Practical Construction Planning and Control Using Microsoft Project: An Illustrative Guide

Practical Construction Planning and Control Using Microsoft Project fills a clear gap in the teaching literature by specifically demonstrating the Critical Path Method (CPM) using Microsoft Project (MSP).

This textbook provides a brief description of CPM phases and explains and illustrates the particular MSP commands and functionalities that implement them using an example construction project which is consistent throughout every chapter of the book. Each CPM phase is explained along with the relevant MSP commands, coupled with explanations and illustrations that describe the implementation. The chapters provide detailed descriptions and steps for the generation of common construction scheduling deliverables, such as Gantt chart schedules and cash flow reports.

Following an Introduction that lays out the essential concepts, the 13 chapters cover planning, scheduling, resources and costs, project updating for time and cost, project progress measurement using earned value analysis, and project reports.

By successfully combining the details of CPM as a management technique with illustrated guidance on the software, the book presents a hands-on, self-study guide for learning CPM and MSP, and is an ideal teaching tool for use on construction management, construction engineering, and project management degree programs, and for professionals who are eager to learn construction project scheduling using the widely available Microsoft Project software.

Ahmed Abdel Aziz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Construction Management and an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, USA. Aziz is known for his experience in the public-private partnership (PPP) alternative project delivery system; he has participated in committees, given presentations, written book chapters, and published technical articles in leading academic journals in the USA, Canada, and the UK. Along with PPP, and with experience in construction project management, Aziz teaches project planning, scheduling, and control, Primavera and MS Project, estimating, life-cycle cost modeling for project economics, and quantitative risk analysis techniques. Aziz holds the UW honor of being a P. D. Koon Endowed Professor of Construction Management. He also works as Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineers.