Forensic Planning for a thorough claim analysis

The Pasay Harbor reclamation involved the construction of two artificial islands in Manila Bay, an ambitious project led by Jan De Nul and Boskalis, under a FIDIC Yellow Book contract. The aim was to develop valuable land space for future economic growth, but as is often the case with large-scale projects, Pasay Harbor faced delays that led to claims. These challenges required a thorough analysis, and I was brought in as a Forensic Scheduler.

Wesley van der Burg (founder @ BAEKEN) contributed to this project while working for Primaned project consultancy, part of Eiffel Projects, prior to founding BAEKEN.

Why was Wesley needed?

The execution of Pasay Harbor was hindered by several bottlenecks: the quality of the original baseline program was insufficient, there were inconsistencies between the progress updates, and the logic in the schedules did not align with the contractual documentation. This made it difficult to conduct a thorough analysis of the project progress, creating a need to address these shortcomings. Therefore, I was asked to bring order to the situation and establish a new, consistent foundation for further project analyses.

Creating a robust baseline

Upon arriving at the project, I began by analyzing the existing baseline schedule and progress updates, which revealed that the quality could be improved. I used these findings to develop a new, robust planning that would serve as the basis for further progress measurements and subsequent delay analyses. With this improved baseline, we could work with greater confidence, significantly enhancing the process for critical path analysis and performance. This provided a solid foundation for managing the time and scheduling aspects of the project.
Thorough Forensic Analysis

I conducted a forensic analysis of the delays incurred, which involved a comprehensive assessment of all scheduling documents, identifying the primary causes of delay, and mapping the consequences of these delays. A detailed report was prepared, describing each delay and its impact on the project milestones. This report distinguished between the responsible parties and outlined who was accountable for which overruns. It served as the basis for a formal Extension of Time claim.
Improving Communication and Transparency

In addition to the technical aspects, it was also crucial to enhance communication and transparency within the project team. By utilizing the reconstructed schedule, I ensured that everyone, from project managers to execution teams, was informed of the current status and any bottlenecks that needed to be addressed. This facilitated a streamlined approach where all parties involved shared the same expectations and could better anticipate changes.