2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Planning is the first part of project planning and scheduling and yet not much is found in most textbooks and research papers on the aspects of project planning. This paper explores the end result of project planning and the aspects of project planning that are key to effective project scheduling and control. Today’s methods of planning and coordinating projects have benefited from virtual design and construction (VDC). Incorporating VDC in project planning and coordination helps in identifying potential site logistics and sequencing issues that might affect construction, and it does help in optimizing construction methods and resources. To that end, this paper explored the implementation of 4D scheduling in today’s project planning and scheduling course. The research sought to improve construction planning and scheduling course with focus on how to implement project planning and 4D scheduling. The research collected and evaluated the course content covered in typical project planning and scheduling courses to better understand the state of practice. This evaluation showed that project planning and scheduling as taught by most programs do not properly cover the topic of project planning, and most of the programs do not cover the topic on 4D scheduling. This paper is written with those gaps in mind and includes what could be covered in both areas to fill the gaps. This paper presents a description and discussion of the approach in teaching project planning and 4D scheduling within the context of project planning and scheduling course. It is hoped that such improvement will help to better prepare the students for today’s complex projects. It is hoped that other faculty members in the construction-related programs could benefit from the description and discussion presented in this paper and aid them in implementing hands-on and real-life project planning and scheduling courses that covers the areas of project planning and 4D scheduling.