Schedule performance measurement in EPC projects earned schedule approach beyond earned value management : a case study at SARPI

Abstract

EPC projects may be considered among the most intricate and resource-intensive ventures within indus

try, although their monitoring practice relies mainly on classic schedule indicators, which, however, possess certain structural drawbacks. The research analyzes whether the Earned Schedule technique is based on more accurate criteria for assessing schedule performance and forecast the project duration than the classic EVM indicators are in the EPC project management process at SARPI, an Algerian publicly-owned industrial construction company. For the purpose of conducting this study, a mixed-methods approach was chosen, incorporating semi-structured interviews conducted with experts on project control and quantitative empirical analysis using both EVM and ES indicators tested over three fully-executed EPC projects in three distinct tests. The results of this research show the uniform adoption of EVM indicators by all the institutions, coupled with the total absence of any knowledge about ES. On the empirical level, ES outperformed classic EVM in three major aspects: its greater ability to diagnose a schedule deviation during late stages of the project when SPI($) tends to converge and become less reliable, its ability to reveal schedule deviation SV in its true form with time-based variance not being subjected to any distortion, and more precise forecast of project duration (IEAC) in the early stages when preventive actions can still be undertaken