Delay Analysis Methods
Total Time Method
The Total Time Method simply attributes the entire difference between the planned and actual completion dates to the party against whom the claim is made, without analyzing individual delay events -- widely regarded as the weakest and least defensible delay methodology.
Definition
Rather than identifying specific delay events, tracing the contemporaneous critical path, or apportioning responsibility among multiple causes, the Total Time Method simply takes the entire as-planned-to-as-built variance and assigns it to the responding party by default, then requires that party to prove which portions weren't its fault. Because it makes no attempt to establish causation for any specific period, it's widely criticized in forensic scheduling literature and generally disfavored by courts and boards compared to methods -- like windows analysis or Time Impact Analysis -- that trace delay to specific, provable causes.
Example
A claimant argues simply that the project was planned for 300 days, took 380, and therefore the other party owes for all 80 days -- without identifying a single specific delay event, contemporaneous critical path period, or competing cause.