Description
Impacted as Planned is a modeling technique based on creating a simulation by introducing activities on the baseline schedule with the correct relationships. These added activities represent the delay events that have taken place, or the impacts stemmed from the sequence changes.
To carry out the analysis of delays using this methodology, the following steps must be followed:
- Identify and quantify the delays to be evaluated as well as their responsibility.
- Define the base schedule to use as foundation for the analysis. If the contractual schedule is not used, the update prior to the delays to be evaluated must be selected.
- Create the activities representing the delay events and recalculate the completion dates. Analyze changes in project completion dates.
- Reset the durations of added activities to verify the absence of deviations from the baseline. It must be a continuous critical path from the Notice to Proceed through to the project’s completion.
- Compare project end dates between the modeled schedule and the original schedule to determine the impact of the modeled events.
- Model the events that fall under the contractor’s responsibility as well as those within the owner responsibility.
Strengths of Impacted as Planned
- The analysis can be carried out even when the information on the actual dates is not good.
- It is very cheap and fast since a large number of technicians are not needed analyzing documentation to find out what actually happened in the project.
- It can be used as an initial justification for extension of time in a negotiation (not valid in disputes).
Weaknesses of Impacted as Planned
- If the actual sequence is very different from what was planned, the analysis may be inaccurate and unrealistic.
- A reasonable and correctly related baseline in electronic format is needed.
- It does not consider the real progress of the project or possible acceleration measures.
- After the analysis, a conclusion is obtained about the probable effect of the events modeled on the baseline, which is why it is not a valid technique for disputes and litigation.
- The analysis provides a prospective determination of the effect of delay events, so it may be inconsistent with the reality of the project.
- Unbiased method depending on what events are introduced and how.
- It cannot be used to determine the existence of concurrent delays.
- Ignores prospective critical paths in contemporary programs and the critical decisions that may have been made based on them.