Panama City, Panama
Salini Impregilo
$4.0 Billion USD
Lead Planner & Contracts Liaison
A construction schedule is only as good as its baseline. If the foundation is flawed, every update, forecast, and delay analysis that follows will be compromised. In my 30 years of reviewing Primavera P6 schedules for mega-projects like the Panama Canal and nuclear power plants, I consistently see the same logic errors repeated.
These errors don’t just mess up the dates—they expose the contractor to massive liability when claims arise. Here are the five most critical errors to avoid.
The expansion of the Panama Canal was a monumental undertaking designed to double the waterway’s capacity. The project involved the construction of two massive new lock complexes—one on the Atlantic side and one on the Pacific—requiring millions of cubic meters of concrete and intricate electromechanical systems.
As the Lead Planner for the consortium member Salini Impregilo, the primary challenge was integrating the schedules of thousands of workers, international subcontractors, and a global supply chain into a cohesive Critical Path Method (CPM) baseline. The project faced strict contractual milestones with heavy liquidated damages for delays.
Coordinating massive earthworks and concrete pours required precise daily scheduling.
We implemented a rigorous multi-level scheduling architecture using Primavera P6. This approach moved beyond simple tracking to active management:
Through proactive schedule management, we were able to provide the project leadership with the visibility needed to make critical resource allocation decisions.
Our detailed documentation and forensic analysis played a crucial role in the consortium’s commercial strategy, allowing for the successful substantiation of time impacts due to unforeseen geological conditions and concrete mix design changes. The locks were successfully completed, enabling the passage of Post-Panamax ships and transforming global trade.
We bring the same level of rigor to every project, regardless of size.
Texas, USA