Bringing Real World Schedule Risk Analysis into the Construction Management Classroom
In the Civil and Environmental Engineering 519 (Risk Management) course at the University of Dayton, Jerry Klanac, professor and PMA Consultants Leader Emeritus, teaches students advanced schedule risk analysis using real-world methodologies. As part of a case study assignment, students work from a live baseline schedule developed in NetPoint and perform risk analysis using NetRisk.
The NetPoint schedule provides a visual, logic-driven network of activities displayed across a timescale, allowing students to see durations, float, and the critical path clearly. This structure provides them with an intuitive, data-rich understanding of how the project is planned, laying the foundation for more advanced risk modeling.
Students then take on the role of schedule risk analysts, using NetRisk as the primary platform to model real project uncertainties such as site conditions, disputes, testing failures, and weather impacts. By running simulations that account for variability in activity durations and available float, they develop optimistic, most likely, and conservative scenarios. These outputs are used to forecast key milestones, including Ready for Move In, and to quantify the probability of meeting project deadlines.
Through this process, students also identify critical risk drivers and priority activities—focusing attention on where project teams must act to protect the schedule. The combination of NetPoint’s visual scheduling foundation and NetRisk’s probabilistic analysis creates a comprehensive learning environment that reflects how advanced project controls are applied in practice.
By integrating these tools into the curriculum, students move beyond theoretical scheduling concepts and engage directly with the dynamics of real-world project delivery. This applied approach strengthens their ability to interpret schedules, evaluate risk, and communicate insights—skills essential for modern project scheduling and planning professionals.
At the end of the course, students reported that the incorporation of NetRisk was one of the most effective aspects of their learning experience, helping them gain real-world experience, not just with the case study, but in understanding new software. Students have the option to apply their NetRisk experience further in a capstone course, developing their professional skills.
“From my university teaching experiences, most students love to learn new software tools and once I gave some basic instructions, they really enjoyed using NetPoint and NetRisk. Once they saw what NetPoint could do, they knew they could summarize their very large MS-Project schedule and took the initiative to build summary schedules in NetPoint and present them during their capstone project. Several visitors were immensely impressed by what they had created.”