CALL FOR PAPERS

A majority of Sessions are reserved for CPM and Project Management Theory, Software Tutorials and Select Demonstrations, and other invited Speakers. A limited number of Sessions are available for Consultants to teach innovative means and methods and for software vendors to demonstrate new or improved products. A limited number of Project Showcase Sessions are also available. Members of the construction community are invited to submit abstracts describing how YOUR project delivery was improved by superior CPM scheduling and project controls. Please email your abstract to info@constructioncpm.com.

DETAIL ABSTRACTS OF SESSIONS 2012

Details subject to revision. For an Overview of 2012 Sessions, click here

Sunday, 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM -- 75 minute session -- main auditorium

SUN00 - Opening Keynote Session - Visions of the Future of CPM Scheduling

Come join Dick Faris (Oracle/Primavera) in a discussion of the future of CPM scheduling software.


Sunday, 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM -- 75 minute session

SUN11 - Introduction to Deltek Open Plan Schedule & Risk Analysis Software

This session will lead attendees from download of Open Plan software from Deltek's website, or from the CD provided in the back of of the text CPM in Construction Management, 7th Edition, to delivery of the first update report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. Taught by John Owen, a member of the Welcome Software team that developed the original version, and now of the Deltek team that developed the latest version of Open Plan.

SUN12 - Introduction to Microsoft Project 2010

This session will lead attendees from download of Project 2010 from Microsoft's website to delivery of the first update report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. Taught by Michael Steinberg of TPG America.

SUN13 - Introduction of Oracle’s Primavera P6 R8 Web Based Project Management

Oracle Primavera Announces its latest release of P6 R8. This session is recommended for functional users who want to learn about the new features available in P6 R8.

TOPICS WILL INCLUDE:

  • New administration capabilities now available in P6 R8 Web Access
  • New views and functionality now available in P6 R8 Web Access
  • Review of new Web Access features available such as Risk Analysis, Web Reporting, etc.
  • Review new R8 client features
  • Where to get more information about R8

Presented by a member of the Primavera P6 R8 launch team

SUN14 - Introduction to Synchro Professional

This is the Construction CPM Conference not a CAD user conference so let us see 4D planning and scheduling that improves the planning and scheduling process and ultimately job site conditions.
Find out the details behind 4D CPM planning and scheduling; how Synchro’s technology partnerships with Oracle Primavera, Bentley Systems and others are different and see for yourself why 4D works. Love it, or think you know all about BIM and Virtual Design and Construction software; but unless you’re a seasoned Synchro user you really need to do yourself a favor and see this presentation for yourself. As a planner and scheduler make up your own mind. Many construction contracts are now mandating 4D Scheduling not just static design coordination linked to the project schedule but 4D Scheduling, the real thing. We have all seen the movies, the photo realistic 3D renderings, and the post processing results for visualizing the idea of your construction project but have you ever created the CPM from the model, in seconds? Simulated site logistics? Run a job meeting to analyze various options, solved real job site conflicts using side-by-side view points and then synchronised the results back to the master CPM schedule?
The good news is that while 4D can be as simple and limited as seeing your project schedule in full motion video produced by the BIM specialist for marketing purposes, 4D is so much more with Synchro. This presentation will open your eyes to real planning and scheduling process improvements for construction delivery.
Presented by Kirk Olson, Executive VP Synchro Ltd

SUN15 - Introduction to Phoenix Project Manager

Phoenix Project Manager 3 is a project-focused CPM scheduling tool for the construction, energy and architecture/engineering markets.
In this session, Jay Poulsen, President of Phoenix Project Management, will discuss the use of Phoenix Project Manager 3 to create and maintain project schedules, and how to migrate your current scheduling efforts from Primavera P3, Suretrak, or P6 to Phoenix. Mr. Poulsen will also discuss the future development direction of Phoenix Project Manager, and what users can expect from version 4 in 2012.
For more information: Phoenix Project Manager.

SUN16 - Industry Trends Noted in CPM in Construction Management, 7th Edition

This classic, originally written by James J. O'Brien in 1964, continues to be used as a primary teaching textbook, a ready reference, and as an industry bible cited in numerous federal, state, municipal and private contract specifications. Professor Plotnick will discuss trends in CPM as used in Construction, as noted in the evolution of the text from the initial to the current seventh edition.
Q&A will also cover suggestions by Attendees on materials to add (or retire) for the upcoming 8th Edition (2015)

SUN17 - Scheduling, Fast and Slow

When a schedule is clear and salient features are disclosed, decision making and what-if scenarios can better be accomplished as the intuitive and deliberate thinking systems harmonize. Creativity and problem solving is optimized when thinking intuitively in cognitive-ease. This presentation examines the concepts of intuitive and deliberate thinking that naturally flow when schedulers engage in schedule analysis and how slight differences in CPM and GPM algorithms make a striking difference in schedule analysis cognition (intuitive thinking and deliberative thinking in mental effort are extensively covered in the text Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman).
Presented by Gui Ponce de Leon, PE, PMP, LEED AP; CEO/Managing Principal of PMA Consultants, Inc.

SUN18 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Sunday, 11:10 AM to 12:25 PM -- 75 minute session

SUN21 - Intro to Oracle’s Primavera Risk Analysis

This session will lead attendees from download of Primavera Risk Analysis (previously named Pertmaster) software from Oracle’s website to delivery of the first update report to management.

Oracle's Primavera Risk Analysis is a full lifecycle risk analytics solution integrating cost and schedule risk management. Primavera Risk Analysis provides a comprehensive means of determining confidence levels for project success together with quick and easy techniques for determining contingency and risk response plans. You'll have an objective view of required contingency to account for cost and schedule uncertainty as well as analyzing the cost effectiveness of risk response plans.

SUN22 - Microsoft Project 2010 Advanced Issues for Construction Users

Love it or hate it, Microsoft Project (MSP) CPM scheduling software is here to stay. Many construction contracts are now mandating its use. Most people using MSP on construction projects find that MSP is fine for planning the work but very difficult to use when maintaining the status and accurately forecasting project completion. The good news is that you can ‘make’ MSP properly reflect complicated status including out-of-sequence progress resembling Retained Logic. This advanced presentation will explain how to best use MSP in place of P6 or other more status-oriented scheduling software.

Presented by Ron Winter, PSP

SUN23 - Practical Use of Oracle’s Primavera P6 EPPM Download to 1st Report

This session will lead attendees from download of Primavera P6 software from Oracle's website to delivery of the first report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. This session is taught by two veteran users of P6™, Hannah Schumacher, Director of Scheduling Services for FDI Planning Consultants (www.fdiplan.com) and Charlie Jackson, Vice President of Primavera Services for Hill International (www.hillintl.com).

Many Contract Documents are now requiring the use of the latest version of Primavera software (P6™) due to its enterprise capabilities and its use of latest technologies including the capabilities to interact other software applications; therefore it is important for the Scheduler to understand how to use this software most efficiently in their battle to complete their projects in a timely manner.

Primavera’s latest release of P6™ contains many features that can assist in developing schedules quickly and efficiently. However, a new or in-experienced user would be overwhelmed in the struggle to prepare the schedule using P6™ and these advanced features without proper training or “Basic Training”.
This session will focus on the presenters’ experiences and their lessons learned regarding the effective use of P6 ™ in the schedule development process as they apply to the Planning and Scheduling development processes. The Scheduler should be able to apply the implementation and execution “Lessons Learned” outlined in this presentation to develop schedules quickly and efficiently using P6™.

SUN24 - Mike Stone on Running a Successful Consulting Practice in Challenging Times

Mike Stone has served a diverse client base in both the private and public sectors on both domestic and international projects for many years and has made money even during the difficult periods. Mike will present the strategies he has used to develop and maintain a core group of clients that produce a dependable income stream. In this session Mike will discuss the types of services clients are looking for (and willing to pay for) and how to price for those services. Mike will also lead a frank discussion on how to find, train, and retain employees as well as how to determine when a great employee might not be a great consultant. www.cpmguru.com

SUN25 - Should Schedulers be Certified?

A introspection and comparison of certification programs. The emergence of a range of certifications for schedulers from CIOB and Planning Planet that provide a career path for practical use complement the elitist level certifications from AACE and PMI. With certification the possibility of developing a project controls profession starts to emerge. Presented by Pat Weaver of Mosaic Projects Services Pty Ltd.

SUN26 - Introduction to Asta Powerproject

Led by Andrew Willard, Asta’s International Business Director, this session will show why over 45,000 users worldwide have made Asta Development’s suite of project and portfolio management software a leader in the industry. Case studies will be presented to show these systems in action throughout the world. Coast Software is a US Representative for Asta Development offering regional support and training. Download a trial version of Asta’s powerful yet easy-to-use applications at www.astadev.com.

SUN27 - CPM to GPM – Easing the Transition

Planning and scheduling as we know it today has been around since the early 1900’s. Henry Gantt introduced the first bar chart in the 1910’s, and in the late 1950’s, Kelley and Walker developed the Critical Path Method (CPM). In 2008, a new scheduling algorithm known as the Graphical Path Method® (GPM) was introduced by Dr. Gui Ponce de Leon. CPM and GPM share some important things in common, but there are also some fundamental differences between the two scheduling methods. This paper presents a number of GPM concepts previously nonexistent in CPM. Once understood, these concepts can yield significant advantages and efficiencies to project management professionals and non-professionals alike. Understanding these core differences forms the basis for getting started with GPM and quickly improving your planning and scheduling outcomes.

SUN28 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Sunday, 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM -- 75 minute session

SUN31 - Intro to Acumen Fuse software

Acumen Fuse® is a project metric analysis and visualization tool assessing schedule, cost, risk and project performance. Using advanced analytics and libraries of metrics, Fuse® provides a powerful means of pinpointing problematic areas and activities within a project and providing solutions for resolution. Advanced slice and dice analysis is achieved through a unique visualization approach using Acumen Fuse ribbons which can be generated by activity fields and custom attributes. This session will explore use of Acumen Fuse on a variety of CPM software file formats including Oracle Primavera P6 and Risk Analysis (Pertmaster,) Deltek Open Plan, Microsoft Project 2010, and others.
Fuse can be used for improving the quality of plans, assessing bids and sub-contractor schedules as well as powerful forensics during construction claims and disputes.
    Demo software may be downloaded at http://www.projectacumen.com/products/fuse/trial

SUN32 - Critical Path 2.0

Critical Path, version 1.0,was invented in the late 1950’s. It is a beautiful product of the human brain;it focuses project managers on activities that impact the project duration. However, some people say there are often gaps in their Critical Path and that they hardly ever see a complete Critical Path in their schedule. Others say that the Critical Path does not work after you have leveled the workloads; as soon as you start delaying tasks to address over-allocations, the Critical Path becomes fragmented and incomplete. These are real issues that an international working group initiated by Eric Uyttewaal has addressed. Eric will share the findings of this working group in this presentation and present to you what they would like to present as the second version of the Critical Path theory: Critical Path 2.0. The document produced by the working group is meant to become a standard for scheduling software that software vendors can aspire to. After 60 years, it is time for Critical Path 2.0! Come and see for yourself if this is indeed the direction that you want scheduling software to take.

SUN33 - Practical Use of Oracle’s Primavera P6 EPPM NTP to 1st Update Report

This session will lead attendees in the proper use of Oracle Primavera P6 EPPM from Notice-to-Proceed (or acceptance of the initial baseline schedule) to delivery of the first update report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. This session is taught by two veteran users of P6™, Hannah Schumacher, Director of Scheduling Services for FDI Planning Consultants (www.fdiplan.com) and Charlie Jackson, Vice President of Primavera Services for Hill International (www.hillintl.com).

Many Contract Documents are now requiring the use of the latest version of Primavera software (P6™) due to its enterprise capabilities and its use of latest technologies including the capabilities to interact other software applications; therefore it is important for the Scheduler to understand how to use this software most efficiently in their battle to complete their projects in a timely manner.

Primavera’s latest release of P6™ contains many features that can assist in developing schedules quickly and efficiently. However, a new or in-experienced user would be overwhelmed in the struggle to prepare the schedule using P6™ and these advanced features without proper training or “Basic Training”.
This session will focus on the presenters’ experiences and their lessons learned regarding the effective use of P6 ™ in the schedule development process as they apply to the Planning and Scheduling development processes. The Scheduler should be able to apply the implementation and execution “Lessons Learned” outlined in this presentation to develop schedules quickly and efficiently using P6™.

SUN34 - Intro to Micro Planner software

This session will lead attendees from download of Micro Planner Manager software from the Micro Planner International website to delivery of the first update report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. Taught by a member of the team that developed the latest version of Micro Planner Manager and Micro Planner X-Pert.

Demo software may be downloaded at http://www.microplanning.com

SUN35 - PMI COS SEI Town Hall Session

Based upon our Attendee Survey, this year's SEI Town hall will be on "Preferred Methods for Analysis of Delay." Join the lively debate on this topic. Please - no throwing of chairs this year. Conducted by Chris Carson, Chair Scheduling Excellence Initiative (SEI) PMI Scheduling Community of Practice (SCoP).

SUN36 - Linear scheduling integration in a CPM network

For linear projects such as road, transmission line, rail, pipeline or tunnel projects, linear planning is the method of choice as it reflects both schedule and location based constraints such as environmental, permitting, crossings, rivers and elevation. TILOS™ incorporates all distance and schedule data into to a single time location (march chart) or a Gantt chart, allowing the project team to readily understand the challenges of the project, optimize the plan and manage the execution of the job.
TILOS™ presents a new approach of how the CPM can be enhanced to meet demands of linear schedules. Special distance based constraints for activity relationships can be defined in order to prevent crew overlaps. The results of these constraints are converted to two time-based lags on which the CPM network is calculated, including floats and critical path information. Data in TILOS ™ can easily be exchanged with other project management systems such as Primavera™ or Microsoft Project™.
This session will demonstrate a complete project lifecycle using TILOS™ to: rapidly create a schedule based on templates and site data; explore the use of the tool for execution and project control; and illustrate data exchange with Primavera™
Demo software may be downloaded at http://www.linearproject.com/tilos-trial-version-en.html

SUN37 - Schedule Integration on a Mega-Project

There are many options and variables for schedule control on construction projects. Most of the options start with the critical path method (CPM), and examples of the variables may include, amongst others: level of detail, frequency of updates, amount of integration, software of choice, and approach to resources. Decisions on these variables will vary from project to project and are influenced by many factors. The decisions and method of implementation can have a large impact on the success of the schedule control process and the project in general.

Joe Marshall of Marathon Petroleum Company and John Zann of PMA Consultants will discuss how a multi-billion dollar project successfully integrated the owner’s master schedule with various subcontractor schedules and an owner controlled system turnover schedule. The following examines the possible approaches to schedule integration, the integration approach chosen by the project and the challenges that were overcome.

SUN38 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Sunday, 3:35 PM to 4:50 PM -- 75 minute session

SUN41 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Guide Specification on CPM

Jeff Huneycutt will discuss the expectations of the COE relating to preparation and utlization of a CPM.

SUN42 - Writing the Narrative for Initial and CPM and Updates by Delbert Bearden, PSP

SUN43 - Overview of P6 Release 8 Risk Module

One of the finer enhancements in Primavera P6 Release 8 is the improved capabilities of the Risk Module. While the Risk module has been available in earlier releases of P6, the functionality necessary for beneficial risk tracking on projects was limited and infrequently used by organizations. With Primavera P6 release 8, the Risk Module has been greatly enhanced to provide a robust risk register for projects. Enhanced capabilities for documenting Risk Response Plans, Risk Scoring, and text fields to document cause and effect are now available in the Risk Module in Primavera P6.
This presentation will provide an overview of the core functionality contained in the P6 Risk Module as well as provide information related to administrative elements to effectively use the Risk Module in P6 release 8.
Presented by Brian Criss of DRMcNatty & Associates, an Oracle Gold Partner specialized in Primavera project management tools providing Oracle and other software products, Certified Training and Implementation consulting, project support services and full system hosting services on a global basis. DRMcNatty & Associates, Inc. is a CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Certified Woman Owned Business.

SUN44 - ADM v PDM - Micro Planner is Versatile in Both

The original ADM format of CPM is still preferred in many instances, including litigation. Join Micro Planner founder Raf Dua in discussing comparing precedence diagrams (PDM) with arrow diagrams (ADM), problems of Lag Drag in Precedence, and how Micro Planner can bridge this all-but-lost art.

SUN45 - The CIOB Initiative - An International Strategy for Improved Time Management on Complex Projects

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is an international body mandated to promote excellence in construction management which was granted the Royal Charter in 1980. In 2008, the CIOB embarked upon a 5 year strategy to provide standards, education, training and accreditation in time management. This paper will introduce the CIOB’s strategy for the improvement of time management on complex projects.
Phase 1 was carried out between December 2007 and January 2008. This was the CIOB’s research into the industry’s knowledge and experience of different methods of project control and time management. Phase 2 was the publication of the “Guide to Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects” in December 2010, which identifies the standards to be achieved to minimise the risk of delay to completion of construction projects. Phase 3, the development of accreditation is in preparation with the first examination structure, a Certificate in Time Management, intended to be available in July 2012. Phase 4, the production of a new standard form of contract, fit for use in the 21st century and of international application, is in its final draft stage and is due to be published in February 2012.

Presented by Keith Pickavance, Past President CIOB.

SUN46 - Power-Using Schedule Analyzer Software

Come find out the secrets of the hidden power-user features of Schedule Analyzer from customizable intelligent dictionaries to report editing tools that make documenting schedule deficiencies a breeze. Integrate P6 directly into your review process for the ultimate in ‘drill down’ functionality. Investigate calendar changes from years ago. Appreciate some of the unusual Schedule Analyzer reports that will open new vistas to building a better schedule. This session is presented by the software developer, Ron Winter, PSP.

SUN47 - Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Scheduling of Construction Projects

This presentation discusses a mathematical model for construction scheduling considering project scheduling characteristics generally ignored in prior research: precedence relationships, multiple crew-strategies, extreme weather impact, and time-cost trade-off. Previous scheduling formulations have not traditionally addressed the impact of extreme weather conditions on construction time and cost. The model minimizes two vital objectives of construction projects, namely, the duration and the total cost. This works best in areas with extreme weather, where construction productivity highly fluctuates during the year. In order to optimize these two important objectives, the model optimizes the resource utilization of the project activities as well as the project start date. This presentation will discuss the development of the model formulation to identify the decision variables and optimization objectives for this important construction scheduling problem; and the implementation of the model using three modules (i.e., scheduling, total cost computation, and multi-objective genetic algorithm). Presented by Ahmed Senouci, Member, ASCE and Saleh Mubarak, Member, PMI, Dept. of Civil & Architectural Engineering, Qatar University.

SUN48 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Monday, 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM -- 75 minute session -- main auditorium

MON00 - Keynote Session - The Business of Planning & Scheduling

Dr. Patricia D. Galloway, P.E. - CEO of Pegasus Global Holdings, Inc. - will discuss the operation of a CPM consulting firm (as well as "in-house" scheduling departments) with an emphasis on assisting the end user complete the project in a timely (and profitable) fashion.

Dr. Patricia Galloway is CEO of Pegasus Global Holdings, an international management consulting company providing strategic advice to executive management and boards in the power, oil and gas and infrastructure industries. She serves on the Discovery Science Channel’s Advisory Board and the National Science Board, appointed by President Bush in 2006 for a six-year term. Dr. Galloway also serves as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and is a member of their construction, commercial, large case and international panels as well as a member of the AAA Board of Directors. She has authored over 150 papers and articles, including the author of the book entitled The 21st Century Engineer by ASCE Press. Dr. Galloway is a Past President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and is a member of the National Academy of Construction, the Pan American Academy of Engineering, and the National Association of Corporate Directors.


Monday, 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM -- 75 minute session

MON11 - Tips for Forensic Experts

Daniel Te Young of Vezina, Lawrence & Piscitelli, P.A., will provide tips for attendees on being a forensic expert in the field of construction delays and disruptions

MON12 - Humphreys on EVM

This lesson focuses on various earned value measurement techniques, the challenge of planning and recording status for material, equipment and purchased services and will introduce the basics of both numerical and graphical analysis. It focuses on techniques for validating performance measurement data as presented in Contract Performance Reports. It reviews the various earned value data analysis techniques and includes methods of creating and graphically analyzing performance trends. The lesson focuses on EV based methods of forecasting and validating Estimates at Completion (EACs) and considers the impact of baseline changes on EAC computations.
Presented by Paul F. Bolinger, Engagement Director, Humphreys & Associates, Inc.

MON13 - "Optimizing P6 8.1 with Critigen's Primavera EPPM Cloud subscription solution."

For 25 years Oracle Primavera has been recognized as the leading choice for mission critical Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (EPPM) solutions. Until recently, companies had to invest significant upfront resources in order to build and maintain a sufficient IT infrastructure to support their Primavera solutions. With the advent of Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings, companies can now simply plug-in to pre-configured solutions with an internet connection. Critigen’s new EPPM Cloud solution provides this cloud functionality so that Primavera tools can be used within a web-based monthly subscription service - www.EPPMCloud.com.
John Wolf, Product Manager EPPM Cloud will discuss how Critigen and Oracle have partnered to make the Primavera accessible and economical in an enterprise cloud environment. You will learn how companies can leverage the world class functionality in Critigen’s EPPM Cloud more quickly and at a fraction of the traditional costs of in-house, on-premise solutions. Existing Primavera users will find the transition to EPPM Cloud to be rapid and efficient as your existing Primavera configuration, integrations, data and reports can be migrated quickly to EPPM Cloud without project interruption. If you are new to Primavera, then Critigen’s Quick Start Package is the fastest way to start working with Primavera.

MON14 - Acumen Fuse - Case Study – Successful Dispute Resolution using Acumen Fuse

This presentation describes how the use of schedule and risk metrics proved invaluable in helping to determine the root cause of project failure and associated legal dispute regarding a major construction project. Used as part of a highly successful expert witness testimony, the results from this project metric analysis helped not only determine the root cause of schedule/cost overruns but also gave new insight into how to accelerate the project going forward. Pinpointing root cause of schedule delays as well as determining the realism and risk exposure surrounding both parties respective project schedules was key to resolution.
   The presentation discusses specific schedule and risk metrics and techniques that helped resolution be achieved that ultimately provided benefit for both parties.

MON 15 - Hospital Construction with Virtual Construction and Location-based Scheduling

Hospital construction in California is very competitive and rigorous. Not only do hospitals need to serve their communities with the finest services possible, but they also have to compete for the best doctors, nurses, and care staff, so the facilities need to be state of the art. Hospitals are also the lifeline of the community when an emergency strikes, and now according to law, they need to be able to withstand earthquakes with mechanical systems intact.
Join Chris Pechacek from McCarthy as he details the construction philosophy and practice for a large hospital project in California. This session will focus on location-based scheduling techniques and on-site production control. Lessons learned from this complex hospital project are useful on all types of construction projects around the globe. But the key is having a 3D model integrated with the location-based schedule and managing continuous workflow using Location-based management methods.

MON16 - Intro to PMA Netpoint - Facilitating an Electronic Interactive Full Wall

This session will lead attendees from download of Netpoint software from PMA's website to delivery of the first update report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. Taught by a member of the PMA team. Netpoint.

MON17 - Introduction to Oracle’s Primavera P3 Project Planner Software

This session will lead attendees from download of Primavera P3 software from Oracle's website to delivery of the first update report to management of the Contractor and the Owner. Taught by a veteran user of Primavera P3, Ted Douglas, emphasis will be given to Primavera P3's professional features, superior calculations, and ease of use.

MON18 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Monday, 11:10 AM to 12:25 PM -- 75 minute session

MON21 - The Streamlined Expert Report

The expert report is the culmination of a forensic consultant's analysis and the single most important work product for the assignment. Focusing on our experience as scheduling and productivity experts, this paper discusses strategies in writing a defensible report, including the basic elements of the report, tactical issues such as timing, discovery and testimony as well as a brief outline of the legal requirements for expert reports.
Presented by Kenji Hoshino, CFCC, PSP and Kelly Wallace of Project Controls & Forensics, LLC.

MON22 - Applying Earned Value on Small and Large Projects

Today, more than ever before, the pressure on project participants to deliver more with fewer resources on a tightly constrained schedule demands the use of an earned value based management process. However, there is a widespread perception in the industry that implementing an earned value based system will bring an added degree of bureaucracy and paperwork that may outweigh the benefits derived from it.
Mr. Pradip Mehta, PMP, CCE, PSP, EVP, PMI-SP, RMP, will address a few streamlined approaches to get the most out of implementing earned value on both small as well as large projects. It will also examine different elements that play an important role in determining how effective earned value will be for you in your particular application. He will also discuss few case studies to expose some of the dangers and pitfalls of the "strict" interpretation of variance data related to earned value.

MON23 - Using the Measured Mile to Increase Calculated Delay Quantum

Traditionally, productivity analyses and delay analyses are treated separately as two different methodologies and often prepared as separate work products. In reality, however, both analyses address productivity issues. A Delay Analysis can be used, in part, as a measure of the inefficient use of time. A Productivity Analysis measures the inefficient use of resources. This presentation draws correlations between the two products. These correlations can be used to increase the calculated delay quantum by using the results of a “Measured Mile” analysis and thereby increasing the number of days for which the time driven cost damages are attributable.
Presented by Glen R. Palmer, PSP, CFCC, who is widely experienced in all dispute resolution analyses and has testified as an expert, and Jeff Ottesen, PE, PSP, CFCC, also provides expert consulting services to owners, contractors, sureties, and legal counsel in the power, process, transportation, building and heavy civil sectors.

MON24 - RDCPM® in Oracle’s Primavera Risk Analysis (aka Pertmaster)

"PRA" is promoted by Oracle as an add-on to provide robust risk analysis. But it is also a robust and fully featured product for performing primary CPM schedule and resource leveling. And it is the only product that is currently RDCPM® Compliant Certified. Come learn how the RDCPM® features of "PRA" can improve your schedule and project control.

MON25 - Schedule Planning and Production Control in Vico Office

This advanced course is designed for planning teams who want to learn more about location-based management theory and how it is used in complex, commercial construction projects. 4D BIM scheduling is comprised of 4 components in Vico Office: quantities by location, flowline theory, on-site production control, and 4D movie simulations. In this session, we will focus on the planning functional subset of locations, flowline, and using scheduling simulations to explain the project to the Owner. However, as any good Scheduler knows, planning the schedule is only half the battle; the other half is managing to the schedule on-site. We will examine the skills and toolsets necessary to perform on-site production control. We will tackle measuring work put in place by location and comparing actuals to planned; using forecasts to help Supers see potential conflicts far in advance; and working as a team to solve scheduling conflicts and avoid cascading delays.
Participants in this session will enjoy a deep dive into:

  • Location Breakdown Structure: Intrinsic to model-based scheduling is the planner’s ability to define multiple location structures for trade-specific work sequences. These locations are then used to perform location-based quantity takeoff which is the input for location-based cost and schedule planning.
  • Schedule Planning: In model-based scheduling, the planning process is a scientific derivation of the BIM model geometry for quantities, combined with locations and crew productivity rates.
  • Flowline Theory: This scheduling approach asserts that subcontractors can work at optimum productivity rates with optimum safety and craftsmanship if their location is free of unnecessary materials and other crews and if they work continuously from location to location.
  • Scheduling Simulation: Your Owner deliverables should be more than a simple schedule movie – it needs to be a powerful playback of the scientifically-derived Flowline schedule based on quantities by location and crew productivity rates. Use it to illustrate the schedule to the Owner, supplemented by the cost- and resource-loaded schedule.
  • On-Site Monitoring: Using a simple Control Chart, team members update the Task per Location status on a daily or weekly basis and project stakeholders can easily identify schedule problems.
  • Forecasts: Forecasting tools enable planners to easily analyze project schedules based on actual progress.
  • What-If Scenarios: Run what-if scenarios to determine outcomes should work continue as-is.
  • Collaborative Planning: Design solutions to alleviate the problem (more manpower, different locations, commitments from other Subs).
  • Communication: Design 4D simulations specifically for each trade to better communicate what needs to be achieved on-site.
Model-based scheduling introduces a host of new skills and deliverables for the planning team. Learn what it takes to use BIM models to power your scheduling workflow and to offer the Owner a completely different experience with cost-and resource-loaded schedules that are updated during the construction phase of a project. Cost-loaded schedules allow project teams to determine planned cost at a point in time and compare that to the actual cost from reported completion. Creating and maintaining these deliverables, as well as creating the progress reports, is only possible with a solution tightly integrated around the 3D model, the 4D schedule, and the 5D estimate.

MON26 - Managing LightRail Projects with a Lightweight Team

The Exposition Light Rail Construction Authority is building a light rail line from Union Station in Los Angeles to Santa Monica. In order to help manage the large volumes of paperwork with a small team, they are taking advantage of Oracle Primavera P6 and Contract Management. The systems use LDAP authentication, and Sharepoint as the content repository. A custom document upload portal allows external contractors to create new items such as RFIs and Proposals in Contract Management and to link those documents into Sharepoint, where they are tagged with searchable metadata. Custom Workflows in Sharepoint then allow simple routing and approval of the documents.
Presented by Daniel Williams.

MON27 - Bridging from Oracle’s Primavera P3 to Primavera P6

This session will assist those users of Primavera P3 or Primavera SureTrak who desire to move up to Primavera P6. Taught by a member of the Primavera team that developed the latest version of Primavera P6.

MON28 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Monday, 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM -- 75 minute session

MON31 - Past Present Future Status of RP-29

The newest revision to AACE’s Recommended Practice on Forensic Schedule Analyses – RP29R-03 was published in May of 2011. This 2011 revision is the culmination of nearly eight years of work by dozens, if not hundreds of individuals. Through its’ revisions it has emerged as a stronger document with more general support that might have been believed when first published in 2007. Certain battles that have been well publicized seem to have been largely resolved and the document has incorporated the best of all the contributors and commentators ideas. Editors and contributors, Kenji Hoshino (khoshino@pcfconsultants.com) and John Livengood (John.Livengood@arcadis-us.com) will provide an overview of the RP’s history, a detailed discussion of the current edition, and a technical explanation of nine different schedule delay methodologies detailed in the RP. They will also provide a glimpse of what the AACE has in store for the RP and the forthcoming work in support of the RP being done by the PMI Scheduling Community of Practice and other organizations. The RP is available for free from the AACE at http://www.aacei.org/resources/rp/.

MON32 - Intro to Deltek COBRA

MON33 - Real-Life Application of Oracle Primavera Contract Management's Daily Report Module

The best backup documentation to any schedule, especially if it ever goes to claim, is a daily record of what happened on the project, preferably tied to the schedule. Primavera's Contract Management software provides a web based environment with a great deal of functionality and the ability to tie Daily Reports to the schedule. However, Daily Reports (or Inspection Reports) are often very specific to how different organizations do business and the standard Contract Management Interface gets you only part way there. While CM supports an unlimited number of custom fields, it does not give you the flexibility to arrange or present these fields in a user-friendly manner. This presentation will show how DRMcNatty & Associates has assisted several owner clients in deploying organization specific interfaces, through web browsers, that provide practical solutions to what can be a complicated issue - Inspection Daily Reports. One implementation was credited by the client with reducing their annual costs for inspection reporting by $175,000.
Presented by Don McNatty , Vice President, D. R. McNatty & Associates, Inc.

MON34 - Intro to Construction Market Surveying

Construction Market Surveys which include market pricing studies, economic/escalation studies, union and PLA surveys, and local/small business capability surveys are utilized by large Owners, including the Federal and State Agencies in preparation for large-scale construction projects. These studies aid owners in identifying risks, setting project budgets and schedules, and evaluating procurement options. This workshop will introduce the topic in addition to covering successful and unsuccessful surveying techniques and report writing techniques.
Presented by Basil P. Alexander, P.E., Esq., CCE, LEED AP of O’Connor Construction Management, Inc.

MON35 - Integrated Planning and Scheduling for Advanced Technology Projects

This session focuses on developing, implementing and operating integrated schedules for advanced technology projects in the semiconductor, biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Processes, methods and examples are drawn from real world projects. As well, lessons learned – both the dos and don’ts – gathered from these projects will be discussed. This session examines the full life cycle of an integrated schedule. It includes discovery at the very beginning, designing the schedule, access for different users, pilot testing the solution, introducing the schedule into operation, operating the schedule, reporting to the various audiences, and closing out at the end of the project. This session will be presented by Barry Meyers, Managing Director Enterprise Solutions, and Stephanie Thatcher, President, at ORCAS Project Controls (www.orcasnetwork.com).

MON 36 - Scheduling Best Practices: Beyond the 14 Point Assessment

DCMA’s 14 Point Assessment has received a lot of attention over the past few years, to the point that it is now recognized as the leading diagnostic test for integrated master schedules (IMS) within several government agencies. However, the assessment is by nature a “lagging indicator” in terms of a schedule’s development and subsequent implementation in support of a project or program. Both the government and its contracting community are starting to understand this nuance, and are placing much more emphasis on up front utilization of industry-recognized standards and practices as the best way to develop a sound project or program schedule. This presentation will focus on the efforts of four entities in relation to scheduling standards/practices, two being specific to government contracting while the other two are professional associations that strive to be recognized across all industries. The goal of the resulting discussion will not be to decide which of the four has produced the “best” set of recommendations, but rather to provide attendees with a broad body of knowledge that can and should be used to develop better schedules in the future.

Presented by Michael R. Nosbisch, CCC, PSP, President of AACE International, and Managing Principal, Western Region, Project Time & Cost, Inc.

MON37 - Updating and Understanding Project Status in Phoenix Project Manager

Phoenix Project Manager 3 is a project-focused CPM scheduling tool for the construction, energy and architecture/engineering markets.
In this session, Jay Poulsen, President of Phoenix Project Management, will explain the process of updating a project's status in Phoenix Project Manager, and how Phoenix provides tools to make the update process easier.
Mr. Poulsen will also discuss how Phoenix's unique Status-on-Master/Status-on-Current progress displays help contractors and owners better understand where a project is ahead or behind schedule, and what that means for the project.

MON38 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Monday, 3:35 PM to 4:50 PM -- 75 minute session

MON41 - Rushed Projects Mistakes Owners Make That Cause Claims

A panel discussion, double session from 3:35 until 6:00, led by Jim Zack and Toshi Dezaki of Navigant.
Too many owners feel compelled to rush their projects to construction. Time to market, inflation costs, expiring patent rights, funding deadlines, purchase agreement requirements and Court orders are but few of the reasons given for getting projects underway quickly. This session focuses on mistakes owner’s make when they rush their projects to construction. These mistakes give rise to claims, disputes and sometimes, failure. This panel consists of an experienced senior public works owner; an in-house counsel for a contractor; a seasoned construction litigator; and a well experienced construction consultant. Each will present their own lists of most common mistakes made when rushing projects out the door for bidding, based on their experience and perspective. From these lists, the panel will select the “Top Ten Mistakes Owners Make” offering them as a take away for the audience.

MON42 - Introduction to Oracle Business Tools

Overview of how Primavera uses Oracle BI technology for reporting and Analytics

MON43 - Project Planning – Then Scheduling

Effective project planning begins and ends with the efforts of the project team. How well the project team has developed the project plan can contribute to the success or failure of the project. The project schedule is one of many project management tools used to measure progress against the overall project plan. There are any numbers of reasons that projects do not complete as scheduled. Too often the blame is placed on the project schedule. The reality is that the project was probably not properly planned and subsequently that flawed plan was “interpreted” into a schedule to fit the project’s required completion date.

This session will focus on the necessary elements of project planning and the actions required by the project team in order to translate that plan into a meaningful project schedule which will serve as a navigation tool to guide the project team toward successful and “on time” project completion. Presented by Ted Douglas.

MON44 - How to Deal with a Contractor’s Schedule that Cannot be Approved

The contractor’s schedule cannot be approved, Where do we go from here?
Presented by Chris Carson of Alpha Corporation

It is in the best interests of any project to get an approved as-planned schedule in place as soon as possible to ensure that appropriate planning is done, to allow management of the project for both the Contractor and the Owner, to provide a basis for analysis of trending, completion predictions, and delay, and to develop validated documentation in support of future resolution of disputes. This is also true of schedule updates; approved updates contribute to project success through fewer disagreements as to the intent of the schedule in addition to providing the basis for analysis. Clearly the as-planned portion of the schedules must model the Contractor’s means and methods of construction, the as-built portion must accurately represent the history, and the schedule must meet contractual requirements as well as represent a reasonable approach to scheduling all work outside the Contractor’s responsibility.

If a schedule does not support these goals, it likely does not meet industry best practices closely enough to be approved without the Owner taking on risks embedded in or resulting from the approved schedule. In addition, schedule approval is a process that is designed to improve the quality of schedules and protect the owner and contractor. Many and likely most owner representatives provide identification of deficiencies as well as recommendations for improvement of scheduling best practices.

Unfortunately, too many projects start without approved schedules, and sometimes the schedules are never approved. This raises risks to both the Contractor and the Owner. However, if the risks of approving the schedule are higher than the risks and benefits to the project of approving that schedule, the schedule should be rejected. In the case of rejection, knowing what to do and how to deal with a project that does not have an approved schedule in place can be very important to the success of the project and protection of the two party’s interests.

MON45 - The Great Divorce: Cost Loaded Schedule Updating

Cost and resource loaded CPM network schedules provide detailed planning information to the owner’s project management team; many owners require them for projects above a certain size. But network schedules are designed to measure and manage time, not dollars. During the course of construction, resource or cost drivers can make CPM schedule calculations invalid. Unpaid remnants of activities in progress (paid to 97% and holding) can distort the schedule by increasing "out-of-sequence" reporting. Schedule updates must provide valid projections of completion in order to support the management team.
This presentation will evaluate the problems inherent in using cost-loaded schedule updates as the basis for progress payments. The author recommends steps toward a "divorce" of the cost tracking from the schedule tracking during the course of construction. Presented by John Orr, PSP of URS Corporation.

MON46 - Developing Low Cost Earned Value Performance Management using Micro Planner X-Pert

MON47 - The Shard Of Glass and London Bridge Quarter Virtual Construction Model - by Synchro Professional

The tallest high-rise tower in Europe, a new building icon for the London skyline and new city hub for London Olympics 2012. Mace Group began preconstruction activities with Synchro in 2007. learn how Synchro was used right from the beginning and is still active today in the project planning and scheduling process. Learn from two perspectives; the Synchro User and separately from the Project Planner. The speaker’s theme from first person experience is “What to expect from 4D CPM and Synchro, how to get it, and what it brings to the process throughout the project”. Presented by Stephen Dolan, UK Managing Director Synchro Ltd.

MON48 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Monday, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM -- 60 minute session

MON51 - Continuation of Panel Discussion

Rushed Projects Mistakes Owners Make That Cause Claims

MON52 - Practical Use of Earned Value for Real-time Forecast and Control

Britt Creer, PMP, ARES Software Project Management Consultant has over 15 years in implementing Earned Value Management and Project Controls best practices and procedures for the Oil & Gas, Commercial Construction, Aerospace, Department of Energy, and Nuclear industries for waste and new build – helping customers deliver solutions for improved Cost and Project Management. Most recently, Britt focused on establishing Project Management Office methodologies in the Nuclear Waste industry along with assisting the Chinese Nuclear New Build industry.
This presentation will discuss the fundamentals of earned value (EV) management, best practices applied and the return on investment achieved when applying EV as a management tool. In this session, you will leave with practical application of EV and learn how to apply subjective methods for progressing work, measure earned value, analyze data, and forecast project completion costs.

MON53 - OPSIG Oracle Primavera Special Interest Group Network Event

The Oracle Primavera Special Interest Group (OPSIG), under the guidance and support form Oracle Applications User Group (OAUG) and Quest International Users Group (Quest) and Oracle Primavera Global Business Unit, will hold an information and networking session for Primavera Users. Our featured speaker will be Dick Faris, Primavera Co-Founder & Oracle Senior Vice President.

The session will focus on the OPSIG objective, as an user run organization, providing the Oracle Primavera user communities to:

1. Share best practices and techniques within and across different user environments and communities.
2. Provide a forum for discussion and education on Oracle Primavera products, applications, and related issue.
3. Provide a forum to identify, document, and recommend enhancements to Oracle Primavera as a collective group of users.
4. Provide user sessions and meetings at the annual Oracle Users Conference, COLLABORATE, and at the annual Oracle OpenWorld conference.


Attendees will gain an insight of the OPSIG’s organization and its relationship with OAUG, Quest, and Oracle Primavera. In addition, you will have an opportunity to share your desires for the OPSIG. For more information on OPSIG, click HERE

MON54 - MPUG - Microsoft Users Group Networking EventUnder development and details TBD

MON55 - Planning & Scheduling Committee Meeting

All are invited to this networking event of theoreticians and practitioners. Sponsored by the AACEi Scheduling Group.
Light refreshment to be provided by Schedule Analyzer Software.

MON56 - TPG PMCS Enterprise 2010

Controls and Financials for Capital Project and Program Management
TPG Project Management Control System (TPG PMCS) is designed to be the industry’s leading solution for project and financial controls for capital project and program management within diverse industries. The solution was conceived in 2009 by TPG and Jacobs Engineering Group to fulfill the requirements for managing the financials, schedules, and project controls for one of the world’s largest capital programs by creating an Enterprise-wide single point of entry which is capable of integrating core internal systems such as SAP, Oracle, Primavera, and replacing many of the needed islands of tools.
The focus of the solution is to create an Enterprise-Wide collaboration environment which provides control and visibility of program and project operations, decreases costs by eliminating administrative burdens due to excessive data entry and analysis of multiple systems, efficiently and effectively forces the business to operate as a single unit based on best practice process methodologies, and leverages internal systems to their maximum capabilities.

MON57 - A demonstration of P6 R8 on YOUR LAPTOP using Critigen's hosting service

Bring your laptop to this session for a live demonstration of P6 R8 without the need to augment your company IT department.

MON58 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Tuesday, 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM -- 75 minute session

TUE00 - Keynote Session - Do you have what it takes to be a claims consultant?

Rocco Vespe, P.E., of Hill International, Inc., will discuss the proper administration of a consulting firm specializing in Claims Resolution.
Rocco R. Vespe, P.E., F.CMAA, Vice President of Hill International, Inc., the world’s largest claims consulting firm, will discuss the basics of construction claims, the reasons why disputes and claims occur, and the skills and experience necessary to review, evaluate, and resolve claims.


Tuesday, 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM -- 75 minute session

TUE11 - Time Extension Requests – A Checklist

Contractors are required to submit time extension requests in order to modify the time of performance of the project. Owners, A/E’s and CM’s are required to review extension of time requests and decide whether to grant them or not. As far back as 1909 U.S. Federal Courts have established a set of rules governing when times extensions are owed by the owner. This presentation summarizes the rules concerning both excusable and compensable delay and identified two new potentially “game changing” Federal Court rulings concerning times extensions.
Presented by James G. Zack, Jr., CFCC, CCM, FAACE, FRICS, PMP, Executive Director, Navigant Construction Forum and Joseph Guarino, Partner, Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald

TUE12 - Oracle's Primavera P6 Tips & Tricks

This favorite of sessions for experienced Primavera P6 users will explore tips and tricks that have been discovered by or reported to the Oracle team responsible for this product.

TUE13 - Was the Project Really Late? (An Introduction to Schedule Risk Analysis.)

We’ve all seen the statistics about how many projects are completed late, and project managers’ hand-wringing about why this should be. But maybe they are asking the wrong question. Maybe the right question to ask is where their expectations about when projects should be completed come from.
If a weather forecaster predicts rain and it doesn’t rain, we don’t say the weather is wrong. Rather we place the blame squarely on the forecaster. So why, when we fail to finish a project on the predicted date, do we blame the project for being “late”? Was the project late, or was the prediction unrealistic?
I suggest that the single most important reason why projects do not finish when expected is because our expectations are hopelessly optimistic. And a major reason for this is that project plans based on deterministic CPM do not take account of uncertainty. (The only thing we know for sure about a deterministic projection is that it will be wrong.)
The project completion date resulting from deterministic CPM is wrong not only in its failure to capture the uncertainty in this date, but also in being systematically biased towards optimism. So it is no wonder that our projects are “late.”
The paper will conclude with an explanation of how schedule risk analysis works, with special reference to Barbecana’s Full Monte, and how it results in more realistic expectations.

TUE14 - BIM and CPM – World Class Planning Requires World Class Communication

Project Planners do more than plan…they collaborate, integrate, and communicate. As such, they must stay abreast of powerful technologies. They can benefit from whole-team use of a Building Information Modeling solution. The 3D, 4D, and 5D capabilities of BIM create an opportunity for project planners to craft better project plans, engage more of the project stakeholders for their inputs, evaluate the impact of potential changes in scope, improve safety and logistics, and produce powerful rich output for the other stakeholders. Owners are increasingly demanding the use of BIM and the integrated model as deliverable, so consider advancing your career and being a leader in this new potent skill that is part science and art, and constantly improving…and more and more affordable. The highest and best use of BIM is used in a Lean Workflow. (Lean Construction Institute Maxim: “Efforts to manage and improve performance are aimed at improving total project performance because it is more important than reducing the cost or increasing the speed of any activity.”) You are on the threshold of helping your teams achieve an unprecedented level of performance.

Presented by Ken Stowe, P.E. Autodesk Construction Business Development – North America

TUE15 - The CPM Schedule is not always an accurate reflection of the Construction Plan

As CPM schedules become overpopulated with data from multiple sources, the focus shifts to creating management controls for every aspect of the project within one source, the CPM Schedule. Although cost and resource data is useful in the right dosage, when does it become too much data? Change event fragnets, material and labor cost data, labor hours, equipment and material resources can all weigh down the usefulness of a good scheduling plan for the projects construction. The schedule then diverges from being an effective management tool for construction activity and when this occurs, can have little or no correlation to what is actually taking place on the project. This presentation will review a few project case studies to focus on some of the key causes of schedule divergence from the construction plan and provide some insight as to how the management team can avoid such pitfalls and keep the schedule on track.
Presented by Andy Roeser, P.E., PSP, of Capital Project Management, Inc.

TUE16 - Conversion and Comparison of Microsoft Project to and from Oracle Primavera P6

In the modern age of computer aided CPM scheduling, the user has many different programs to choose from in which to schedule a project. P6 has defined itself as the program of choice for more frequent sophisticated users and complex projects. Microsoft Project has been the simpler, cost effective, user friendly alternative.
By taking a past project created in Primavera 6 (P6) and recreating it in Microsoft Project (MSP) a variety of tools can be compared and contrasted between the two programs: user interface, logic, calendars, resources, cost, activities ID’s, exporting/importing, updating, reporting, and overall program use.
Based on this case study of the two programs and the criteria above a comparison will be created between them that will help bridge the gap for greater industry understanding and functionality of the programs.
Presented by Aaron Harper of Scheduling Consultants, Ltd.

TUE17 - Bringing the Power of Cloud-Based Collaboration to Project Scheduling

Cloud-based construction project management applications are the latest innovation in construction project management, but how can web applications work with established scheduling tools like Microsoft Project and Primavera P6? Do project managers and schedulers have to give up using their familiar scheduling software, all in the name of progress?
Procore's cloud-based construction project management software integrates with industry-standard scheduling tools such as MS Project in order to bring collaboration to construction scheduling. In addition, Procore can integrate with client-server applications such as construction accounting software packages to provide a hybrid cloud-and-client server suite of tools for construction project management.
Presented by Mark Lyons (805) 290-4188

TUE18 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Tuesday, 11:10 AM to 12:25 PM -- 75 minute session

TUE21 - Attorneys Prepare for the Mock Trial

While the Mock Trial is theatre, the preparation required for a trial is real. Daniel D. McMillan and Jeffrey B. Kirzner of Jones Day, the attorneys who will be featured in the Mock Trial, will explain the preparation required for trial of a complex construction dispute. They will discuss the roles of testifying experts, consultants and jobsite staff, factual investigation and development, common pitfalls made by owners and contractors and trial strategy. They will also discuss alternative forms of dispute resolution used in the construction industry, such as arbitration, mediation and disputes review boards, and how these alternatives differ from traditional litigation when preparing or defending complex claims and disputes.

TUE22 - The Care & Feeding of P6 Databases

Nowadays, a P6 Scheduler is required to know much more than just how to schedule; he or she must plan, maintain, and repair the database. The alternative is to trust that Primavera and their support staff have done this for you and knows what is best.
This paper explains what a Database Server is and what you need to know to keep your P6 CPM schedule running. It covers database types and features, configuration tools, backups, file transfers, background job processing, and fixing common database problems. We will attempt to describe these issues and solutions for both Oracle Express as well as MS SQL Express databases.
Presented by Ron Winter, PSP

TUE23 - Intro to Oracle's Primavera Contract Management Software

Learn how Oracle Primavera’s Contract Management software supports Critical Path Method by providing a single, reliable source for accurate creation and storage, and efficient retrieval of pertinent project documentation. Primavera software trainer, Ben Schulz, will provide users with an in-depth look into the capabilities of Contract Management; addressing its reporting functions, schedule integration, and ease of use with on-demand, real-time reporting. This session will demonstrate how optimization of these Contract Management software functions ensure the reliability and timely completion of your projects.

TUE24 - Virtual Construction Models with Bentley Systems ConstructSim

The use of rich information models beyond design into the construction phase of an infrastructure project - particularly when combined with agile construction techniques in WorkFace Planning - has the potential to provide substantial benefits in the areas of reduced waste, risk mitigation and improved safety. While the increase in the adoption of BIM has also raised the industry awareness around concepts of 4D (3D + Time) and even 5D (Cost), there still remains a significant difference between the marketing hype and reality of such technology deployment at the job site. There are a number of significant challenges in the use of BIM data to be effectively leveraged into the construction phase of a project. One major issue is simply that the level of granularity in rich information models generally does not match the level of granularity in a typical CPM schedule for construction. Meanwhile, construction projects of even moderate complexity are subject to numerous constraints that can limit the commencement or progression of field operations, many of which are at a level-of-detail well below that represented in the CPM schedule. This presentation will discuss how Bentley’s ConstructSim platform has been leveraged as a dynamic planning environment on construction projects, allowing crew-level work packages to be defined, resourced and sequenced in a virtual environment, and systematically rolled-up to properly integrate with project CPM schedules. Moreover, the resulting Virtual Construction Model (VCM) can be further leveraged to assist with constraint identification and expediting assignments as a key element in the look-ahead planning process, which helps ensure safe and productive field operations, and keep a project on the critical path. Additional insights will be provided into the common challenges and practical limitations experienced by users who are leveraging BIM data from engineering into construction.
Presented by Dr. Ted Blackmon, Vice President of Construction Solutions with Bentley Systems.

TUE25 - Submitting Contractor Schedules in a Hosted P6 Professional DOT Environment

Contractors are regularly required to create and submit CPM Schedules to owners to track the planning, scheduling, execution, control, and forecasting of a construction project. The NYSDOT standardized on OraclePrimavera P6 Professional Software and provide the contractors with the design guidance and P6 Professional Software to prepare and maintain the CPM Schedule in the NYSDOT hosted P6 Professional environment. The contractor is required to create and electronically submit the Baseline Schedule, Monthly Update Progress Schedules with Schedule Narrative, and the Final As-Built Progress Schedule at the completion of the project in accordance with the NYSDOT CPM Specifications for using only OraclePrimavera P6 Professional Software.
Jonathan McNatty, a Senior Consultant and Certified Primavera Trainer for D. R. McNatty & Associates, Inc. discusses how this hosted approach deployed by NYSDOT for P6 Professional can avoid many common pitfalls encountered in managing schedule submissions such as importing & exporting from different scheduling tools, managing multiple schedules in multiple locations, inconsistent reporting, downloading software & installing software, and technical issues with no support.
Jonathan will demonstrate the process he uses to status contract client schedules in a real world hosted DOT implementation showcasing best practices that help simplify the process.

TUE26 - Marrying the Financial World with the Project World

Come see how to increase efficiency and decrease data errors between your Financial ERP And Project Systems. TPG PSLink enables you to combine the advantages of the most popular project management software with those of the leading ERP system. Everyone works with whichever tool is best for them. Your day-to-day work efficiency increases, as our many TPG PSLink reference customers can confirm.
TPG PSLink enables the bidirectional data exchange between Microsoft Project and SAP. With its extensive checking mechanisms, TPG PSLink ensures the complete consistency of all of the shared data in the participating systems. A difference analysis shows you the changes in the data before they are written to the other system – and only these changes are transferred. This is what makes TPG PSLink so unique compared to other solutions.
Presented by Ken Buchanan of TPG America

TUE27 - Differentiating Between Activities and Work = Resource Optimization

The current focus of CPM scheduling on activities, sequences, float and criticality is failing to deliver successful project outcomes. This paper will look at the alternative approach based on workflows and the optimisation of available resources; the underlying approach in methodologies such as Flow-Line, ToC and Critical Chain. Adopting a dynamic resource optimisation approach would involve changing the underlying philosophical approach embedded in CPM from a belief that the pre-determined duration and sequencing of activities takes precedence, constrained by the availability of resources; to one that recognises the real objective of scheduling is to keep the resources working effectively (resource work flows) and that any duration can be varied at a cost, and any activity sequencing represents a constraint on the locations where resources can work. The first part of the presentation will outline the concept followed by a discussion period.
Presented by Patrick Weaver of Mosaic Project Services Pty Ltd

TUE28 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 30 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Tuesday, 12:45 PM to 2:30 PM -- 105 minute session -- main auditorium

TUE31 - Mock Trial Luncheon Theatre

Judge Marshall's court is again in session for this year's Mock Trial presentation. So pick up your box lunch, be seated, and enjoy the show! Judge Marshall will teach the LAW. Two attorneys, renown for international and domestic construction litigation, will be providing examples of trial techniques, setting traps for unwary experts. And two experts will be providing examples of bad and good behavior, as well as providing the facts of the case to Judge Marshall and the jury (you!).


Tuesday, 12:45 PM to 1:35 PM -- 50 minute session

TUE32 - Oracle's Primavera P6 System Administrator Tips & Tricks

This session is devoted to System Administrators responsible for maintaining an Oracle's Primavera P6 implementation for ten to thousands of users.

TUE33 - Showcase of Document Management Technology

This session will explore how the use of document management technologies can assist in creating sustainable building practices; enabling construction projects to finish on time or ahead of schedule and under budget. Hear from a construction industry leader as she explores ways in which Electronic Document Management can help cut costs, advance schedules, create transparency across all project stakeholders, promote sustainable building practices, and help project owners regain control of the entire project from pre-construction through closeout.

Highlights will include practices used to: enable collaboration amongst project stake-holders, compress project schedules, and reduce paper consumption & shipping costs, all while creating accountability and transparency by way of a living closeout archive which is crucial for long-term facility maintenance. Presented by Shelley Armato of MySmartPlans.

TUE34 - Choosing the Right Tool for the Job

A discussion on using multiple project controls packages at multiple levels of schedule reporting rather than trying to build one master database schedule.
Presented by Heath Suddleson, PSP, of Bechtel.

TUE35 - Innovations in EVM Systems – Best Practices for Integrating Cost and Schedule

EcoSys discusses best practices in bringing together cost and schedule to create integrated program management processes and flexible EVM reporting. Using recent case studies from both the public and private sectors, we will explore how successful EVMS/cost controls systems take into account the unique challenges of managing large, complex programs through process standardization and automation, including:

  • Managing costs throughout the entire project lifecycle from funding to budgeting to bids/proposals through delivery.
  • The ability to proactively make program adjustments and take corrective action based on accurate and predictive cost performance data.
  • Adaptable earned value rules meeting different needs while adhering to ANSI 748 audit requirements.
Presented by Christen Bergerud, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President at EcoSys, and one of the original designers and developers of the Primavera enterprise project management suite.

TUE36 - Forecast Scheduling with Microsoft Project 2010

In this presentation, renowned guest speaker and master scheduler Eric Uyttewaal will focus on the subject of his new book “Forecast Scheduling with Microsoft Project 2010” He will show you how to forecast your project with just the schedule, without the need for advanced techniques like Earned Value. Building on his principle of Dynamic Scheduling, he will demonstrate how to minimize the effort spent on project scheduling. His presentation takes scheduling to the next level by showing you how to create a model of the project to forecast it dynamically. The highlights of this approach are:
• Capture your promised dates - without killing the schedule
• Minimize your effort on creating and maintaining the schedule
• Find the real Critical Path
• Update the schedule to forecast
Eric will carefully explain these principles of Forecast Scheduling, demonstrate how it would work in practice and highlight some scheduling best practices to implement it.

TUE37 - Your project is not an island: Introduction to project management integration

You’re making full use of the project management software to help manage your schedule and your subcontractors – you’re in the electronic age! But when it comes to passing key information between project management and finance, it’s back to the paper shuffle. This session will discuss what options are available to pass data between software systems. We’ll take a high level approach and discuss what data to share, and how to share it while still maintaining autonomy and security.
Presented by Justin R. Cohen, Practice Manager, Integration Services, Partners Consulting.

TUE38 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 25 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Tuesday, 1:40 PM to 2:30 PM -- 50 minute session

TUE42 - Oracle's Primavera Contract Management System Administrator Tips & Tricks

An administrator's work is never done. In supporting the Oracle's Primavera Contract Management, an administrator is asked to tackle a large number of disparate issues on a daily basis. And while most issues have a known solution in the Oracle support site, finding the solution can be a challenge in itself. In this session we review the overall architecture of Contract Management (both in JBoss and Weblogic) from an administrator's point of view and discuss some common issues, showing how each can be identified, replicated, and solved.

TUE43 - Showcase of Procore at GE

This session will present a customer case-study on how Procore provides Fortune 10 client GE with a web-based project management solution. GE's implementation of Procore integrates with both Microsoft Project scheduling software and JD Edwards accounting software. The session will show how today's CPM software choice is not between a web-based or client-server solution -- instead, the best-in-class solution blends web-based collaboration, cloud storage, and client-server security.
Presented by Jeff Kemper (805) 456-7190

TUE44 - 4D Planning and Analysis with Autodesk Navisworks

Join us for an overview of Autodesk Navisworks, it’s position within the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process, and how the intelligent models created as part of the BIM process can be utilized to better plan, analyse and communicate the construction process.

TUE45 – Introduction to EcoSys EPC

This presentation will provide an overview of the EcoSys next generation planning and controls software. For both the public and private sectors, the software delivers best practices for full lifecycle project cost management in an integrated, easy to use web application. Project-driven organizations use EcoSys for capital planning, budgeting and forecasting, and comprehensive management of funds, costs, resources and earned value.

EcoSys leverages existing investments by providing seamless integration with ERPs and GLs (Oracle, SAP, Peoplesoft, JD Edwards, and many more) and project planning software (Oracle Primavera, MS Project). The most configurable solution on the market, EcoSys adapts to existing work processes, easing user adoption and immediately boosting efficiency, accuracy and visibility.

Feature rich, EcoSys provides extensive performance reporting through standard and customizable reports, dashboards, historical snapshots, variance and trend reporting, scenario analysis and EVM.

TUE46 - Key Differences of Asta Powerproject

Led by Andrew Willard, Asta’s International Business Director, this session will show why over 45,000 users worldwide have made Asta Development’s suite of project and portfolio management software a leader in the industry. The session will concentrate on features that have been developed specifically for the construction industry. Coast Software is a US Representative for Asta Development offering regional support and training. Download a trial version of Asta’s powerful yet easy-to-use applications at www.astadev.com.

TUE47 - Using P6 as a Standalone EVMS

There are many good EVMS (Earned Value Management Systems) on the market, but they can cost a lot of money for the software and training. You can use the tool that you already know (P6) to perform EV. This session will teach you the required data elements of EV, the calculation concepts of EV and the options for these calculations. Then you will learn how to develop a baseline schedule suitable for EV and update that schedule to measure project performance. Finally, you will learn how to produce tabular and graphical reports of your project’s performance.
Presented by Glenn Betts of Parsons Corporation and Sean Cain of MC Dean.

TUE48 - Oracle Primavera One-on-One Clinic

Two 25 minute sessions to clinic with a representative from Oracle Primavera One-on-One.
Sign up when you register or at the conference. Click here to register.


Tuesday, 2:45 PM to 4:00 PM -- 75 minute session

TUE51 - Mock Trial Recap by Judge John Marshall

The trial is over. Features of software were demonstrated. Competing styles of Expert Witnesses were observed. But now Judge Marshall will discuss what lessons of LAW and lessons of the LEGAL PROCESS we should take home from this theatrical performance.

TUE52 - Oracle's Primavera P6 Reports for All

TUE53 - Managing Oracle Primavera Contract Management

An administrator's work is never done. In supporting the Oracle's Primavera Contract Management, an administrator is asked to tackle a large number of disparate issues on a daily basis. And while most issues have a known solution in the Oracle support site, finding the solution can be a challenge in itself. In this session we review the overall architecture of Contract Management (both in JBoss and Weblogic) from an administrator's point of view and discuss some common issues, showing how each can be identified, replicated, and solved.
Presented by Daniel Williams.

TUE54 - Virtual Construction Modeling BIM for Delivery by Synchro

Why Does 4D Work? A story about a journey led by incredibly down-to-earth but powerful software which continues to attract new followers everyday into a growing community of professional constructors. As Synchro Ltd concludes our 10th year anniversary from our humble beginnings in February 2001, we invite you to take a little time to discover our story, how we work to understand the market and the companies that we serve. Observe with us where our innovation started and where we believe the industry is heading. Presented by Tom Dengenis, CEO Synchro Ltd.

TUE55 - Construction CPM Conference Exam

A one hour exam conducted by the "faculty" of the Construction CPM Conference to show basic skills in CPM Planning & Scheduling as required for use in the CONSTRUCTION industry

TUE56 - Microsoft Project 2010 User Forum

Attendee users of Microsoft Project 2003, 2007 and 2010 products may mingle with Microsoft employees and each other to discuss common issues, exchange contact information, and schedule post conference opportunities to continue to learn how to get the most from the software. Light refreshment will be provided courtesy of Microsoft (subject to approval of Microsoft).

TUE57 - available


Wednesday -- 75 minute sessions

A BONUS Day! Extend your conference for only $100
Come for breakfast before your flight home or extended vacation day entertainment
Stay for "A Day of Fred on CPM" or alternate "Day of Instruction" in theory or practice (to be determined)
Take the AACE CCE/CCC or PSP Exam (Pre-registration and separate fee required)

6:30 AM to 9:15 AM - A Light Breakfast - Free for all Conference, Bonus Day, and AACE Exam takers

8:00 AM to 9:15 AM - Dr. Fred Plotnick on Preparing the Initial CPM

Introduction to the project team and documents. Determining desired audiences, reports and code structures. Interviewing the team and documents. The pure logic diagram and limited resource allocation. Data formatting and entry. Review and adjustment for data error and software limitations. Review and adjustment for limited, leveled and smoothed resource allocation. Professional analysis, reports and narratives for audiences.

9:30 AM to 10:45 AM - Dr. Fred Plotnick on Updates and Change Orders

Daily, Weekly, Monthly SOP for on-site scheduling personnel. Updates v Revisions. Filtering and adjusting data presented for updates. The update process and project work-flow. Recording changes. Determining the impact of changes. Calculating the impact of proposed changes. Incorporating changes to a revision. Major revisions, recovery schedules and rebaselining. Professional analysis, reports and narratives for audiences.

11:00 AM to 12:15 PM - Dr. Fred Plotnick on CLAIMS of Delay and Disruption

Defining the legal bases for claims. Defining delays v disruption. Calculating entitlement to additional time for delay. Calculating entitilement to compensable time for delay. Alternate calculations for cost of delays, mitigation and acceleration. Alternate measurement and calculation of cost for disruption. Determining the party responsible for causative factors and events. Professional analysis, reports and narratives for audiences.

12:15 PM to 2:00 PM - Lunch and Networking

A buffet lunch will be provided to all Bonus Day attendees. (Available to AACE Exam takers for an extra fee)

2:00 PM to 3:15 PM - Drafting the 8th Edition of CPM in Construction Management
James J. O'Brien and Fredric L. Plotnick are beginning the drafting of our 8th Edition of CPM in Construction Management. This process normally requires several years and will be targeting 2016. Come join us to discuss what should be added and what should be retired.

Concurrent Sessions - TBD

AACE CCE/CCC and PSP Exams will be conducted concurrently
Separate pre-qualification and pre-registration and fees required. Contact AACE for more details

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING OUR CONSTRUCTION CPM CONFERENCE 2012

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