Scheduling Experience

• Where did I get my experience?

This article is a brief summary of my scheduling experience.

In 1992, I started working at Irving Tissue as a Maintenance Engineer (what it now called Reliability Engineer). I started to help plan shutdowns, learning the importance of well planned shutdowns.

From 1994 to 1996, I was the Maintenance Team Lead at another tissue mill (Atlantic Packaging in Toronto). I was responsible for all aspects of planning and scheduling the monthly 8-hour shutdowns, as well as the larger shutdowns. I was using Gantt chart software at that time, just not MS Project.

From 1996 to 1999, I worked as a Maintenance Engineer at a paper mill (Dunn Paper in Port Huron, MI). I started using MS Project to plan large holiday shutdowns, and Yankee dryer grinds (~ 1 week shutdowns).

From 1999 to 2003, I worked for Hallam Engineering, in Burlington, Vermont. When I used MS Project during this period, it was mostly for creating schedules for engineering design services, sometimes integrated with construction activities.

From 2003 to 2017, I worked for Neill & Gunter/Stantec, in an office focused on industrial clients.

In 2004, a paper mill was planning a very large shutdown, and they needed a schedule coordinator. It was a combination of maintenance and capital work, although the main reason for the shutdown was capital work. The capital work was in the range of $100 million. It was a 6 month assignment for me, doing nothing but using MS Project to build very detailed schedules, level critical resources. During the extended shutdown, I created daily Earned Value Analysis, focusing on Schedule Performance Index on a daily basis. This assignment really forced my to learn how to get the best use out of MS Project for large industrial shutdowns.

In 2007, I helped a tissue mill plan an extended shutdown, which included a Yankee dryer grind.

At a pulp mill, from 2005 to 2015, I acted as their schedule coordinator for the many of their annual Mill Shut Downs (MSDs), which tend to be about 1 week long shutdowns. There was often up to 20 schedules. I provided MS Project training for maintenance and engineering staff, helped them with leveling critical resources, and completed daily Schedule Performance Index for each of the schedules during the shutdown.

While at Stantec from 2003 to 2017, I also created many engineering schedules for engineering design activities. Sometimes, they would also include procurement activtities. They were often resource loaded scheduled to assist with resource levelling.

Summary

I have worked on a wide variety of schedule types. I believe I bring a practicality and efficiency when using MS Project for industrial type projects.

Send me an email at info@paperengineeringplus.com if you would like to discuss having me help out with your scheduling needs.

Thanks,

Fernand Ouellettte, P.Eng

References