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Advice

6 replies [Last post]
Thu, 2006-09-28 04:41
Sue Chambers
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Groups: Civil Engineering
What are the most important aspects about planning? What is a plan?

Why is protecting HSE important?
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Replies

Wed, 2006-11-08 20:03
#1
Alex Wong
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David,

Totally agree! That’s the different between pro-active planning and re-active planning (My definition and understanding) where pro-active = planning ; re-active = recording

^^
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Sun, 2006-10-22 11:06
#2
David Waddle
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The important aspect about planning is to steer the project from A to B within the time constraints imposed by the Contract in the most efficient and economic way possible, whilst taking due consideration of safe working practices, for example you must not plan to have people working at high level with others working immediately below unless you have devised a safe method of doing so. This will be a part of your method statement.

Unfortunately John you are right when you say that planners are often treated as a necessary evil, however I find that this is often (not always) caused by the planners themselves. I say this because many planners can sit in an office month after month preparing computer generated programmes which are often out of date before they are issued or are impractical (see my example above). Planners need to get out on site, see what is happening and apply practical solutions to problems, in my experience the planner will soon demonstrate his usefullness to the PM and become his right hand man.
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Wed, 2006-10-04 06:05
#3
John Lawson
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Hi

Q1: What are the most important aspects about planning?

I would consider the most important aspect is to provide a professional service that is required, and is hopefully some use to the various parties concerned. This service should provide consistent and reliable information / data, presented in a format that can be understood, appreciated and acted upon by all concerned.

However in the real world planning is usually treated as an necessary evil, i.e. no one wants planning but it is forced upon them in order to fulfil contractual requirement, or requirements of higher management.

Q2: What is a plan?

A plan should reflect what is trying to be achieved by various parties.

The plan should clearly and precisely reflect the agreed work content, the dates and durations etc for the work scope, aspirations etc., in a clear and easily understood manner. The plan should be capable of being progressed, monitored and revised, it should support and fulfil the contractual requirements of a project.

In most cases a plan is appreciated when the job goes “belly up” and the claim needs to be fought or defended, then we planners can produce the “pie in the sky stuff” that we are famous for, (unfortunately).

Q3: Why is protecting HSE important?

I always consider HSE the top priority of any part of job. This is based on being brought up in a Durham mining village, where men went to work and most came home, the ones that did may have gone to hospital if they were lucky. Also many years in the development of the North Sea and various construction sites, where again unfortunatly the same has happened.

Apart from the effects on a person /family, if you have accidents or worse fatalities on a project the effect on the labour, and the progress of the work can be dramatic, as work comes to a halt for police / HSE to be called out to investigate etc.

To me people go to work to earn a living and should come home safely, this can only take place where HSE has top priority, and is practiced and is effective..

Regards

John

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Thu, 2006-09-28 10:19
#4
James Griffiths
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Hi Sue,

In essence that’s what a plan does.

We can all compile and present a master-schedule, and it will enable you to perform time, resource and cost analyses. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the plan is particularly well structured or follows any form of logical workflow. In your definition, I’d be tempted to add the fact that a good plan is constructed to convey the Who, What, Where, When, How Long and How Much. All this is to be done within the applied constraints. A good plan will act as a history book and a book-of-the-future. A good plan will be structured such that it can be read with ease and follows a logical path toward the ultimate objective. A good plan will be sufficiently flexible and detailed to enable changes without wholesale re-construction. A good plan will act as your servant and your authority.

I could waffle and gibber for the next couple of hours - but it’s time for someone elses tuppenceworth.

Point 3. The HSE doesn’t actually do anything. It is the people who apply common-sense and accept responsibility for their actions that enables us to live and work in a reasonably safe environment.

James.
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Thu, 2006-09-28 09:48
#5
Sue Chambers
User offline. Last seen 14 years 31 weeks ago. Offline
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Groups: Civil Engineering
1.Planning is to effectively present a master schedule, time & resourse analysis and a cost factor.

2 A master schedule

3.Prevents people from being hurt.
Protects others and us from danger.
Precautions can keep us safe
Provides a satisfactory working environment

Can any one add to this?
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Thu, 2006-09-28 08:45
#6
James Griffiths
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Hi Sue,

Why not give us the benefit of your experience and answer the questions from your perspective. We’re all here to learn, pontificate and debate.

Cheers.

James.
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