How to Create A Work program with Microsoft Excel version 2010

Creating a simple work program and display it as a Bar chat is relative cheap. This can be done by doing it with Microsoft Excel. However It is very tough to display the critical path and it seems to be impossible to show the logic link between bars. Another disadvantage of this is that it might only practical and applicable to a small scale project that having not more than ten (10) activities. It is due to the complexity of the process in creating the bar chart and it is very time consuming. Below are free step by step guidance to produce a simple work program using Microsoft Excel.

Step 1.
 Open the Microsoft Excel Program and create table as picture below (table can be customized according to what information you want to display.

Step 2:
Insert your the task in the task column and task ID  in the ID column and arrange it according to level of work or in words it shall be the work breakdown code.

Step 3:
Set the DURATION column by highlighting the column and right click. The dialogue box will appear. from the dialogue box, select "format cell". I should appear like picture below.

After selecting the "format Cells", a dialogue box will appear as below.

 Now Under category, Select Number. I set the decimal point to "0" decimal places. then click OK.

Step 4:
Now start Insert Number of duration. See the following Picture.

Step 5:
In this stage or step 5, for column level as " Start " and " finish", highlight both column, Right click and select " Format cells", a dialogue will appear and under the " Category" select Date and set the " date format". See picture below.

Step 6:
After you select your date format which is shown under the "type" tab. Click "OK". Than Start by inserting the start date as per sequence of work. As a guide you can fill the sequence number base on the ID into the "Predecessor" and "Successor Column". Picture below.

For the "Start", "Finish", "Predecessor" and "Successor" column, If you are familiar with Excel Function or Formula, it is better to use the features since with that Features you can easily create links between cells. Or else you will have to fill and calculate it manually.

Step 7:
Next step is to group task under a major task. To do this, First select "Data Tab". See Picture Below.

Then, identify which is the major task. Next highlight the "Rows" which represent minor tasks that form the major task. Picture Below

 After Highlighting the minor task, Click on the " Group" Icon under " Data Tab". It will automatically display the Sheet Like picture below.

The finish product is as picture below.

After you fill in all the data you needed in the table. It is now we can start to create the " Bar Chart".

Step 8

To create the “bar Chart” , First highlight the Row and column that contained the “ Task”, “Duration”, “start” and “Finish”. Next, Click on the “Insert tab” , then go to “ bar”  then click the icon “ Stacked Bar”. See picture below.

Once you click on the icon “ Staked Bar”, a Bar chart will automatically appear in your work Sheet. It shall look like the picture below.

Step 9:

Next, in the Start and finish Column, Identified the Earliest date to start work. Right Click on that cell, then click “ format cell”. A dialogue box like below will appear.

Inside the dialogue box, under category, click on “number”. Once you click on the “number”, under the sample, you will see a set of number. In this example the number is  41703.00. This number is actually represent the date of 05/03/2014. See picture below. Write down this number on a piece of paper. After you done with this step, Click the “cancel” tab. The dialogue box will close by itself. Next, do the same thing to the last date which you are going to complete your work or task. You will need those number to customized the date axis range on your chart later on.

Step 10.

Right Click on the “X” axis and then Click “ format axis”. Refer to picture below.

After you click the “format axis” a dialogue box will appear as below.

Inside the axis option check the minimum value to fixed and insert the number for start date which you write down earlier  in step 9. Do the same for maximum Value but inset the number which will represent the last completion date of the work.

Still on the dialogue box, click on the number, then go to the category And choose “ date” and choose the date format type which you want to display on your chart. After that step, you can choose the alignment tab in the dialogue box to align the position of your date. See Picture below.

One you done with it, click “Close”. Your Chart Should appear like this.

Step 11

Right click on the “Y” Axis and click Format Axis. A dialogue box like below will appear.

Inside this dialogue box, look for the “ Category in reverse order”.  “Checked “ the box and next Close the dialogue. Your chart should be displayed as below.

Step 12

In the Chart, Right click in between two bars. Then Click “select data” . See picture below.

One you had click on the “select data” a dialogue box as below will appear.

Click on the “Duration” follow by clicking on the “move down” button. This will change the position of your “Duration”.  Once you done with that, Click “ OK” tab. It will close the Dialogue box. This action will make your Chart look as this following picture.

Step 13

Still on the chart. Right Click on any of the green bar. 

Then, click on the “fill colour” icon. Picture below.

Choose the “no fill” . Your chart should be as follows.

Repeat this step 13 but now do the same for the bar that is “red” in colour.The end product for this step  shall be displayed as below.

Step 14

Now identify the “Critical Path” and recoloured it into red. You should have a Bar chart as below.

Step 15

If you want to show both “ Start” and “ Finish” date, Click on the bars that represent the “Start” bar

 (already recoloured with no fill in step 13),then click the “ Add data level’. 

Your chart will look like this.

Now the start date had been inserted. However the date been displayed and overlap with other information. We don’t want this display. Hence we need to re format the “ X “ axis. To Do That we need to change the Minimum Value and the maximum value of “X” Axis. See the pictures below.  For Minimum value, entered value that is less than 41703 and for Maximum Value entered number greater than 41848.

Next, for the “finish date” do the same procedure as what had been done for “ Start Date”  but for  “ the Finish date” click on the “finish Bar” which had been recoloured earlier with “No Fill”. Your end product shall be displayed as follow.

Basically, Your work program created with Microsoft Excel is now completed. However  for a better presentation of Your  Bar Chart, you Can present it as Chart on its own or you can rearrange is such a way  to be display with full description.

a) Bar Chart represent the work program  on its own.

b) Work program with full description.

Congratulation. You just finish creating the work program by using Microsoft Excel.

Risk management and occupational Health and Safety

MSA Safety 10096486 Style 1-D Harness Vest, Standard Size

Construction site is always a dangerous place to be for a person that is not well trained. Accident can happened at any time and at any place within construction site. Below is the graphical show the fatal accident form year 1993 until 2013  publish by http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm



                                           Risk Management and Construction
                                           Construction Management

Eventhough the rate have been continueously decline but construction site still remain dangerous. The graph show above is property of HSE which more detail can be read through their website.

As contractor or construction personnel there is a great need for us to know(if not in detail) what are the risk that we are facing when we involve in construction work. Generally, in my opinion the risk are as below;

1. Accident at construction work site to site personnel due to fall from high place, accidentally contact with moving or revolving machinery and construction equipment.
2. Accident due to construction activities involving public
3. Burglaries at construction site
4. Damages to third party properties due to construction activities.

                                         Risk Management and Construction
                                         Construction Management

All the risk above involving the health and safety issue and definitely involving lost of effective working hours and money. How to prevent and minimised those problem? In term of monetary, it is a compulsory that employer covered their self and his employee(s) with insurances. There is two common type of insurance that normally being requested by Owner of the project. Those two insurance are Contractor's All Risk and Workmen's Compensation insurance. In my opinion the another element that sometime might be required is Insurance that can cover inclusive of Third Party properties. This mostly required if the construction work is adjacent to other properties or within the existing properties and the chances for the properties being damages due to construction activities is high at all the time. With the coverage of those insurance part of the monetary effect towards construction cost already being take care off.

Having covered by insurance is only part of the mitigation in alleviate the effect of risk in construction . However, the most important part is injuries or fatality that might happened with in the construction site or to the public. To address this matter there are some steps or measure that can be taken. Part of it are;

1. Create awareness among construction workers on possible danger with-in construction work place by having "Tool Box Talk " of Safety briefing every morning conducted by Safety officer or Safety Supervisor.
2. Having a proper maintenance schedule on any construction machinery, Site vehicle, plants and construction equipment to ensure that it is in good condition.
3. Provide signages or implement any suitable method to notify public and workers where ever necessary with in construction vicinity.
4. Only qualified person allowed to operate or handle construction machineries, Plant or construction equipment.
5. Appointment of qualified person or manager to oversee the safety measure that need and have been implement at construction work site.
6. Provide and maintain Personnel Protective Equipment to all construction workers.

                                         Risk Management and Construction

                                         Construction Management

Delay and Extension of time Application in construction project

Extension of time (E.O.T) is one of the contract clause which is helpful to all contractor to prevent the Liquidated and ascertained damages (L & AD) being imposed to them due to delay. Not to say that with the Extension of Time, contractor do not incurred losses, but in actual fact it did minimised it. With the granted of Extension of time, Contractor still need to extend the work insurances and other overhead cost such as rental of site office,site support staff and ect. but it do stop the L & AD being imposed.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides)

Enterprise Contract Management: A Practical Guide to Successfully Implementing an ECM Solution

Practical Contract Management

Application of  Extension of time, base on the contract clauses is always base on what does it allow for. Some of the reason that allow are as follows;

1. Delay due to Superintending Officer instruction which was issued under certain clause in the contract

2. Exceptionally increment weather,

3. By force majeure

4. Delay in giving site possession to contractor,

5 Delay by other contractor engaged by employer in executing parts of the work which for part of the contract

6. by the contractor in ability for reason beyond his control and which he could not reasonably have foreseen at the date of closing of tender of his contract,

7. by reason of  any action due to civil disturbance

and any reason allow in the particular contract.

However to make an application,  normally, there are clauses in the contract that contractor need to satisfy or follow. For example, Delay due to Superintending Officer instruction (which was issued not due to contractor negligence), in which a stop work order was issued due to design change for certain works which affecting other works and will resulted in delay of the project completion. This reason, for sure it is not due to contractor negligence. As such contractor is entitle for extension of time and also possibly entitle to claim loss and expense ( if allow in the contract).

Also part and parcel of the application is the supporting document. As contractor, all the significant event shall be properly documented and recorded. For example, some of the following document might be necessary.

1. Master and detailed work program (A work program in which shows the sequence and logic of works) before the event.

2. Revised work program ( Work program which show when will the new expected completion date for the project after incorporated the event)

3. Official instruction from Superintending officer (letter)

4. Notice from contractor with regard to the event which mentioned that the event will caused delay.( if the instruction is going to be issued after or few days before the date of start work for the particular work as planned or schedule in original master work program or original detailed work program)

5. The event chronology

6. Photos (if any)

7. calculation on number of days that contractor entitled for.

8. Site diary 

9. minutes of meeting

10. contract clause which mentioned that contractor are entitle for the Extension of time.

However, contractor need to be aware on the other clauses in the contract in which contractor need to fulfilled. For example; notice to superintending officer shall be submitted with-in 7 days from the date of the event.

Not all contract having the same clauses or requirements, thus. contractor need to know what is allow in their contract. For instant, time frame to submit notice to superintending officer due to an event. Some contract might specified that the notice shall be submitted with in 14 days from the even occurred, some might be 30 days but other might be 7 days. Hence we need to be aware of those clauses.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides)

Enterprise Contract Management: A Practical Guide to Successfully Implementing an ECM Solution Practical Contract Management