6.1Case studies
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Assemble: set up the calendar → structure into a WBS → link rather than date → assign resources → set a baseline → track and communicate — it is the sequence that makes a living schedule.
- Prove: a schedule only exists if it recalculates (automatic mode), if it is measured against a baseline and if it is kept up to date — otherwise it is a decorative file.
- Arbitrate: in multi-project settings, workload accumulates on the same people: the consolidated view and the resource pool are what make commitments realistic.
Meriem's thread — three projects, one method
Meriem is a project manager in an engineering & construction (BTP) company in Algiers. She steers several client sites in parallel: buildings, renovation, roadworks. She revisits three striking situations from the quarter — planning a site from A to Z, coordinating projects that share the same team, and rescuing a project that went off track after an unforeseen event. The cases below follow her sequence from levels 0 to 5: set up, structure, link, assign, baseline, track and communicate.
Each case follows Context → Steps → Result: replay it on your own projects.
Why case studies
Previous levels laid the bricks (calendar, WBS, dependencies, resources, costs, baseline, tracking, reporting); here they are assembled end to end. It is the chain of good reflexes — link rather than date, stay in automatic mode, set the baseline before starting, update regularly — that separates a living schedule from a decorative file.
Replay from end to end
A case is not copied: it is replayed. You follow the same order of the approach, adapt it to the context (site size, shared team, local constraints) and keep the same standard of proof at each step.
From schedule to field
The real test of a schedule is not “it looks nice on screen”, but “it holds over time”: it recalculates, it is compared to the baseline, it is updated every week and it speaks to management as well as to the team.
Case 1 — Plan and steer a site from A to Z
Context: Meriem takes over the construction of a three-storey administrative building in Algiers: phases, a shared team and a delivery date to meet. She must plan and then track execution.
Déroulé :
- Set up the project: start date, working calendar, time off and public holidays, automatic mode by default (N0.4, N1.2).
- Structure into a WBS (phases + subtasks), place milestones and link tasks (FS, lags) rather than dating them (N1.1, N1.3).
- Create resources (rates, capacity), assign them in units and set task types for accurate calculations (N2.1, N2.2, N2.3).
- Analyse the critical path, resolve overallocations (audit/leveling) then save the baseline before starting (N3.1, N3.2, N3.3).
- Track progress every week (actual work, % complete), compare with the baseline and reschedule for unforeseen events (N3.4, N3.5).
- Communicate: Timeline for management, reports and EVM (CPI/SPI) for steering (N4.3, N4.4, N4.5).
Result: A properly planned site (WBS, links, resources), frozen in a baseline, tracked by variance to plan and communicated in the right format — a living schedule, not a decorative one.
Case 2 — Coordinate several projects sharing a team
Context: Meriem steers several simultaneous client projects that mobilise the same engineers and site managers, with a risk of invisible overallocation and cross dependencies.
Déroulé :
- Consolidate the projects in a master project for an overall view (schedule, milestones) (N5.1).
- Create the necessary cross-project links (a task waiting for delivery from another site) (N5.1).
- Set up a shared resource pool to see each person's cumulative workload (N5.2).
- Identify and arbitrate cross-project overallocations (priorities, shifts) for realistic commitments (N5.2).
- Choose the right tool for the need: desktop Project for expert steering, Planner/Project for the web for team tracking (N5.3).
- Standardise with templates (.mpt) and, if reporting is recurring, automate it with a VBA macro (N5.4, N5.5).
Result: A globally steered portfolio: consolidated view, managed cross dependencies, realistic and arbitrated team workload — no more “everyone plans in their own corner”.
Case 3 — Rescue a project that went off track
Context: On a renovation site, bad weather and a late materials delivery have shifted the works. Meriem must measure the variance and reschedule without breaking the delivery commitment.
Déroulé :
- Update actual progress: % complete and actual work of ongoing tasks (N3.4).
- Compare with the baseline: read the time variance and identify critical-path tasks that have become critical (N3.3, N3.1).
- Qualify the cause: unworked bad weather not modelled, missing dependency or rigid constraint to relax (N0.4, N1.4).
- Reschedule: shift tasks, reassign available resources and level the overallocations created by the catch-up (N3.5, N3.2).
- Quantify the cost impact (rates, overtime) and translate it into EVM: CPI/SPI and estimated finish date (N2.4, N4.3).
- Communicate the arbitration: keep the new baseline and warn the client with an argued variance (N4.4, N5.3).
Result: A project brought back onto sound foundations: true progress, variance quantified against the baseline, overallocations levelled and a clear client message — the drift becomes an informed decision.
Script ready to say — framing a project (30 s)
“The project: [site / portfolio / catch-up]. My approach: set up the calendar, structure into a WBS, link the tasks, assign the resources, set the baseline, then track and communicate every week.”
Keep this to frame a project with your management or a client.
Script ready to say — explaining your method (30 s)
“I link rather than date, I stay in automatic mode, I set my baseline before starting and I update progress regularly — that is what keeps the schedule living.”
Useful for explaining your approach without unnecessary jargon.
Copy-paste template — planning approach
1. Set up: start date + calendar (working days, time off)
2. Structure: WBS (phases + subtasks) + milestones
3. Link: dependencies (FS, lags) — no hard dates
4. Assign: resources (rates, capacity) + task type
5. Baseline: baseline BEFORE starting
6. Track: actual progress vs baseline -> reschedule
7. Communicate: Timeline + reports + EVMCopy-paste template — weekly tracking sheet
Project: [site] Week: [W..]
Actual progress entered: OK
Variance to baseline: [x days / x %]
Critical tasks on alert: [...]
Overallocations to level: [resource / action]
Message to client: [estimated finish date]VSE / small budget
One case replayed small: one site, a simple WBS, a few links, one baseline and weekly tracking — the essentials fit there.
Algiers SME
Adapt to local realities: power cuts, irregular supplies, several sites at once, French content and dates.
Remote / hybrid
Double the traceability at a distance: weekly update, variance vs baseline noted, decisions recorded.
Intercultural
Make labels explicit before transposing: a phase name or date format obvious to one person must speak to every newcomer.
48h challenge — apply it tomorrow
Take 1 real project and replay the sequence: calendar set up, WBS and links in place, resources assigned, baseline saved and 1 progress update.
- I can chain calendar, WBS, links, resources, baseline, tracking and communication on a real project.
- I have a replayable approach (link, automatic mode, baseline, update).
- I have done the 48h challenge or scheduled its date.
Meriem is planning a three-storey building. Which sequence follows the guide?