Measuring piping progress from a model-based take-off
Start with the agreed piping scope. Decide what counts as complete, record the work against that scope, then compare the result with the plan for the same date.
Keep quantities and progress distinct
A take-off tells you how much pipe, how many fittings and which valves belong to the job. Progress tells you how much of the agreed work is complete. Installed metres are useful, but a metre of one pipe is not automatically the same share of work as a metre of another.
Choose the reporting basis before the first week: physical quantities, agreed work budgets, or another stated measure. Keep the basis visible in the report. Do not add metres, fittings and labour hours into one total.
A small worked example
The following figures are invented to show the arithmetic. They are not a customer result or a productivity benchmark. Assume the team has agreed a work budget and completion measure for each line.
| Line | Budget | Complete | Earned work |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 80 h | 100% | 80 h |
| B | 120 h | 25% | 30 h |
| Total | 200 h | 55% | 110 h |
The job is 55% complete on this basis: 110 earned hours divided by a 200-hour budget. Averaging the two line percentages would give 62.5%, which treats the unequal work budgets as equal. Earned hours describe completed budgeted work; they are not the hours the crew has actually spent.
Agree what installation and testing earn
A pipe can be installed while testing is still outstanding. If testing belongs in the reported scope, a finished installation must not make the whole line appear complete. Agree the stages and their shares before measuring, and keep the same basis across the plan, model colours and report.
Use the company’s approved norms or agreed budgets. A software calculation cannot establish the right labour allowance for an unfamiliar installation on its own.
Compare the same scope on the same date
If the plan calls for 60% by Friday and actual progress is 55%, the difference is 5 percentage points. Both figures must use the same scope and measurement basis. A cumulative curve shows how that gap develops over successive weeks.
Keep the main contractor’s dates alongside the internal piping plan. A date from P6 is a programme requirement; an internal forecast is the expected result of your crew, remaining work and working calendar.
Separate this week’s work from corrections
Suppose work completed this week adds 8 points, while a correction removes 1 point from an earlier record. The net change is 7 points. Calling all 7 points “work completed” hides the correction. Show work, corrections and net change separately.
A revised model can also change the scope and budget. Keep the issued week’s result and explain the revision rather than silently rewriting earlier reports. The model revision guide covers checks on the changed quantities.
Give the team one weekly view
The useful output is a list of lines due this week, the work already done and the work still open. The model, percentage, curve and issued report should tell the same story.
Metriq Progress carries the piping take-off into the visual plan and weekly progress report. It is included in the monthly team plan.
Starting with the quantities? Read piping take-off from a Navisworks model or open the sample Excel workbook and PDF.