FORENSIC SCHEDULE DELAY ANALYSIS

Question # 1: How is this training different from other Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis courses?

I want you to make a wise decision about your investment, so let me clarify the differences between the Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis training offered by Project Control Academy as compared to other similar training programs on this topic.

Here are several key unique points about this training that you wouldn’t find in other training courses in the market:

1. A world authority on Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis, Chris Carson, is the instructor of this training. He has successfully resolved over 40 years of disputes in negotiations and mediations without having to litigate.

Chris Carson, the course instructor, is a top-ranked speaker and presenter of over 500 industry sessions, the author and co-author of more than 15 published AACE Recommended Practices, including:

“Forensic Schedule Analysis,”
“Identifying the Critical Path,”
“Planning & Accounting for Adverse Weather,”
“Original Baseline Schedule Review,” and
“Update Schedule Review.”

Mr. Carson was an Author and Editor of the book, “CPM Scheduling for Construction – Best Practices and Guidelines” published by PMI, and a contributing author for:

“Construction Project Scheduling and Control,” by Saleh Mubarak,
“Time Management Guidelines” by CMAA,
“Claims Management Guidelines” by CMAA
“Time is Real Money: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Explaining, and Recovery from Time Impacts on Construction Projects” by AACE/ABA (American Bar Association)– publication due by end of 2017.

As a member of the Expert List for the GAO (Government Accountability Office) for Cost, Schedule, and EVM (Earned Value Management) practices, he was a contributing author for the initial development of the “GAO Schedule Assessment Guide, Best Practices for project schedules.”

You will have the brilliant opportunity to learn from Chris Carson, a well-recognized thought leader in Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis.

2. This course is the most comprehensive online course in the market.

You may find a very short list of educational providers, which deliver Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis. However, most of the available training programs in Forensic Schedule Analysis are classroom type training. You need to travel to and attend according to the scheduled dates. The classroom type training programs are usually more costly as compared to online training programs.

You may find a couple of organizations that provide online training programs on Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis topic, most of which:

Do not offer a detailed deep-dive training on Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis
Are theoretical, not practical
Are not aligned with industry practice standards
Do not provide support and leave you alone after taking the training
Are not developed by authors for industry best practices for well-recognized associations such as PMI, CMAA, AACE, or Planning Planet’s Guild of Project Controls.

However, the Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis training we offer provide you with:

Practical lessons based on experience that can only be learned from a seasoned instructor with hands-on practice in the field.
Step-by-step implementation and guidance, which enables you to apply your learning in a project environment immediately and achieve a significantly more robust result.
Full alignment with industry practice standards that allows you to speak the standard language. The course is fully aligned with the AACE Forensic Schedule Analysis Recommended Practice.
Hands-on case studies and examples that enable you to grasp the overall concept before approaching real-life projects.
Personal support. You can ask the instructor any relevant question during the course! Furthermore, you will get new training material and resources on a monthly basis to ensure your continuous learning.
Approval by Project Management Institute (PMI).
An official certificate of completion and 35+ Professional Development Units (PDUs).

3. According to the market research of other courses in the market, we chose the most economical price for the course. You will get the most value for the money invested.

Question # 2: I like this course, but the price is high.

We put a lot of time into the development of this course so it would be detailed enough to provide exceptional value. It also includes a lot of lessons learned from 40 years of experience that the instructor brings to the table. It is a 13-week deep-dive training on Forensic Schedule Analysis. It is designed for planners/schedulers who are doing technical scheduling and forensic analysis or trying to move into more forensic analysis. This course will cut years of trial and error learning on the part of the attendees because the instructor is a process/systems guy and have always looked for the most efficient way to produce a high quality work product. His processes have resulted in a strong win record in his career.

You are welcome to do a market research analysis on similar courses. If you divide out the cost by the time of sessions, you will find this course half the cost per hour of training than other providers. If you find a training course with this length, depth, and duration, and at a lower cost, please let us know. We will match the price for you. This is how confident we are that you won’t find such a comprehensive course at this price.

To get an idea about other students feedbacks after taking the course, please click here.

Question # 3: Are there any pre-requisites to this course?

Yes. You must have a good understanding of planning/scheduling and scheduling software to partake in this training.

If you are a beginner in Project Controls, check out other training courses that we offer, which are a better fit for your experience.

Question # 4: Is any software required for the course?

The case study project will be performed using Oracle/Primavera P6 but can be replicated in any software.

Question # 5: I do not have P6 software or MS project, is there a workaround to utilize the software?

If your intention is to become a forensic schedule analysis expert, performing your own analyses, then you will need the software. But if you have people working for you who provide the schedule analysis, the course is mostly filled with good analysis information that will make you a stronger expert.

It is not unusual for an expert to not be that fluent in P6 or MSP, and the course is not dependent upon a piece of software, only the case studies. The case study uses actual project files that you will need the software to develop, but none of the rest of the course relies on software.

If you wish to learn P6, you can download a free full working copy of P6 directly from Oracle as long as it’s not for professional use. Please click here to watch a video tutorial on how to download a trial version of Primavera P6.

Question # 6: Is this course suitable for the exam preparation for the Certified Forensic Claims Consultant (CFCC) certification?

Yes, it addresses the forensic schedule analysis portion of the body of knowledge for the CFCC.

Question # 7: What will be covered in the training?

The training will provide you with a good, deep understanding of the nine primary methods of performing forensic schedule analysis, the background, the reasons why you would choose a method, how to properly implement it, how to deal with specific issues related to missing and erroneous data, schedules, and research, how to develop the expert analysis and report, as well as provide tips on drafting the report and testifying in deposition, mediation, arbitration, or litigation.

It does not include contract or legal training, although a number of concepts are discussed, and any references to language are based on the US law. The first several sessions are background topics, dealing with contracts, theories of delay and such, but there is a lot of very good, detailed information in the classes, which are based on the AACE’s Forensic Schedule Analysis Recommended Practice, the first real taxonomy of delay analysis methodologies, and the instructor is one of the three primary authors. We have received a lot of very good feedback about the value.

For the detailed course curriculum, please click here.

Question # 8: Is this course suitable for people from Europe, Australia, or other countries besides the U.S, due to different legal requirements for Delay Analysis?

Yes, The Forensic Schedule Delay Analysis course is fully aligned with the AACE International Recommended Practice on the topic. AACE International is just that, international, and while the instructor has also worked in the UK, and the Middle East on mediation and arbitration projects and the principles found in the training still apply.

The training is not contract-specific although most examples used in the course tend to be US based. But we emphasize that a forensic schedule analysis expert must consult with contract and legal experts to properly address those specific issues, so as long as the appropriate contractual expert is engaged, the analysis methods are still applicable. Some jurisdictions and employers rely on civil law, some have specific contractual requirements such as the NEC body of contracts, but that’s true in the US as well. We work under AIA, CMAA, Joint Engineering, and other forms of contract, including privately developed contracts based on civil law for some governmental departments.

As a forensic schedule analyst, we do not form professional opinions on contractual issues just as we don’t on legal issues. The quickest way for an expert to be disqualified is to opine on areas outside our field of expertise, so it doesn’t really matter the contracting format or location; all delay disputes center around the analysis of critical paths and project prolongations.

In addition, as one of the original authors for the Planning Planet Guild of Project Controls best practice documents, the instructor worked with experts in the UK and Europe to develop the Planning and Scheduling Guidelines as well as the Forensic Analysis guidelines, and he is comfortable that those all align with AACE International recommended practices. We have also been involved with CIOB and the SCL Protocol for Delay and Disruption, and nothing in those guidelines are at odds with AACE.

Therefore, the Forensic Schedule Analysis course we offer at Project Control Academy will give any delay and disruption expert a good foundation and practices suggestions that will help them be more efficient and accurate as well as improve their work product.

Question # 9: I am contracts/claims manager for many years. I am not a planner but would like to be able to do some of the delay analysis myself. Will this training be able to help me do that?

The training will enable you to efficiently and appropriately evaluate incoming claims including developing solid challenges to those claims that can be used in rebuttal, as well as to help determine which of the forensic schedule analysis methods is the most appropriate for an in-house claims analysis so you and your forensic analysts can move quickly and confidently into providing the analysis.

This training will also help you with understanding and leading the full analysis or rebuttal process, including providing forms to help manage and prepare the expert report.

In short, this training is designed for anyone working in forensic schedule analysis and wishing to learn more, become more efficient, or learn practices using my processes that few practitioners in the industry understand or know how to use.

Question # 10: Is this course suitable for the construction claims (quantum) analysts?

It depends. Much of the construction claims (quantum) area of claims can be unrelated to schedule analysis as it includes bid errors, increased direct costs of changed conditions, additional costs due to defective drawings, resolving change order costs, most of which I would call forensic cost analysis. The world of inefficiencies and delay damages requires forensic schedule analysis as well as forensic cost analysis, but the cost side is more about the calculation of extended general conditions and inefficient work.

Construction claims schedule analysis entails three or four primary tasks; determining extent of delays (how much delay?), responsibility for delay (who was responsible?), entitlement to delay time or damages (who was contractually liable?), and the cost of the damages (what did the delays cost?). This course is targeted specifically at schedule analysis in a forensic mode, meaning delays are absorbed and need to be analyzed, and does not cover forensic cost analysis at any level of detail. We address it with respect to forensic schedule analysis but not as related to change order cost estimating and validation unless those are a function of delays. We do get into disruption analysis for inefficiencies, but this course is primarily targeted to schedule analysis of delays absorbed into the schedule and project.

If you are indeed providing primarily cost analysis of change orders, bid errors, direct costs, and other costs not related to time extensions or failures to provide time extensions, then you do not need this course. If you are dealing with calculations of extended general conditions or inefficiencies, you would benefit from this course.

Question # 11: Who is best suited for this training?

This training is best suited for schedule analysts, experts in delay and disruption, claims managers, and others dealing with time-related contract management. It helps turn forensic analysis into more of a science and less of a random art and promotes using a formalized process for the evaluation and the analysis. It will make any forensic analyst stronger and more expert, and make their life easier.

Question # 12: What am I getting access to when I sign up?

Once you register, you will receive a receipt of your enrollment along with a unique login ID and passcode to Project Control Academy’s private and secure Learning Management System (LMS). Once logged in, you will get access to modules of the training on a weekly basis.

Question # 13: What is the training schedule?

There is no set schedule for the training sessions. As soon as you enroll, you get instant access to the first week of the training program. Each week, a new set of video training modules will be released.

You can take the training at your own pace. You will have access to the entire course material for one year after your enrollment. You can refer back to the course videos and material at any time.

Question # 14: How long will it take to complete the training?

Each module/ session takes at least two hours to complete. There are many reference materials in each module for further study as well. If you spare 2-3 hours per week for the training, it will take you 3.5-4 months to complete the training. However, you can take the training at your own pace, as you have one year exclusive access to the entire course material.

You will also receive monthly invitations to free live webcast training on Project Controls topics for one year.

Question # 15: How do I access the training?

To access the training, all you need is a high-speed Internet connection via Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer 9 or newer. You also need a login ID & Passcode to our private and secure learning management system (LMS), which is provided to you via email once you enroll.

The LMS will also be accessible via computer, laptop, as well as mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, Tablets, etc.

Question # 16: How long do I have access to the training?

From the time of your registration, you will have 1-year full access to the training.

Question # 17: What is the method of delivery? [Video, Audio, Text?]

The training program is “online” and structured into several modules. Each module was presented “live” using a webinar platform and recorded.

The recorded sessions are accessible in Project Control Academy’s LMS.

You have the ability to pause the videos and watch them as many times as you wish. So, you can take the time necessary to understand the concepts taught in each module. This allows you to access the training 24/7 at your own pace.

In addition to the training videos, the online training includes supportive course material and a set of course case studies to help you better comprehend the course content.

The training videos along with the supporting training material will be accessible online via a web-based Learning Management System (LMS).

Question # 18: Can I ask questions about the content of the training?

Yes, absolutely. You will be able to ask your questions from the instructor using an online forum for Q&A. The instructor personally answers your questions on a weekly basis.

Although we do our best to support you in your learning, you should not expect the instructor to provide consulting services or answer country-specific legal or contractual questions. His support is to help you learn the topic and advance your expertise in forensic analysis.

Question # 19: Will I get a certificate of completion?

Yes, you will receive a certificate of accomplishment from Project Control Academy upon successfully completing the core curriculum courses and delivering the course case study.

Question # 20: Can I claim PDUs for this training?

Yes. Project Control Academy is a PMI Registered Education Provider. You will receive official Professional Development Units (PDUs) that you can claim toward your professional accreditations.

The number of PDUs that you are eligible to claim as well as the activity code for PMI PDU submission can be found on your certificate of completion.

Question # 21: What are the payment methods?

We accept Visa & Mastercard credit cards or payments through PayPal. We do not accept payments by cheque, money order or bank draft unless you are purchasing multiple memberships, on behalf of a company.

All prices are USD$.

Question # 22: Do you accept monthly payment installments?

No. Unfortunately, this course doesn’t come with payment installments.

Question # 23: I like to invest in this training but I don’t have a credit card. What should I do?

If you don’t have a credit card, you can still make the payment, using PayPal. Here are the steps on how to do it:

Create an account with PayPal in your country using this link: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide
Link your local bank account or Debit Card to your PayPal account
On the Checkout page of the course, select PayPal as the method of payment
The system will take you to the PayPal payment page
Log into your PayPal account to pay
Select your bank account or debit card as the method of payment

Question # 24: Will I get a receipt for payment upon enrollment?

Yes. Project Control Academy will process your payment, and your receipt will be emailed to you to the email address provided upon registration.

Question # 25: What should I do if I want to enroll more than one employee from my company in the training program?

Please contact us directly at [email protected] so we can provide you the group discount code for registration.

Question # 26: What happens if my company enrolls on my behalf?

If your company is enrolling for you on your behalf, please make sure that they register with your email address or send us an email and inform us about the email and contact information of the employees whom they enrolled in the training.

Our primary source of communication to you in your training is via email, so make sure that you inform your employer to enroll with the right email address.

Question # 27: What if the training does not work for me?

The fact of the matter is it might not. If you’re not willing to work hard, if you are not willing to follow directions & guidelines, if you are not ready to stick through inevitable challenges, it definitely won’t work for you, and you shouldn’t buy.

However, if you are committed to your career growth and willing to follow the training to the T, you will receive many benefits from the training. In fact, this is the most comprehensive training that you can find in the market.

Please note that we offer neither cancellation nor refund for this training.

Question # 28: Is there any feedback from students who took the training?

Yes, absolutely. Please click here to read all great reviews on the course.

If you have any other question that is not addressed here, please contact us at [email protected]