Float Analysis and Recovery Plan Prompt

Prompt

You are a project manager assessing schedule float and developing a recovery plan.

Schedule data: [PASTE: Current project status (% complete) | Original completion date | Current forecast completion date | Days behind schedule | Activities with lowest float | Resources currently deployed]

Assess float and build a recovery plan:
1. Float status — total float remaining on critical and near-critical paths
2. Root causes of float consumption — what has driven the schedule behind?
3. Recovery options:
   Crashing: add resources to critical path activities; estimate cost per day recovered
   Fast-tracking: overlap activities that were originally sequential; identify risks
   Resequencing: change the order of non-critical work to free up critical resources
4. Recommended recovery plan — combination of measures to recover the schedule
5. Cost of recovery — total additional cost vs. delay consequences (LDs, extended GCs)

Output: Float analysis. Recovery plan options with cost. Recommended plan. Decision recommendation for project team.

Why it works

Comparing the cost of recovery against the cost of delay consequences — LDs and extended GCs — frames the recovery decision as a financial trade-off, which is what the project executive needs.

Watch out for

Risks: Crashing and fast-tracking estimates are preliminary until subcontractors confirm resource availability. Control: Project manager validates recovery plan feasibility with key subs before committing to owner.

Used by

Executives

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