Planning Manager

The Planning Manager is responsible for leading and managing the planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting activities for major high-rise construction projects.

The role is responsible for establishing and maintaining the overall project baseline schedule, coordinating planning activities across engineering, procurement, construction, MEP, subcontractors, and project management teams, and ensuring that projects are delivered in accordance with approved time schedules, contractual requirements, and project milestones.

The Planning Manager will provide senior management with accurate information regarding project progress, critical activities, delays, risks, recovery plans, and forecast completion dates.

A. Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, review, and maintain the Master Baseline Programme for high-rise construction projects.
• Develop detailed project schedules covering:
• Design and engineering
• Authorities approvals
• Procurement
• Mobilization
• Enabling works
• Structure and concrete works
• Façade and external works
• MEP works
• Finishes
• Testing & commissioning
• Handover and close-out
• Establish the project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and appropriate activity coding.
• Develop detailed Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5 schedules as required.
• Prepare resource-loaded and cost-loaded schedules where required.
• Ensure logical relationships, activity durations, constraints, calendars, and milestones are properly established.
• Establish and maintain project baseline schedules in accordance with contractual requirements.
• Review and approve detailed programmes submitted by subcontractors and suppliers.
• Ensure all project schedules are properly integrated.

B. Progress Monitoring & Control

• Monitor actual progress against the approved baseline programme.
• Establish appropriate progress measurement systems and methodologies.
• Collect and validate progress data from site teams, subcontractors, consultants, and project departments.
• Prepare weekly and monthly progress updates.
• Analyze planned versus actual progress and identify deviations.
• Monitor critical and near-critical activities.
• Identify potential delays at an early stage and recommend corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate records of planned, actual, and forecast completion dates.
• Conduct regular site walks to verify physical progress against reported progress.

C. Critical Path & Delay Management

• Identify and continuously monitor the Critical Path and critical activities.
• Analyze the impact of delays on project milestones and contractual completion dates.
• Conduct Time Impact Analysis (TIA) where required.
• Prepare delay analysis and support the project team in evaluating extension-of-time claims.
• Identify root causes of delays and recommend mitigation measures.
• Develop recovery and acceleration programmes when projects fall behind schedule.
• Monitor the effectiveness of recovery plans and report progress to senior management.
• Maintain a comprehensive Delay Register and risk-based schedule assessment.

D. High-Rise Construction Planning

The Planning Manager should have strong understanding of the specific sequencing and challenges associated with high-rise buildings, including:

• Excavation and foundation works
• Basement construction
• Piling and shoring
• Raft foundations
• Core wall construction
• Vertical structural elements
• Typical floor cycles
• Tower crane and hoist requirements
• Concrete pouring cycles
• Façade installation
• MEP vertical risers
• MEP floor-by-floor installation
• Drywall and partition works
• Internal finishes
• Mock-ups and approvals
• Testing and commissioning
• Vertical transportation
• External works and landscaping
• Authority inspections and approvals
• Snagging and de-snagging
• Testing, commissioning and handover

The Planning Manager shall ensure that construction sequencing reflects realistic site productivity, resource availability, access constraints, and interface requirements.

E. Coordination

• Coordinate closely with:
• Project Director
• Construction Manager
• Project Managers
• Engineering/Design Team
• Procurement Department
• Commercial/Contracts Department
• MEP Team
• QA/QC Department
• HSE Department
• Site Engineers
• Subcontractors
• Consultants
• Lead regular planning and progress meetings.
• Coordinate programme interfaces between civil, structural, architectural, MEP, façade, and specialist works.
• Ensure that procurement and material delivery schedules are aligned with construction requirements.
• Identify interface constraints that could affect project progress.

F. Reporting

Prepare and present accurate planning and project-control reports, including:

• Daily/weekly progress reports
• Weekly look-ahead programmes
• Two-week and three-week look-ahead schedules
• Monthly progress reports
• Executive management reports
• S-Curves
• Progress dashboards
• Planned vs. actual progress
• Earned Value reports where applicable
• Critical Path analysis
• Delay analysis
• Recovery programmes
• Resource histograms
• Manpower forecasts
• Equipment forecasts
• Procurement schedules
• Material delivery schedules
• Risk and opportunity reports
• Project completion forecasts

G. Resource Planning

• Develop manpower and equipment requirements based on project schedules.
• Prepare and maintain resource histograms.
• Monitor planned versus actual manpower.
• Identify resource shortages that may affect project progress.
• Coordinate with construction management regarding workforce requirements.
• Assess productivity rates and recommend corrective actions where productivity is below target.

H. Procurement & Engineering Integration

• Integrate procurement activities into the overall project programme.
• Monitor long-lead items and critical materials.
• Track material submittals, approvals, manufacturing, delivery, and installation.
• Coordinate engineering deliverables with construction requirements.
• Monitor design/shop drawing/submittal schedules.
• Highlight potential procurement or engineering delays affecting site activities.

I. Subcontractor Planning

• Review subcontractors' baseline programmes and schedules.
• Ensure subcontractor programmes are aligned with the main project programme.
• Monitor subcontractor progress and productivity.
• Challenge unrealistic programmes and progress claims.
• Require subcontractors to submit recovery programmes when necessary.
• Integrate subcontractor schedules into the overall project schedule.
• Monitor subcontractor milestones and contractual obligations.

J. Risk Management

• Identify schedule-related risks and opportunities.
• Maintain a project schedule risk register.
• Assess the potential impact of risks on project completion.
• Develop mitigation and contingency measures.
• Support management in making informed decisions regarding programme risks.
• Participate in project risk review meetings.

3. Key Deliverables

The Planning Manager is expected to ensure timely preparation and maintenance of:

• Approved Project Baseline Programme
• Master Programme
• Detailed Construction Programme
• Engineering Programme
• Procurement Programme
• Subcontractor Programmes
• Recovery/Acceleration Programmes
• Weekly Look-Ahead Programmes
• Monthly Updated Programme
• Progress Measurement System
• S-Curves
• Resource Histograms
• Manpower Forecasts
• Critical Path Analysis
• Delay Analysis
• Time Impact Analysis
• Schedule Risk Register
• Progress Reports
• Project Completion Forecast
• As-Built Programme

Skills

Essential

• Primavera P6 Professional
• Advanced Excel
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Baseline and schedule updates
• Progress measurement
• Resource loading
• S-Curve development
• Schedule variance analysis
• Delay analysis
• Recovery planning
• Time Impact Analysis
• Earned Value Management
• Construction sequencing
• Resource planning
• Subcontractor programme management

Preferred

• Power BI / project dashboards
• BIM 4D / 5D knowledge
• Cost-loaded scheduling
• Oracle Primavera P6 EPPM
• Asta Powerproject
• Knowledge of FIDIC contracts and extension-of-time principles