Project Schedule Management Practices at National Water Supply and Drainage Board: A case Study in Ratnapura District

Abstract

This research investigates the project schedule management (PSM) practices at the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) in the Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. The study aims to explore the effectiveness of the scheduling practices used by NWSDB, identifying the practices, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges in current schedule management. A qualitative approach was employed, with data gathered through interviews with ten key stakeholders, including project managers, engineers, and engineer assistants, across five ongoing projects in the Ratnapura district. The findings reveal that NWSDB employs a variety of tools and techniques use to manage project schedules, including Gantt charts, the progress display board, the Critical Path Method (CPM), Marking Pipe Laying Progress in a Drawing, Meeting and advanced scheduling software like MS Project and Primavera P6. These tools and techniques provide clear visualization of project schedules, allowing for effective tracking of progress and aiding in real-time adjustments. They also enhance decision-making, ensure optimal resource allocation, and help minimize delays, thus maintaining project timelines. Additionally, the use of Daily Progress Reports (DPR), the NWSDB website, the Bill of Quantities (BOQ), and project charters serve as reliable inputs for defining activities, estimating durations, and allocating resources, contributing to improved planning and coordination. The research identifies weaknesses in NWSDB's schedule management practices including difficulties and complexity, manual data entry errors, and limited staff proficiency with scheduling tools. Additionally, this research identifies challenges in NWSDB's project schedule management. Mainly including like weather and soil condition, land acquisition, coordination issues of NWSDB Master Plan with RDA Master Plan and less knowledge can be identified by this research as challenges. The study recommends using regional Gantt charts, providing staff training, concern environmental factors, and improving communication via digital tools and software like WhatsApp and suggests better coordination with RDA and NWSDB master plan.