The switchgear delivery date did not move.
Why
The framing crew added a second shift after the ceiling layout was confirmed. The switchgear lead time is fixed by the manufacturer.
What it means for the finish date
The critical path now runs through switchgear and permanent power. The opening date holds, with 8 days of float.
Drafted from the daily logs and meeting transcriptsActualized by the scheduler

The scorecard

Every schedule measured the same way, every month.

The scorecard reads each update the way a general superintendent would: milestones against the baseline, how much of the planned work finished, what slid and by how much, and whether the logic still holds.

Slide is graded, so a five-day slip is watched and a ten-day slip comes with a recovery plan.

What you receiveOne page per project, and the same page across every project a company runs.

Monthly scorecard · Update 04Sample project
  • 84%Planned work finished this monthTarget 80% or more
  • 82%Critical path work finishedTarget 80% or more
  • 3Activities slid 10 days or moreEach with a recovery plan
  • 3 of 4Quality checks clearHigh float flagged

Activity slide this month

  1. Under 5 days41On track
  2. 5 to 9 days6Watch
  3. 10 to 14 days2Recovery plan
  4. 15 to 19 days1Corrective action
  5. 20 days or more0Escalated
Milestones against the original and last month’s baseline

The schedule review

A second read on a schedule someone else built.

We review the logic, the durations, the float, the constraints and what is missing, against the same checks we hold our own schedules to.

Each finding says what we found, why it matters and the fix, and a second round confirms what was closed.

What you receiveA written review, and a conversation with the person who is managing the schedule.

Schedule review · Round twoSample project
  1. 1
    38 activities with open endsThe finish date is not driven by the work. Logic added and checked.
    Closed
  2. 2
    Hard constraints driving the critical pathDates held by constraints instead of logic. Replaced with ties.
    Closed
  3. 3
    Switchgear not tied to its installThe long lead item was not tied to the field sequence. Corrected.
    Closed
  4. 4
    Commissioning and inspections missingThe closeout runs to a finish date with no path behind it.
    Open
  5. 5
    Interior activities over 10 days longToo coarse to plan field work from. Broken down by area.
    Open
5 findings, 3 closed in round twoEach finding: what we found, why it matters, the fix

Any day

The project record, answering questions

Ask the schedule

The project record, working as a thought partner.

With the schedule, the logs, the RFIs, the submittals and the meeting notes in a context layer, the system answers questions from the project record and shows its sources.

It is a thought partner, not the decision maker. The people responsible for building the job make the calls.

What you receiveAnswers you can check, from the record of your own project.

Which open decisions affect the finish date?

Two of the six open decisions sit on the critical path. The pendant fixture selection drives the ceiling close-in on level 2, and the order has to be released by 14 November to hold its lead time. The bar top stone selection drives the millwork install and is needed by 21 November. The other four have float.

SourcesSchedule update 04 · Decision log · RFI log

Why did the critical path move this month?

Level 2 framing finished five days early and the switchgear lead time did not move. The critical path now runs through the switchgear delivery and permanent power instead of the level 2 interiors, and the opening date holds with 8 days of float.

SourcesSchedule update 04 · Daily logs

What is waiting on a submittal?

Two items. The air outlets, due to install in week 3, wait on the mechanical submittal, open 17 days and now with the project manager. The bar top millwork submittal is held for the stone selection, which is needed by 21 November.

SourcesSubmittal log · Constraint log

On your project you type the question yourself. Here, choose one of the three above.

The checks

What every schedule we write or review is held to

These are the tests a professional scheduler applies, tightened where commercial construction needs it. They run on every update, ours and the ones we review.

  1. 01
    Open endsUnder 5% of activities without a predecessor or a successor.
  2. 02
    Hard constraintsUnder 5%, and none holding the critical path without a reason in the narrative.
  3. 03
    LagsNo negative lags. Long lags are counted and explained.
  4. 04
    High floatUnder 5% of activities with more than 44 working days of float.
  5. 05
    Negative floatNone, or explained in the narrative with the plan to recover it.
  6. 06
    ProgressNo work shown out of sequence and no actual dates after the data date.
  7. 07
    Field durationsField activities of 10 working days or less, broken down by area where they run longer.
  8. 08
    RelationshipsMostly finish to start. Start to start and finish to finish ties used on purpose and explained.
  9. 09
    Long lead itemsEvery one tied to the activity that installs it, with its release and delivery dates.
  10. 10
    CloseoutCommissioning, inspections and turnover scheduled as a phase of the job.

Tools

We work in the software you already use

  • Primavera P6For owners and contractors who require it
  • Microsoft ProjectFor most commercial interiors and renovations
  • OtherOutbuild, Smartsheet and the other platforms general contractors use. Scheduling software is intuitive, so talk to us about using your current system.

P6 training

P6 training for your team

We train everyone who works with the schedule: project engineers, assistant project managers, superintendents, project managers, project executives and the project controls manager who runs the scheduling program. Training covers how to build a schedule from the drawings, how to update one and how to read one someone else built, and for a project controls team, how to run the program across every project.

Ask about training for your team

Questions

Scheduling, asked plainly

Will you review a schedule from another contractor?

Yes. You get a written review that says where the logic holds, where it does not and which dates are at risk.

Do you only work in P6?

No. We work in Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project, and in the platforms other general contractors use, such as Outbuild and Smartsheet. Scheduling software is intuitive, so we can work in the system your team already uses.

Can you train our team?

Yes. Training is built around your own projects, so people learn on schedules they will run.

Start with a schedule

Start with a schedule you already have

Tell us about the schedule and what you would like to discuss, and we will reply so you can send the file.

  • P6 file
  • Microsoft Project file
  • PDF