2.5 Project Management, Scheduling & Field Supervision

Alabama HVAC Contractor License Exam

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1 Alabama HACR Laws, Rules & Licensing

1.1 Alabama HACR Board Authority, Licensing Pathways & Experience Requirements 1.2 Contractor Bonding, Insurance, Fees & Annual Renewal 1.3 Permits, Local Jurisdictions, Inspections & Disciplinary Actions

2 Contractor Business, Contracts, Estimating & Alabama Lien Law

2.1 Business Organization, Risk Management & Project Administration 2.2 Construction Contracts, Change Orders & Warranties 2.3 Alabama Mechanics' Lien Law & Financial Management 2.4 Construction Estimating, Markup & Bid Preparation 2.5 Project Management, Scheduling & Field Supervision 2.6 Risk Management, Contractor Insurance & Surety Bonds

3 Safety Standards, OSHA & EPA Section 608

3.1 OSHA Construction Safety (29 CFR 1926) for HVAC Contractors 3.2 EPA Section 608 Refrigerant Regulations & Recovery Requirements 3.3 Refrigerant Management, Leak Repair Rules & A2L Transition

4 General Technical Knowledge & Thermodynamics

4.1 Principles of Heat Transfer, Temperature & Pressure 4.2 The Mechanical Refrigeration Cycle & Refrigerant Properties 4.3 Psychrometrics & Air Properties for Humid Climates 4.4 Basic Electricity, Ohm's Law & Electrical Power for HVAC

5 Piping Systems, Refrigerant Lines & Fuel Gas Piping

5.1 Refrigerant Piping Sizing, Materials & Installation 5.2 Fuel Gas Piping Sizing & Installation (IRC Chapter 24) 5.3 Condensate Drain Systems & Trapping

6 System Sizing & ACCA Manual J Load Calculations

6.1 ACCA Manual J Fundamentals & Design Conditions 6.2 Envelope Loads: Conduction, Radiation & Fenestration 6.3 Infiltration, Ventilation & Internal Heat Gains

7 Duct System Design & ACCA Manual D

7.1 Airflow Principles, Static Pressure & Fan Performance 7.2 ACCA Manual D Duct Sizing & Friction Rate 7.3 Duct Materials, Installation Standards & Air Distribution

8 Heating & Cooling Equipment Operation

8.1 Heat Pump Systems & Supplemental Heating 8.2 Gas Furnaces & Combustion Systems 8.3 Air Conditioning Units, Compressors & Metering Devices

9 Mechanical Codes, Electrical Applications & Maintenance Diagnostics

9.1 Combustion Air & Venting Systems (IRC Chapter 24) 9.2 Electrical Applications for HVAC (NFPA 70 / NEC Article 440) 9.3 Preventative Maintenance, Troubleshooting & Plan Reading

10 Employment Law, Payroll Taxes & Contractor Finance

10.1 Federal & Alabama Labor Laws for HVAC Employers 10.2 Payroll, Employment Taxes & Worker Classification 10.3 Job Costing, Break-Even Analysis & Cash Flow Forecasting

11 Preventative Maintenance, Service Procedures & Commissioning

11.1 Preventative Maintenance Programs & Service Agreements 11.2 Filter, Coil & Drain Maintenance for Alabama's Humid Climate 11.3 Evacuation, Dehydration & Refrigerant Charging Procedures 11.4 Airflow Verification, Static Pressure Testing & Commissioning

12 Electrical Applications & Construction Documents

12.1 Electric Motors, Compressors & Motor Protection 12.2 Transformers, Control Circuits & Low-Voltage Wiring 12.3 Branch Circuits, Conductors, Grounding & Disconnects 12.4 Construction Documents, Specifications & Submittals

2.5 Project Management, Scheduling & Field Supervision

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The critical path is the longest continuous chain of dependent activities through a network, and it alone sets the project duration; activities on it have zero total float.

Total float is how long an activity can slip without delaying project completion, computed as late start minus early start.

Submittals and shop drawings must be approved before fabrication or ordering, and long-lead mechanical equipment is the most common source of schedule failure on HVAC work.

Delays are classified as excusable and compensable, excusable but non-compensable, or non-excusable, and the classification determines whether the contractor gets time, money, both, or neither.

Closeout is a deliverable: as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, test and balance reports, warranty letters, and owner training all condition final payment.

Last updated: September 2026

2.5 Project Management, Scheduling & Field Supervision

Note

Scope of this subject area : On the Alabama HAC blueprint, project management is a small but reliably tested block. Questions center on scheduling arithmetic (critical path and float), the submittal and request-for-information workflow, and who owns a delay. This section teaches those three ideas plus the documentation habits that decide whether a delay claim survives.

The Phases of a Mechanical Project

Phase Contractor deliverable Typical failure
Preconstruction Reviewed drawings, RFIs on conflicts, buyout of equipment Ordering before submittal approval
Submittals Product data, shop drawings, coordination drawings Long-lead gear submitted last

Rough-in Duct, refrigerant lines, condensate, gas, sleeves, hangers Missed sleeve or a chase closed by another trade

Equipment set Curbs, rigging, crane pick, unit set and secured Crane scheduled before roof curb is flashed
Trim and start-up Grilles, thermostats, controls, start-up report Start-up before permanent power
Test, adjust, balance TAB report against design airflow Balancing a system with unfinished ceilings
Closeout As-builts, O&M manuals, warranties, training Retainage held for a missing manual
Submittals, Shop Drawings and RFIs

A submittal proves the product you intend to install matches the specification. Product data sheets, performance curves, and electrical data are submitted, reviewed by the engineer, and returned marked approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected.

Shop drawings are the contractor's own fabrication drawings - duct layouts at scale, hanger details, seismic or wind restraint details. Nothing should be fabricated from a design drawing alone.

A request for information (RFI) is the written mechanism for resolving a drawing conflict. Verbal answers do not change the contract. Number every RFI, log the date asked and the date answered, and note whether the answer changed cost or time.

Coordination drawings overlay mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection in the same ceiling space. The trade that coordinates last usually pays for the rework.

Critical Path Scheduling

A critical path method (CPM) schedule is a network of activities with durations and dependencies. Four numbers are computed for each activity:

Early start (ES) and early finish (EF) from a forward pass.

Late start (LS) and late finish (LF) from a backward pass.

Total float = LS - ES = LF - EF.

The critical path is the longest continuous path through the network. Every activity on it has zero total float ; a one-day slip on any of them slips the project one day.

Worked Example

A small rooftop replacement has these activities:

Activity Duration Depends on
A - Permit and submittals 10 days -
B - Equipment lead time 25 days A
C - Curb fabrication 6 days A
D - Roof curb set and flash 3 days C
E - Crane pick and unit set 1 day B, D
F - Electrical and controls tie-in 4 days E
G - Start-up and TAB 3 days F

Path 1 : A + B + E + F + G = 10 + 25 + 1 + 4 + 3 = 43 days . Path 2 : A + C + D + E + F + G = 10 + 6 + 3 + 1 + 4 + 3 = 27 days.

The project duration is 43 days and the critical path runs through equipment lead time. Activities C and D carry 43 - 27 = 16 days of total float : the curb can be fabricated and set any time in a sixteen-day window without moving the completion date. Expediting the curb saves nothing. Expediting the equipment order is the only action that shortens the job - which is why long-lead equipment is released first on every well-run mechanical project.

Look-Ahead Planning and Field Supervision

Three-week look-ahead : the master CPM schedule is strategy; the rolling look-ahead is execution. It names crew, material, equipment, and the predecessor each activity is waiting on.

Daily report : date, crew and hours, weather, work performed, deliveries, visitors, inspections, delays and their cause. A contemporaneous daily report is the evidence that wins a delay claim two years later.

Productivity tracking : compare actual hours per unit installed against the estimated labor unit weekly, not at the end. A crew running 20% over on week one will be 20% over on week ten.

Punch list : walk the job with the owner and generate the list yourself before the architect writes one.

Who Owns the Delay

Delay classification Time extension Additional money Example
Excusable and compensable Yes Yes Owner-directed change, late owner-furnished equipment, defective design
Excusable, non-compensable Yes No Unusually severe weather, strike, act of government
Non-excusable No No Contractor's own late ordering, undermanning, rework

Contract notice provisions are strict. Most construction contracts require written notice of a delay or a claim within a stated number of days of the event, and courts routinely enforce the deadline. Give notice in writing, on time, even when relations are good.

Closeout: The Package That Releases Retainage

As-built (record) drawings marked with every field change.

Operation and maintenance manuals with model and serial numbers, filter sizes, wiring diagrams, and parts lists.

Test, adjust and balance report demonstrating design airflow at each outlet.

Start-up reports signed by the technician, with refrigerant charge method and readings.

Written warranties from the contractor and from the manufacturer, with start dates.

Owner training with a signed attendance record.

Final lien waivers from the contractor and every supplier and subcontractor.