Using Key Date Matrix (kdm) to minimize risk in semiconductor facility projects

A new semiconductor facility project can take four years to build, install production tools and start manufacturing. With the current market competition, companies target facility completion within 18 months. Projects are typically planned using a traditional scheduling methodology where successor activities start when the predecessors are finished, resulting in zero float in the schedule. Any delay can have a domino impact on the completion date. Often during the 18 months facility schedule, the owner will continue to adjust their end date and facility scope due to market demand. These changes can modify the contract scope and schedule causing the project team to lose sight of the project priories and lower their efficiency, passing accountability to the owner. In order to increase accountability and focus on the correct priorities a Key Date Matrix (KDM) was developed. The KDM improves the communication between different project teams, identifying and re-sequencing scope, quickly defining risk between the execution schedule versus need date for the activities. This was demonstrated to increase contractor accountability as 98% of the planned schedule was completed on time.