Construction Project Controls
Consultant
Construction disputes are won or lost on the project record. Schedule analysis, cost engineering, and earned value measurement are the analytical tools that turn raw project data into defensible positions on delay, disruption, and cost overruns. My PSP and CCP certifications, combined with 20+ years managing projects, where these systems were live, not theoretical, make for a project controls expert who holds up under cross-examination.
Discuss Your Case →What Is Construction Project Controls?
Project controls is the discipline that connects the plan to the outcome, tracking schedule, cost, and performance in real time so project managers can identify problems before they compound. In litigation, that same data tells the story of what went wrong and who was responsible.
On a well-run project, the project controls function produces a baseline schedule, tracks actual progress against that baseline, maintains a cost budget with variance analysis, and flags impacts as they happen. When a dispute arises, those contemporaneous records are the most reliable evidence of when things changed and why.
When those records are missing, incomplete, or contested (which happens often), a project controls consultant reconstructs what can be established from the available evidence, applies accepted forensic methodology, and produces an opinion that is transparent about its basis and limitations. That honesty is what makes the opinion credible.
Project Controls Services for Disputes & Litigation
CPM schedule analysis, earned value, cost engineering, and baseline versus as-built comparisons: the full project controls toolkit applied to construction disputes.
CPM Schedule Analysis
Critical Path Method analysis of as-planned and as-built schedules. Identifies which activities were on the critical path, which delay events affected critical path activities, and by how many days each party's actions extended the project duration. Methodology choices, including time impact analysis, windows analysis, and collapsed as-built, are selected based on the record available and the issues in dispute.
Baseline vs. As-Built Schedule Analysis
A direct comparison of what was planned against what actually happened. Establishes where the project deviated from the original schedule, quantifies the variances, and provides the factual foundation for attributing delays to specific causes and parties. Essential in both delay claims and disruption disputes.
Earned Value Management (EVM) Analysis
Earned value analysis integrates schedule performance and cost performance to measure project health at any point in time. In disputes, EVM analysis can establish when productivity declined, whether cost overruns correlate with schedule delays or stand alone as efficiency problems, and how much of the budget was consumed by each phase of the work.
Cost Engineering & Variance Analysis
Detailed analysis of cost variances against the original budget: what was estimated, what was spent, and why the difference occurred. Identifies whether cost overruns are attributable to owner-directed changes, differing conditions, contractor inefficiency, or a combination. CCP certification reflects formal training in these methods.
Schedule Impact Analysis
Prospective or retrospective analysis of the schedule impact of specific events: owner-directed changes, design errors, differing site conditions, or contractor-caused delays. Used to support or rebut requests for time extensions and delay damages claims.
Productivity Measurement
Quantification of lost productivity using measured mile analysis or industry study methods. Establishes what the crew's baseline production rate was on unimpacted work and compares it to the actual rate on impacted work, providing a documented basis for the inefficiency claim.
PSP & CCP Certifications
AACE International's PSP and CCP certifications are the benchmark credentials for construction scheduling and cost engineering expertise.
PSP
The PSP designation covers CPM scheduling, resource loading and leveling, schedule risk analysis, and schedule forensics including delay analysis methodology. AACE is the leading professional organization for cost engineering and project controls. The PSP is the most recognized scheduling credential in construction litigation.
CCP
The CCP designation covers cost estimating, cost control, earned value management, and project performance measurement. In litigation, it provides formal credential support for cost variance analysis, damage quantification, and opinions on the reasonableness of project expenditures. Combined with the PSP, it covers both the schedule and cost dimensions of most construction disputes.
Full Credentials & Background
B.S. Civil Engineering, PSP, CCP, CCM, and licensed GC in four states: the combination of formal certifications and field experience that supports credible project controls testimony.
- B.S. Civil Engineering: Brigham Young University
- PSP: Planning and Scheduling Professional (AACE International)
- CCP: Certified Cost Professional (AACE International)
- CCM: Certified Construction Manager (CMAA)
- FMPC: FenestrationMaster Professional Certification
- Licensed General Contractor: B100 & E100AK · ID · NV · UT
Frequently Asked Questions
Construction project controls consulting covers the planning, scheduling, cost tracking, and performance measurement systems that govern how a project is managed and documented. In a litigation support context, a project controls consultant analyzes those systems, or the absence of them, to establish what actually happened on a project, what was planned, and why the two diverged. This work supports delay claims, disruption claims, and cost disputes.
CPM stands for Critical Path Method, which is the industry-standard technique for planning and scheduling construction projects. The critical path is the sequence of activities that determines the minimum project duration. A delay on the critical path delays the project; a delay off the critical path does not necessarily affect completion. In delay disputes, CPM analysis is used to determine whether the event at issue actually caused a delay to project completion and, if so, by how many days.
Earned value management (EVM) is a technique that integrates schedule and cost to measure project performance. It compares what was planned to be accomplished (planned value), what was actually accomplished (earned value), and what was actually spent (actual cost). The variance between these metrics reveals whether a project is ahead of or behind schedule, and over or under budget, and by how much. In disputes, EVM analysis can support or challenge claims about project efficiency and cost overruns.
PSP stands for Planning and Scheduling Professional, a certification from AACE International that recognizes expertise in project planning and scheduling including CPM, resource loading, schedule risk analysis, and schedule forensics. In construction litigation, a PSP certification signals to the court and opposing counsel that the expert's schedule analysis is grounded in formal methodology, not just experience with a scheduling software application.
Yes, project controls analysis is foundational to most delay claims. The analysis reviews the as-planned schedule, the as-built schedule, the relationship between critical path activities and alleged delay events, and the quantification of delay days attributable to each party. Without a rigorous project controls foundation, a delay claim relies on narrative alone, which is much harder to sustain under cross-examination.
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