HELP & ADVICE NEEDED FROM THE PLANNING GURU’S

Thanks Brad,

I need to learn more about CPA & EVA - Do you know any good books/courses that will help a Junior planner?

S-Curves & Histo’s I ok with - create in excel from resource load

Much Appreciated

Hi James,

An engineering background is definitely helpful in planning, though not essential. Some clients insist (rightly or wrongly) on a technical degree for planners working on their projects, so a mech eng or civ eng degree is a way to go.

Ultimately though the best training is to be found out on site. It sounds like you have a junior planning role already -are you office or site based?
If office-based, Grab every chance to get out on site possible, spend as much time as possible with the guys actually doing the construction. make sure you attend all the site progress meetings and pay attention to what gets discussed (if they talk about the awful weather slowing them down, that should be a good hint to you that a planner needs to take account of likely weather conditions, etc). if your are working for a more senior planner, see if he is happy to mentor you. Spend some time with the procurement & logistics guys & understand the constraints they are under

I could go on, but you get the idea -get on site, be nosey & learn as much as you can, get back to the office & apply it to your next programme.

Good luck! It’s a great profession.

James,

Paying attention to your membership date (member since May 2009) , I dare to say that your are new in this forum.

There are many threads regarding your inquiry. If you have time, read the following category:

-Planning & Project controls accreditation and treads:
o Accreditation based on experience
o Planners – Accredit yourselves, among others

Regarding the comments you got here, I would like to add a different point of view:

BRAD wrote: having an engineering does not help you to become a better planner.

In my opinion: my Engineering degree helps me a LOT to become a good planner. Working in fields such as Oil, gas, mining, chemicals, my degree has allowed me to switch easily from one field to another. My degree allows me to discuss technical issues with all discipline leads.

Gary wrote: Some clients insist (rightly or wrongly) on a technical degree

In my opinion: A client with up-to-date management background will demand rightly a technical degree for planners.

For those planners without technical degree, follow the advice given in this forum. For instance;

Gary’s advice:

A.- if your are working for a more senior planner, see if he/she is happy to mentor you.

B.- Spend some time with the procurement & logistics guys. NOT ONLY procurement, all disciplines

HTH (hope this helps)

OK,
Experience is what the Snr Planners have told me here, and sitting down and getting info out of people...

To me though, (as I like to do a good job).. I would like to fully understand the scope of work and their process.

If I was to do a course in engineering - where do I need to start?.. as I only left college with Business qualifications, So I need to start at the beginning...??
which would be ???????????

Or there is the other route of PRINCE2...but will i be in the same boat of not knowing the full scope and process?..

Prince2 will help you with project management processes, but not the technical design/construct/commissioning processes.

For that you would need an engineering course

If you wanted to go for a full degree, entry level requirements in the UK are typically A-levels in maths & a science, or whatever the equivalent is these days in GNVQs or whatever.
Many universities will also offer a 1 year foundation course for those wthout the maths & science background, which will get you onto the full engineering degree course.

I would suggest though that you will learn a lot more about the technical processes involved in projects by spending 4 years on site than 4 years at university. I found my mechanical engineering degree to be, maybe 70% academic and 30% practical. On site, you will get 100% practical.

Gary, Gary,

What am I reading ?? Your suggestion :” you will learn a lot more about the technical processes involved in projects by spending 4 years on site than 4 years at university.”

This business is not running like 10 years ago, much less 30 years. The technology has changed completely the way of doing things.

I do not need to go to site to have an idea how does the plant is going to be. The model at Home Office is giving me all the details I need.

Project managers can control site execution sitting in Paris or London. Tele conference, messengers and any connection you would like to mention will put you online with site.

Let me add some words about the purpose of universities:

We produce thinking and educated people - people who think for themselves and who understand ......

Brad: That was my point.

Carmen: When i studied mech eng at uni (about 10 years ago), I spent most of my time learning how to calculate transfer functions, fluid dynamics, bending moments, coefficients of friction, pump curves, stress failure modes, etc. Some has proved useful in planning, but most not. As I said before, a technical degree is useful, but not essential.

On site, you can learn about concrete curing, what plant you need to dig up an embankement, what’s involved in monitoring boreholes, how long it takes to set up a work camp, how rain affects trenching works, how to deal with a threatened Great Crested Newt habitat, etc
Most of what you learn will be useful in planning

You make a good point though that going to university helps you become a well-rounded individual capable of independant thinking.

Still, planning is the art of accurately reflecting what will happen on site. Spending time seeing what does happen on site seems quite essential to this.
Regards,

G

Gary,

I believe that James got the advice he was asking for.

It is waste of time to mention “its up to James how he does it”.


Ciao

Guys

Thanks for your advice..

If I get any queries with planning issues look out for my posts ! as I am sure there will be a few :)

James,

On behalf of planning no Guru’s, you’re welcome, altublieft

Success

Hi Carmen

Did you mean to write alstublieft?

No English equivalent - same as that the German language has no word for "Fluffy".

This could be the start of a whole new topic - bring it on.

What is Spnnish for "Esoteric".

I have just checked - it is esotérico

Quick memo to self - think of something esle quick.

Best regards

Mike Testro

sorry James - your thread has been hijacked.

Hi Mike,

Your Dutch is better than mine. Indeed, is alstublieft.

What has “Esoteric” to do here.

May be, the planning Gurus have developed more esoteric or non-scholarly knowledge .

Think of something else quick: ????

Regards,