Project Schedule Feedback

Detailed planning and scheduling should be conducted in order to prevent costly delays and project failure. The project team should work diligently during the planning phase to identify key project milestones, stakeholders and support activities required to achieve them on schedule A detailed timeline of events and environmental schedule is essential when working with projects involving the complex mix of issues and activities in site revitalization. However, there are always a number of unknown issues impacting the progress and success of environmental assessment and cleanup activities.

The key project phases requiring scrutiny during the development of the project schedule include: development of the project team, encouragement of stakeholder involvement, completion of a project objective plan and goals, development and implementation of a community involvement plan, and potential decontamination, construction, and demolition activities.

Contaminated sites may require flexibility and continual adjustment and modification of the team schedule and methodologies. Each step should be justified and defensible from an environmental, regulatory, and financial standpoint, and in keeping with the focus of the planned reuse. This can be supported by developing an: Environmental Work Plan, Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), Health and Safety Plan (HASP). Items to consider when preparing a project schedule may include: local and/or state permitting approvals, environmental sampling activities, site infrastructure inspection and improvement, report preparation and review, remediation alternative screening, selection, and approval, coordination of environmental activities with other site activities, contingency planning to rapidly address unanticipated conditions (for example new contamination), bidding process for potential environmental and construction activities, selection process of consultants and contractors, preparation of all necessary workplans and subsequent approval, necessary approvals for all aspects of site revitalization (including city council approval), and community involvement activities.