Smart scheduling
Creating the schedule based on the Creation template
After creating Methodologies and Zones, the new schedule can be created based on the finally assembled Creation template using the Creation Wizard command. To create a new schedule automatically utilizing Creation Template and Creation Wizard command follow the next steps:
Schedule Editor → New Schedule → The New Schedule window will open→ define the schedule’s name in the Name field → In the Cost Version field define a classification system or leave it blank → A newly created schedule is automatically opened → Click on one item of the schedule → Click Creation Wizard → The same-named window will open → Click on the arrow next to the Template command and select the Load option → The Select Creation Template window will open → Select the template and then click OK → Finish the procedure by clicking OK → The newly created schedule is displayed based on the template on the Schedule Editor tab.
Created schedules can be exported into Power BI interactive dashboards, MS Project, or Primavera files.
Activities at the lowest level of the created schedule have a predetermined duration of 40 hours. The duration of the activity at a higher level is the sum of each sub-activity. You can elaborate time frame, change the duration of individual activities and create a completely realistic work dynamic.
An intelligent scheduling engine could also be used to create schedules optimized differently using Zones and Methodologies in a different order or grouping elements only by Zones through the Creation Rule command. These alternative workflows would give less optimized schedules and require additional manual adjustments but are a legitimate way to partially automate the traditional schedule creation process.
Schedule optimization
An automatically created schedule is organized as a series of tasks of uniform duration set by the user (most commonly one working week). The majority of the schedule is perfectly balanced and optimized, but on most projects, it will require additional optimization effort by the Planner.
To analyze the performance of created schedule, the construction planner is able to check the schedule in the classic Gantt diagram, LOB (Line of Balance) flowline diagram (according to which automatically generated schedule is optimized), and Logic diagram. The Planner can also check some basic performance parameters of created schedule by clicking on the parent task and choosing the Task Report option. In Task Report, Planner can see charts representing cost, material, labor, and equipment distribution during project execution and quickly identify anomalies in resource use and adjust the schedule to optimize it.
Project performance can be analyzed by any parameter for every task or parent task in the schedule.
The schedule can be modified easily using the selection tool from the main toolbar line in the Schedule editor. This tool enables the selection of Parent Tasks, Leaf Tasks, or elements linked to the selected task or multiple tasks. This way any changes can be applied to all selected tasks simultaneously. After an automatically created schedule structure is set, durations and relations between tasks can be further adjusted.
Schedule optimization using LOB
BEXEL Manager offers advanced schedule optimization using the Line of Balance flowline diagram.
Activities can be dragged directly in the Line of balance flowline diagram by selecting the desired line of the activity and then clicking and dragging the lower red dot. By dragging the activity’s lower red dot selected activity can be moved to the desired place, and by dragging the upper red dot, the task duration of the selected activity can be changed.
The selected activity’s duration, calendar, or constraints can be changed by editing these parameters at the bottom of the Line of Balance display type. By clicking on the Apply command, the changes will affect the Line of Balance flowline diagram.
Schedule optimization using automatic task duration calculation
Besides schedule optimization using Line of Balance, BEXEL Manager offers a more advanced option for schedule optimization considering daily outputs or resource availability.
Task duration can be changed based on daily outputs to optimize task duration according to available resources or actual quantities of different activities and the workforce’s productivity rate.
Duplicate the auto-generated schedule and apply optimization to duplicated schedule (to compare the baseline schedule with the duplicated and further optimized schedule) → Select the task to apply optimization → Click on the Selection command and choose Select Leaf Tasks → Click on the Update Task Duration → Choose between two options, By Daily Output Sum or By Daily Output Max, depending on whether you want to apply the summarized duration of all activities divided into respective daily outputs or to apply the duration of the longest activity divided by respective daily outputs (the system will find the activity with the largest quantity and divide it with the respective daily output in order to get average task duration) → After completion in the Line of Balance, activities are extended or reduced based on required quantities and specified capacities of the resources within daily outputs.
Resource leveling
The uniform structure of construction tasks in the automatically generated schedule, in general, allows for more optimal use of resources, but in some specific groups of work that are labor-intensive or expensive, this could demand a high number of workers or budget expenses in a short period of time. This is clearly visible in Task report charts that display average cost levels, labor, materials, and equipment. Manual adjustments for such a complex project parameter would be challenging, so in Bexel Manager, planners are able to use specific Resource leveling tool. With this tool it is possible to define a maximum available number of a certain resource (for example, the number of laborers for a specific discipline), apply it to a specific task or whole schedule, and the program will automatically extend the duration for such tasks to compensate for a limited amount of available resources. This will allow the planner to create a schedule with maximum efficiency, fully optimize available resources, reduce additional costs, and mitigate risks on the project.
Select the specific task or whole schedule to optimize → Click on the Leveling command at the right side of the Schedule Editor toolbar line → The Schedule Resource Leveling Editor window will open → Click New command → The Resource Leveling Entry Editor will open → Depending on the selected task or the whole schedule, the Range will display the Start Date and the Finish Date of the selected task → Click on the arrow at the right side of the Add command and choose All Resources → The Resource Form window will open to select the proper resource by clicking the checkbox on the left side of the listed resources → Click OK → In the Resource Leveling Entry Editor window, in the added resource, define the Max Allocation of added resource (Inserting a number below Max Allocation) → Click OK → Select the added resource in the Schedule Resource Leveling Editor and click Apply → It is possible to directly see Task Report and Analyze selected resource by clicking on these commands in the Schedule Resource Leveling Editor window → The Schedule Resource Leveling window will open → Click Resolve → The Resources Leveled message will be shown with information that resource leveling has been completed → Click OK → Repeat the same procedure for additional resources → Finish the procedure by clicking Close.
