The following chart portrays a typical office project schedule. Note that the beginning of almost every activity is dependent upon the completion of the preceding one; very few activities can be overlapped. Thus any slippage in the completion of one is transferred to all subsequent activities, as shown in the
next chart. Without effective project management to monitor, control and expedite all activities, the project can easily take longer than expected. In many cases the total project time available cannot be extended, so slippage will often result in the forced abbreviation or exclusion of some activities. Invariably, abbreviated or excluded steps will diminish the value that could have otherwise been achieved.
(This schedule assumes that the project is begun early enough to allow for a complete evaluation of suitable alternatives. In those cases where the situation does not allow adequate time for such an evaluation, the activities and schedule would have to be modified to fit within the time available. However, such modification usually comes at the price of diminished negotiating strength and/or greater cost to construct the tenant improvements.)