TILOS

World-class linear scheduling software

FASTER, EASIER & MORE PROFITABLE

Linear Scheduling The Easy Way

Simply put, TILOS makes planning and executing your linear project faster, easier and more profitable. TILOS linear planning software is used by the globe’s leaders in infrastructure planning & construction.

 

Tilos In Australasia

TILOS SOLVES YOUR PROBLEMS

What’s Wrong With Traditional Linear Project Planning Methods?

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Too much (incomplete) data

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Linear project plans created using traditional project scheduling software are often cumbersome and inaccurate.

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A drain on resources

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Changing the plan requires updating multi-page reports, from multiple programs and results in a huge volume of reporting material that still does not fully explain the project’s complexity.

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Confusing project planning meetings

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A 40 page GANTT Chart project plan is difficult and confusing for all parties.

The result?

Project planning meetings are ineffective and unproductive. Project owners, contractors, team members and stakeholders are not on the same page.

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Hard to say where the project's at

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Incomplete data on what work has been completed where, or what activities are at what rate of completion as it relates to project baseline is risky and costly. Project owners, planning managers and construction managers alike are missing critical data.

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Costly & lengthy reaction to issues

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Last minute equipment move-arounds to avoid clashes are costly and unnecessary. Reacting to issues leaves little time for proactively optimising the plan before construction starts. 

Save time, save paper

TILOS One-Page Time Distance Chart VS 40+ Page GANTT Chart

Tilos Vs Gantt Chart

BENEFITS

Why You Need TILOS For Your Next Project

Complete, accurate & reliable plan

Just input the project details & TILOS visually creates the linear project schedule for you. It couldn’t be easier!

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Control the project

Support or deny claims based on data. Easily measure the progress vs. the baseline & organise multiple overlapping activities.

Project Management Software Icon

Stop draining resources

Access the data you need at the click of a button & integrate with common project management & planning software for fluid data exchange.

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Create stunning presentations

Display the entire project in just one view. TILOS makes it easy to show project progress & schedules to all involved parties,

Increase productivity & profits

Proactively optimise the plan & easily schedule workarounds.  An optimised plan reduces costs & increases profits.

4 out of 5 global leaders in linear infrastructure construction trust TILOS linear scheduling software.

A favourite of leading infrastructure companies across the globe, TILOS linear scheduling software gives project planning managers, contractors, and project owners the ability to create and execute a reliable, comprehensive and easy-to-communicate linear project plan.

TILOS software was developed specifically to address the unique challenges of linear projects such as roads, railway, pipeline, bridges for professionals in the construction, engineering and energy sectors.

 

 

TILOS features

Budget Management
Collaboration Tools
Cost-to-Completion Tracking
Gantt / Timeline View
Percent-Complete Tracking
Project Planning / Scheduling
Reporting / Project Tracking
Resource Management
Task Management
Time & Expense Tracking

TILOS Is Perfect For…

Construction

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TILOS is the construction project management software trusted by 4/5 of the globe’s leading construction companies.

Are you a construction manager on a highway, pipeline, bridge, railway or bridge project?

Do you need a linear CPM-based schedule as a requirement for bid submission or to plan, optimise and control your project?

If you’re using a traditional construction scheduling software, you may find it’s labour intensive and inefficient to create a comprehensive baseline using the multipage GANTT chart outputs of CPM software.

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?

“I’m having difficulty creating an accurate baseline that reflects the details of row”

“I can’t tell what percentage of the project is complete, where”

“updating progress is so difficult with our software, we’re doing it manually”

“I’d like to reduce our mass haulage costs, but I don’t have the data to do so”

“project planning meetings are confusing”

“presenting our project progress is a challenge with this volume of data”

It’s probably because your traditional construction project management software isn’t suited for the complexities of a linear construction project. Traditional construction project management software can be expensive, difficult to use and lack the ability to input and optimise for the challenges of a linear project that impact the performance you’re responsible for controlling.

Often, a linear construction plan consists of a multipage GANTT chart that is:

Simplistic

Construction project management software missing vital information such as what work has been done where.

Inaccurate

Construction project management software assumes a constant rate of production in fluctuating conditions.

Confusing

Construction project management software provides a lot of data and not a lot of clarity, making it difficult to communicate.

Effective linear project planning is more complicated than it needs to be with traditional construction project management software. TILOS stands for time, location system and has been used since 1999 by the globe’s best project managers to achieve better peace of mind, communication, control and profitability.

Why tilos works better

Example-construction-project-management-softwareinstead of confusing, incomplete and inaccurate multipage cpm schedules, TILOS generates a one-page plan – the time-distance diagram. Based on the highly effective linear scheduling method , time distance diagrams (also known as time location charts, time distance diagrams or march charts.) connect the physical site and schedule information to the movement of crews and equipment along the time and distance axes.

Engineering

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Reduce planning time by up to 50% with TILOS civil engineering project management software.

Are you a project manager bidding on, or working on a linear infrastructure project? Do you find that increasing numbers of project owners and contractors are using tilos linear project engineering management software?

You may be experiencing:
  • External pressure from owner companies to comply with their preferred engineering project management software vendor.
  • Internal pressure to win more bids.
  • Reluctance to adopt yet another expensive software.

TILOS civil engineering software quickly pays for itself. Adopting TILOS linear software will not only help you comply with owner companies on current projects and win more bids where tilos generated engineering project plans are required, but it will also increase the efficiency, productivity and profitability of your other projects.

Why TILOS civil engineering management software is superior to traditional engineering management software

Traditional engineering project management software can be expensive, hard to use and lack the ability to input and optimise for the specific challenges of linear engineering projects:

Often, a linear engineering project plan consists of a multipage GANTT chart that is:

Inaccurate

Engineering project management softwareassumes a constant rate of production in fluctuating conditions.

Simplistic

Engineering project management software information such as what work has been done where isn’t included.

Confusing

Engineering project management software provides a lot of data and not a lot of clarity, making it difficult to communicate the engineering project plan to stakeholders.

The linear scheduling method and TILOS civil engineering software makes linear project planning easy. 

Instead of confusing, incomplete and inefficient multi-page GANTT charts, TILOS civil engineering software automates time location charts, so you can display the entire project scope in one view.

The linear scheduling method has been shown to be the most effective way to plan and manage linear projects:

TILOS reduces your planning time:

Import task lists from programs like Excel, CAD, MS Project or Primavera directly into TILOS. TILOS automatically interprets data and updates it to reflect the parameters of the project you’re working on.
Draw on screen, as you would on paper.
Repetitive work sequences and their logic links can be copied and pasted to a new location. Task lengths and durations are automatically updated to reflect the change in location.
Task templates with predefined line styles, colours, text information, calculated quantities, production rates and resources reduce the work to a minimum.

TILOS makes you look good:

Instantly spot clashes and issues and solve them before they cause a problem.
Identify areas for increases in efficiency and speed up the schedule.
Visually connect the plan to the project, making it easy to communicate to stakeholders
Easily make changes to the plan and tilos will automatically adjust calculations to provide updated resource, cost and schedule information quickly.
Customise the time location chart display to your audience. Toggle layers of detail on and off as needed.

Linear schedules created with tilos civil engineering project management software are able to communicate more information than gantt charts or network diagrams because of the distance related data assigned to each task.

The visual display of site and schedule information provide a more intuitive and deeper understanding of the construction plan.

Task lines that overlap indicate possible collisions that impact feasibility.
By default, the distance axis is horizontal and the time axis is vertical (although this can be reversed).
The slope of the task line indicates the productivity rate of the field personnel performing the activity.
Non-linear activities like block valve installations, road bores, transmission towers or bridge foundation work where the crew is stationary are represented by block tasks.
Land access, permitting or environmental issues that prevent or delay access to the right of way are blocked off. TILOS clash detection feature will automatically highlight the tasks crossing these areas so you can adjust the plan quickly.

TILOS civil engineering project management software supports you in every phase of the project

TILOS linear engineering management software supports project planners in every phase of a linear project cycle, automating redundant tasks and automatically calculating schedules, costs and resources.

Feasibility studies

Create an accurate feasibility plan in just a few hours!

Import data, draw on screen and select from predefined templates with preloaded activities and correlated resource, schedule and cost information.

Tendering and procurement

Display as much or as little detail of the plan as is required to demonstrate competence and ability to deliver.

Tilos automatically calculated resource and schedule allocations provide a realistic and reliable construction schedule you can count on.

Execution and construction

Import daily progress and get updated forecast information automatically.

Show the progress against the baseline. Change and update tasks and schedules easily and tilos automatically updates calculations to ensure the project plan is up-to-date and accurate.

Claim management

Prevent claims with proactive planning or defend claims with data backed reporting.

TILOS is the globe’s leading engineering project management software for linear project planning.

TILOS has been used worldwide since 1999 on such linear infrastructure projects as bridges, tunnels, pipelines, highways, railways, waterworks and more.

Pipeline

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TILOS pipeline management software makes planning pipeline projects easy.

Are you a Construction or Project Planning Manager on pipeline project? Do you need an accurate, complete and easy to understand plan to optimise and control your project?

You may find it’s difficult to create a comprehensive baseline using the multipage GANTT chart outputs of CPM scheduling software – much less proactively address potential issues or effectively communicate with various stakeholder groups.

If so, you may find yourself thinking:

“I’m having difficulty answering where we’re at with this project”

“I don’t have complete data to back up claims, costs and schedule changes”

“It’s a drain on resources to compile the necessary data”

“I’m not sure my team is on the same page”

“Optimising the plan and addressing potential challenges is very difficult”

Without TILOS pipeline project management software, planning, executing and controlling your pipeline project is much harder than it needs to be.

Imagine, a pipeline management software that displays the entirety of the project scope on just one page. With TILOS pipeline management and construction software, you can:

Know For Sure: Create A Reliable Plan

Use industry specific features that make daily tasks a lot easier:

Plan around any land and permitting issues before construction begins.
You do the planning using industry-specific planning features, while TILOS calculates the timelines and the total time required in one integrated system.

Keep It Simple: Easily Optimise & Change The Plan

TILOS Pipeline Management Software doesn’t create a huge volume of unnecessary tasks for each change:

Equipment move-arounds and skips are a fact of pipeline construction. TILOS enables you to easily modify the plan and automatically updates time and costs.
Sequentially start your crews using distance based lags to reduce the total time in construction while preventing one crew catching up to another.
Plan around ROW access challenges like weather, permitting, crossings and other variables unique to pipeline project management.

Showcase Your Talents: With Stunning One Page Presentations

Show the entire project scope on one Time Distance chart.

Multipage GANTT charts are virtually meaningless to field personnel. Show what work has been finished where and plan for the next day’s activities.
Communicate effectively to all involved parties: Toggle layers of detail to customize the presentation as appropriate to your audience.

Control Your Data: Integrates With Conventional PM Tools

An open data exchange means you can:

Integrate with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project and Asta Powerproject.
Import data such as crossings, mass haul, elevation or site map.
Insert data from spreadsheets.
Learn more about integrations and add ons here.

Get It Done: With increased peace of mind, communication, control, and profitability.

Optimise schedules to avoid project clashes.

Create logic links between activities and then update the plan to identify the critical path and project end date.

Spot issues and solve them before they increase costs.

Optimise continuous production of crews and equipment based on data.

Defend or Support Claims based on data.

Decrease resource allocation associated with maintaining the plan’s accuracy, showing progress and collect critical data.

TILOS pipeline management software is used by industry leaders worldwide.

TILOS pipeline construction and management software has been used globally in pipeline projects, since 1999.

TRIMBLE TILOS was used on the Alberta Clipper pipeline in Canada, the Keystone pipeline in the USA and the Nabucco pipeline in Europe.

Beware of pipeline construction and management software that isn’t based on the linear scheduling method.

TILOS Pipeline Management Software vs. CPM Schedules:

Traditionally, pipeline project managers use project management software based on the Critical Path Method which produce multi-page GANTT CPM Schedules.

While these reports can show how much of the pipeline project is complete, they cannot display what work has been done where as it relates to the ROW.

Routine changes to the plan create excessive tasks that are hard to communicate and require more staff time than is necessary.

This means scheduling tomorrow’s crews becomes almost impossible for the construction manager, and reporting progress against the baseline is very difficult for the planning manager.

In contrast, TILOS pipeline project management software produces a one-page, layered visual of the entirety of the project scope shown between the time axis and the distance axis.

Depending on your audience, you can toggle on and off varying layers of detail to show simply the progress against the ROW or each and every activity.

Highway

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Highway construction software developed by highway construction professionals, for highway construction professionals. Are you a construction manager on a road or highway project that needs a reliable and comprehensive plan for your road or highway construction project?

You may find it’s difficult to generate, update and communicate the project plan using traditional highway scheduling software.

Using traditional project management scheduling software can often create:

Frustration: It’s difficult to gather enough accurate data to create a baseline you can rely on
Uncertainty: It’s impossible to determine what work has been done where along the right of way.
Confusion: Communicating a multi-page GANTT chart plan to field personnel and stakeholders creates more confusion than clarity. Inefficiencies: Clashes are hard to prevent and equipment move-arounds create a huge volume of unnecessary tasks.
Inaccuracies: Mass haulage and the rate of productivity of crews is hard to calculate accurately.
Missed opportunities: Bids are often rejected.

TILOS Highway Construction Software Makes Planning Road and Highway Construction Projects Easy.

TILOS highway construction software was originally developed with two of Germany’s prominent road and highway construction companies to provide a complete planning solution for both major highway construction projects and smaller road construction projects.

Using TILOS highway construction software for your road and highway construction project means you will:
Increase efficiency (and profitability):

Creating a road or highway construction plan with TILOS highway construction software is fast & easy. TILOS provides a library of industry specific features that make creating a reliable plan a lot faster:

Pre-created task templates can be added to the plan in just a few clicks, then, TILOS highway construction software will automatically calculate costs, resources and schedules for you.
Bulk create tasks at different locations along the right of way and reduce planning time by up to 50%.
Pre-created task templates include Traffic Control, Weather & Condition Changes, Changes to ROW access, Crossings and more.
Sub-projects like bridges and pump stations are fully supported.
NEW: Mass Haul Functionality provides planning assistance with the activities for the cut and fill sections. TILOS will help you plan for the quantity of material to move, how far it can economically be moved and which way along the right of way it should be moved, along with the details on resources and costs associated with labour. With Mass Haulage totalling anywhere from 30-80% of the project’s costs, it’s an area worth optimising!

Proactively solve problems (before construction starts):

With TILOS highway construction software, you can quickly spot and avoid clashes:

TILOS makes identifying pitfalls and conflicting processes along the right-of-way (ROW) easy, then activities or bids can then be adjusted to optimize the plan.
Equipment move-arounds and skips are a fact of road and highway construction. TILOS enables you to easily modify the plan and timeline and will automatically update the time and costs for you. And, it does so without creating a high volume of unnecessary tasks!

Accelerate Project Schedules (and your reputation):

With TILOS highway construction software, you can easily identify opportunities to increase productivity and speed up the project schedule.

TILOS project plans are displayed using Time Distance Diagrams which means you can view the entire scope all in one view. This connects the project to the plan and it makes it easier to see at a glance areas for improvement.
TILOS helps you sequentially start your crews using pre-determined distance based lags to reduce the total time in construction while preventing one crew catching up to another.
Proactively plan for continuous production, regardless of delays in access to ROW or other challenges.

Communicate Clearly:

TILOS highway construction software was built to make planning, executing and communicating your road and highway construction project easier.

Show the entire project scope on one Time Distance chart.
Communicate effectively to all involved parties – toggle layers of detail on and off and customize your presentation to your audience.
GANTT charts are an ineffective way to communicate to field personnel. Show your crews what work has been finished where and plan for the next day’s activities.

Land More Bids:

Support your bids with a project plan and schedule stakeholders understand.

Land more bids by syncing the project plan to the physical environment, TILOS creates the necessary CPM Schedule required for many bid submissions.
TILOS provides all the details required to support your proposed baseline, timeline and budget.

Fluidly Exchange Data:

TILOS Highway construction software exchanges data with the major project planning tools.

Integrate with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project and Asta Powerproject.
Import data such as crossings, mass haul, elevation or site map.
Insert data from spreadsheets.

Railway

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TILOS railway construction project management software has been used to build and repair thousands of kilometres of light and heavy railway worldwide.

Are you a project planner or construction manager that needs to develop a comprehensive, reliable and easy to understand project plan for your railway project?

Railway construction and repair projects have very specific, complex challenges that are difficult to manage using traditional project management software.

Typically, the results are:

Inefficient: “Getting the data I need requires an excessive amount of resources”
Simplistic: “It’s very difficult to determine what work is done where”
Impractical: “Field personnel are manually tracking project progress”
Inaccurate: “It seems impossible to create a reliable baseline”
Confusing: “The plan doesn’t provide clear data to contractors, stakeholders and staff”

Imagine what a fully automated railway construction project management software could do for your project.

TILOS makes planning a railway construction project easy.

TILOS comes equipped with an entire library of robust, industry specific features that mean you can create a reliable, accurate and easy to understand plan quickly, even for complex reconstruction and maintenance projects.

Track renewal projects carried out during off-peak hours need an extremely detailed plan to make sure that on Monday morning the trains can run as usual.

Especially for projects like these with tighter time constraints, TILOS provides a powerful automated method of planning by evaluating all distance based constraints that might affect the working speed.

Fast & Efficient: Create an accurate plan in just a few hours

Get a detailed execution plan containing all the tasks, resource load, costs and also the train movements required for logistical support.

Create a new project from robust templates and predefined project parameters:

Import site data from Excel
Project details, such as the start and end coordinates in both time and distance are predefined for the new project.
TILOS software automatically provides a library of resources & activities needed for railway reconstruction and maintenance.
All activities have pre-set work and resource and productivity rates.
Processes in sequence are automatically kept the appropriate distance away so tasks do not cross over.

Simple & Intuitive: Identify opportunities and modify the plan painlessly

Opportunities for speeding up the schedule are obvious with TILOS. Optimal time and distance ratios are automatically calculated. Changes to the schedule can be made easily without creating an undue volume of tasks:

TILOS railway construction software will automatically calculate the effect of complexities like crossings, switches and bridges on the schedule using standard planning algorithms.
TILOS calculates how many railcars of a certain type are needed for a certain distance, or will calculate the distance that can be serviced by one train in the allocated time.
TILOS calculates the number of sleepers needed for track renewal trains and the number of railcars to carry them to site.
Train setup times at crossings or the beginning of an activity are automatically calculated and automatically updated with schedule changes.

Clear & Easy To Communicate: Display the entire scope in one view

TILOS stands for TIme, LOcation Software.

Based on the proven methodology of the linear scheduling method, TILOS railway construction project plans are generated via an interactive Time – Distance Diagram

The entire project scope is displayed between the Time Axis and the Distance Axis, in one diagram.
The project plan is visually connected to the physical construction site.
See what work has been done where, and communicate easily with field personnel.
The view can be customized to remove or display differing levels of detail so communicating relevant information to disparate stakeholders is truly easy.

Painlessly Exchange Data – Integrates with the tools you use:

TILOS is a world-class railway construction project management software that integrates with common project management tools.

And, if you ever need assistance, TILOS is supported by multi-lingual support staff across the Americas.

TILOS Integrates with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project and Asta Powerproject.
Import data such as crossings, mass haul, elevation or site map into TILOS.
Insert data from spreadsheets into TILOS .

Since 1999, TILOS has been the preferred choice of global leaders in infrastructure construction.

TILOS has been used with the following railway construction projects:

The Crossrails project in London, United Kingdom
California High Speed Rail, USA
SNCF High Speed Rail Extension to Bordeaux, France
Riyadh Metro, Saudi Arabia
Honolulu Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Metro, USA
Toronto Transit LRT Extensions, Canada
and many, many others.

Video & SCREENSHOTS

Why Use TILOS?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

TILOS tech specifications

TILOS technical specifications, languages & integrations.
TILOS 11 System Requirements

Tilos 11.0 Hardware Requirements are the same for a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD).

Minimum

● Dual-core processor

● 1 GB RAM

● 2 GB free hard disk space

● Screen resolution (at 100% font size)

○ QVGA 1280×960 (4:3) ○ WXGA 1280×800 (16:10) Recommended

● Quad-core processor, such as Intel Core i5

● 4 GB RAM

● 2 GB free hard disk space

● Screen resolution (at 100% font size)

Full HD 1920×1080 (16:10)

Operating system

Tilos is tested on the following operating systems (Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions).

Tilos will run also on Windows Home Edition, but it is not recommended. Tilos is not supported on Windows Mobile OS. Client

● Windows 8 Professional (32-bit/64-bit)
● Windows 10 Professional (32-bit/64-bit) File server For file storage, any resource that is visible in Windows is fine.

For example:
● Windows 2012 Server (64-bit)
● Windows 2016 Server (64-bit)
● Most SAN or NAS equipment
● Windows 2019 Server (64-bit) For Terminal Server usage requirements, contact the Technical Hotline listed below. Integrations & Compatibility: (If the program is backward compatible.)
● Microsoft Project (Standard and Professional editions) version 2016
● Oracle Primavera P6 with Primavera-XML-Exchange files versions 7 and 8
● ASTA Powerproject versions 14 and 15Reaching Sales, Support, and Community

What is the linear scheduling method?

The Linear Scheduling Method is a graphical scheduling method that focuses on continuous use of resources, in a repetitive manner, along both a time and a distance axis, along the optimal Right of Way (ROW.)

The graphical representation of the linear scheduling method is often called a Time-Distance diagram

Depending on the country, language and culture, you may use a different name for the linear scheduling method.

Some of the popular terms that have been adopted to refer to what is now known as the linear scheduling method are:

Time Distance Diagram
Time Location Diagram
Time Chainage Plans
French Diagram
March Chart
Location-based scheduling
Line-of-balance
Flowline or flow line
Repetitive scheduling method
Vertical production method
Time-location matrix model
Time space scheduling method
Disturbance scheduling
Horizontal and vertical logic scheduling for multistory projects
Horizontal and vertical scheduling
Multiple repetitive construction process
Representing construction
Linear scheduling
Time versus distance diagrams (T-D charts)
Time chainage
Linear balance charts
Velocity diagrams

Project management and the linear scheduling method

Project planning & scheduling managers, construction managers and project managers at construction, engineering and project owner companies have found the linear scheduling method to be the most effective way to create and execute an infrastructure project plan.

Linear infrastructure construction project managers such as those on highway and road projects, pipeline projects, railway projects and even power line infrastructure most benefit from the emphasis on continuous use of resources in a repetitive fashion.

What makes the linear scheduling method different than other location-based scheduling methods?

What’s unique about the linear scheduling method is that the rate of progress of each crew is critical and evaluated to ensure adequate spacing between activities in maintained.

If crews cross over because the work rate of the successor crew is greater than the predecessor, then a clash occurs. The Linear Scheduling method makes it possible to identify clashes so that work rates, lag time between crews or distances between crews can be adjusted to eliminate clashes.

The overall progress or sequence of activities is of a lesser concern than optimising the productivity rates to minimise the total time.

Additionally, the graphical element of the linear scheduling method is beneficial as it provides a visual resource which communicates both the macro perspective of the entirety of project, as well as the micro view – specifics like what work has been done where.

The evolution of the linear scheduling method

The beginnings of the linear scheduling method have been traced back as far as the 1800’s, used by characters as famous as Napoleon.

(According to the book entitled, The Command And Control Of The Grand Armée: Napoleon As Organizational Designer by Lieut. Norman L. Durham, Napoleon was strategising based on Time & Distance calculations.)

In Napoleon’s case, his time distance plans would have been hand drawn. With the advent of the computing age, linear project planners have used a multitude of methods that have become more and more effective at addressing the specific challenges associated with linear projects.

Automating the linear scheduling method

TILOS is the Globe’s leading linear scheduling software.

Preferred by international leaders in infrastructure planning and construction, TILOS provides reliable & complete linear project schedules. By automating complex calculations required to optimise the linear project plan, TILOS quickly pays for itself.

Microsoft Excel & CAD Tools disadvantages

Project management charts like GANTT charts, bar charts or network diagrams can be hand-drawn, or quickly and easily created using tools like CAD or Microsoft Excel.

Easy to create – impossible to keep current

While appealing due to the lack of substantial up-front investment, and the fact that even junior staff members can create these project management charts, the hidden cost of using these traditional project management tools become apparent as soon as there is a change to the linear project plan.

As soon as there is a change to the linear plan due to weather or other constraints, pages and pages of GANTT charts must be amended and recreated.

(and usually the new charts are ready just in time for another change to the plan.)

Progress against the baseline is difficult to determine

When it comes to reporting specifics on progress or delays, GANTT charts simply don’t have the ability to show exactly what work has been done, where along the ROW.

(Often, documenting progress against the linear project baseline is left to the field construction manager to perform manually.)

Complicated and confusing project planning meetings

Using GANTT, network diagrams and bar charts makes it almost impossible to communicate the progress of a linear project to team members and contractors. Field personnel need to know where they have worked and where they will work next. This is not possible with a Gantt based CPM tool.

Communication is key in project planning meetings to manage construction challenges along a ROW. Communicating and presenting to key stakeholders become especially challenging when a concise summary of the progress of the project is expected, along with detailed information on delays or events that may compromise the project’s schedule and budget. A time-distance plan effectively communicates where work has occurred, where work rates have been impacted by field conditions and are easily understood by key stakeholders.

Conclusion:

As a project management method for complex linear infrastructure projects, using CAD or Microsoft Excel to produce GANTT charts, Bar Charts or Network diagrams is highly ineffective and a drain on resources while failing to produce complete or up-to date information that can be understood by all parties involved.

Line Of Balance Method advantages

The Line of Balance Project Management Method (also known as the Vertical Production Method) is another common project management methodology used to plan repetitive work such as constructing multiple dwelling units.

When used for linear infrastructure projects like roads, railways and pipelines, this project management technique is more accurately called the linear scheduling method.

The linear scheduling method is also referred to by its output, a Time Location or Time Distance chart.

Examples of TILOS project plans

  • An example of a powerline project plan created with TILOS: 200 km of overhead Power Lines across a mountainous Scottish area.
  • An example of a bridge project plan created with TILOS: The Höckler bridge in Switzerland was one of the bridges where TILOS was used to show the work not only as a Gantt chart, but also as a time distance diagram. The drawing was imported from the CAD system as a WMF file. To connect the curved bridge with the straight distance axis, connector lines were added.
  • The Brenner Base Tunnel is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) long railway tunnel through the base of the Eastern Alps beneath the Brenner Pass. In total it’s about 220 km of tunnel drilling. The travel time from Innsbruck to Bolzano will be reduced from 2 hours to 50 minutes. Scheduled opening is 2026. Expected cost including risk: 8.5 Billion Euro / 11 Billion USD
    Tilos Screenshot Software Project
  • An example of a Railway Project Plan created with TILOS:
    Bridge Tilos Screenshot
    Tilos Bridge Screenshot
  • An example of a highway project plan created with TILOS.

TILOS integrations

TILOS is Compatible With The Tools You Use. TILOS Integrations & Compatibility:
ASTA Powerproject:

Compatible to Powerproject Versions 10, 11, 12 and 13

Microsoft Project:

Compatible to Versions 2003 (no calendars), 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016

Oracle Primavera P6:

Compatible with Primavera-XML-Exchange files from Version 7 or newer.

Data imports:

Data can also be imported into TILOS via Excel Sheet and CAD Drawings.

Other linear project management methodologies

Some of the more traditional scheduling methods that have predated the linear planning method include:

The Bar or GANTT Chart:

Developed by Henry Gantt during World War One, the bar or Gantt chart can be quickly drawn by hand or developed in most common computer programs, such as Excel, PowerPoint etc.

The bar or gantt chart does creates a visual project plan, but doesn’t contain or communicate all the information and variables needed to optimize for continuous resource usage along a ROW.

Critical Path Method (CPM Schedule):

The CPM Schedule, or Critical Path Method was developed in 1957 specifically for projects that are broken down into a complex series of chronologically discrete activities that are logically connected in a sequence from project start to finish.

While the Critical Path Method or CPM is a powerful method, it is not ideal for linear project planning and scheduling, as it does not have the ability to communicate the specifics of what work is done where.

Line Of Balance Method:

The Line of Balance Method differs from the Linear Scheduling Method in one critical way.

The Line of Balance method, as well as the Vertical Production Method are both considered “point based” where the Linear Scheduling Method is “alignment based” as it relates to the ROW.

In fact, the Line of Balance Method was developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1950’s specifically to optimise the production of units in an assembly plant and has been adapted to schedule multi-unit housing projects.

Advantages of the linear scheduling method

By optimising for the of continuous use of resources, the project plan and schedule can be rendered more effective – doing more work in less time. And where productivity is optimised, work schedules are reduced and profits are maximised.

A Project Management System For Linear Projects

The key component of the linear scheduling method is the creation of the project management chart known as a march chart or Time Distance chart to display the project in two dimensions: time and distance.

Instead of trying to convey a time-distance project in one dimension, March charts are specifically designed for projects where time and distance are the two main components that need to be accounted for.

The number of resources required to build and manage a Time Distance is a small fraction of the number needed to develop a CPM Schedule to the same level of detail.

The benefits of the linear scheduling method for your project:
Complete and accurate baseline versus execution information.

March charts enable project planners to integrate the schedule with the physical site data and logistical constraints.

Instead of creating and presenting the plan as a series of Gantt bars, this approach allows the planner to integrate and print as much detail as required about the schedule on a single page. This detail can include elevation profiles, land acquisition, spend curves, geotech data, environmental windows, crossings and crew movement and direction of travel along the ROW.

Anticipate Issues and Optimise The Plan

In its most basic form, march charts show each crew represented by a different shape or line type, colour or shape. Usually distance along the ROW is horizontal and increases from the left to the right. Time is typically represented vertically, increasing from bottom to top. The advantage of a march chart for linear projects is immediately obvious as you can determine the location of each crew at any particular point in time.

Any issues associated with crew productivity rates are also readily apparent.

A march chart can be further enhanced by adding additional layers to the plan. You can display any other critical element of your project, such as Right of Way Restrictions, Weather Issues and more.

Accelerate The Schedule

From the unique perspective of viewing the entire scope in one view, not only are potential risks obvious, but opportunities to accelerate the schedule become readily apparent.

Equipment sequencing and crew productivity rates can then be modified to reduce inefficiencies and speed up the project as a whole.

Easy to understand, communicate and present the plan.

Global leaders know that using a Time Location Diagram or March Chart is by far the best way to plan, optimise, modify and execute a complex linear infrastructure project because it displays the entirety of the project scope in just one view.

Automate Time Distance Charts with TILOS software

March charts can also be hand-drawn or developed in CAD, however manually created Time Distance diagrams will still be easily outdated. Many planners prefer to use automated linear scheduling software tools like TILOS.

TILOS helps linear project planners to:

Identify equipment and activity clashes in the schedule.
Optimise the schedule to ensure continual use of resources and reduce time in field.
Plan mass haulage (one of the biggest cost drivers for linear projects)
Present and communicate the project’s complexities to various parties including stakeholders, contractors, junior engineers and owner companies.

The downside of GANTT charts

A comparison of traditional project management methodologies vs the linear scheduling method.

Whether the project management tool you choose is Microsoft Excel, CAD or more robust and specialised tools like Primavera or Microsoft Project, the end result is that your linear project plan remains a GANTT chart with no connection to where you are working on the ROW.

Using Time Distance charts versus GANTT Charts on linear projects is often the difference between being able to easily identify trends and issues in certain sections or a project plan that lacks clarity and visibility to the Project Team.

GANTT charts are:
Simplistic

They do not show what progress has happened where along the ROW.

Inaccurate

They estimate a constant rate of productivity in fluctuating conditions.

Confusing

They produce a large amount of paperwork, yet fail to clearly convey the scope.

Difficult to change

They do not incorporate equipment move arounds or other realities of linear projects.

The CPM Schedule downsides

Project Management Systems such as Primavera or MS Project are often used to create a Critical Path Method or CPM schedule for a linear project.

The planner creates a series of discrete activities and then logically connects these activities. Resources can be added to each schedule activity and resource loading can be easily displayed. In order to maintain crew sequencing in a linear-type project, the planner ensures that each activity is connected to its successor by a Start-Start and a Finish-Finish relationship.

These project management tools also produce a GANTT chart. This GANTT chart will then display a graphical representation of the project sequence, and the plan will progress from this baseline.

CPM Schedules may produce an inaccurate baseline

Project management tools such as Primavera or MS. Project automatically plan the project based on the CPM schedule and can be updated more easily than manually updating a GANTT Chart or CAD Drawing. However, they still present issues that threaten the timely completion of a complex linear infrastructure project.

Most estimates and CPM schedules assume a consistent productivity (or work) rate for each crew along the ROW. This productivity factor is then applied for the entire length of the ROW to determine the duration of each crew.

However applying a consistent productivity rate to a crew doesn’t account for changes in profile, terrain, amount of mass haulage required based on ROW elevation, weather changes and many other factors that impact the productivity rate of a crew.

Because of the high likelihood of an inaccurate productivity rate CPM schedules, they simply do not completely or accurately convey the baseline project schedule.

ROW challenges using CPM Schedules are difficult to represent

In cases where the right of way (ROW) access may be interrupted during particular times due to weather, crossings, permitting or other factors external to simple resource allocation, the CPM Schedule as a project management methodology lacks a simple way to easily modify the plan.

Equipment move-arounds then become difficult and clashes become harder to prevent, and almost impossible to proactively manage before construction starts.

Where are we with this project?

For project planning managers, the ability to accurately answer this question and plan for the next section is critical.

And while the typical CPM schedule progress report may show that a crew is 45% complete, it assumes the progress is from start to finish and does not connect completion with the physical ROW. A CPM Schedule does not show exactly where the work has been done and where it is yet to be done.

This approach often causes problems for construction managers.

Linear projects by nature, don’t often progress in a sequential fashion. Equipment move-arounds are standard procedure and it’s necessary to ensure crews are adequately spaced apart.

Planning meetings are still confusing:

While the CPM Schedule sounds like a good project management method for scheduling linear projects, in reality the CPM Schedule only tells half the story of a linear project.

Developed in 1957 specifically for projects that are broken down into a complex series of chronologically discrete activities that are logically connected in a sequence from project start to finish, the Critical Path Method is better suited for the construction of buildings and other facilities (power generating stations, refineries, etc.) and are not adequate for the constructability issues and demands of building linear project such as a pipeline, rail system or roadway.

Conclusion:

As a project management method for complex linear infrastructure projects, using the Critical Path Method to produce GANTT charts is highly ineffective and a drain on resources while failing to produce complete or up-to date information that can be understood by all parties involved.

Video: Linear scheduling for civil projects

Use of Linear Scheduling with Civil Infrastructure Projects to Enhance Project Value & Reduce Risk

Linear scheduling methodology (LSM) involves the use of distance / location data in addition to the time information in planning repetitive construction sequencing for infrastructure projects. This methodology, derived from the Line of Balance (LOB) planning methodology developed by the US Navy in the 1950’s, is widely used globally. To date, distance-based planning has been effectively used for road, rail, tunnel, bridge, dam rehabilitation, pipeline, and power distribution projects in North America.

The application of LSM in infrastructure projects allows for the optimization of the execution plan and subsequent reduction of scheduled time in-field with the resultant decrease in costs. LSM is also used for claims analysis to understand and clearly present project delays, as well as risk analysis to assess mitigation opportunities.

This presentation will provide an overview of the methodology and review the application of linear planning in infrastructure projects to effectively identify risk, optimise time in-field, and reduce overall cost.

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