MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Guidelines for Developing and Reviewing Baseline Schedules for Wyoming Transportation Projects
Authors:	Ahmed Abdelaty and Md Shah Jamal
University:	University of Wyoming
Publication Date:	Jul 2022
Report #:	MPC-22-469
Project #:	MPC-654
TRID #:	01857398
Keywords:	construction projects, construction scheduling, delays, recommendations, state of the practice

Abstract

Due to the short construction season in Wyoming, contractors must complete many transportation projects on a tight schedule. Unfortunately, contractors often cannot create accurate schedules considering logical work ordering, reasonable productivity, and weather events. Inaccurate baseline schedules can be problematic for progress monitoring and lead to costly schedule slippage. Therefore, this project reviews the current practices and standards used by several departments of transportation (DOTs) and the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to improve baseline schedules. Afterward, the research team collected baseline schedules and daily work report (DWR) data to identify issues and causes of schedule delays in the State of Wyoming. The DWR data make up a rich dataset that includes the construction activity's actual start and end dates. Therefore, the researchers determine the existing workflow and causes of delay.

Additionally, the research team created an as-built schedule based on the DWR data for one project to evaluate the accuracy of baseline schedules. Moreover, this project compares baseline schedules and the GAO best practices for project schedules. The research team also conducted a questionnaire survey targeting resident engineers in Wyoming to identify schedule delay causes. Finally, the research team developed recommendations to improve baseline schedules and the DWR's documentation process to ensure future realistic implementations.

How to Cite

Abdelaty, Ahmed, and Md Shah Jamal. Guidelines for Developing and Reviewing Baseline Schedules for Wyoming Transportation Projects, MPC-22-469. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2022.