Research has shown that more than 98% of mega constructions suffer cost overruns because of the delays associated with the job. You may report to work today only to find that your contractor is missing, some resources haven’t arrived, adverse weather or costly reworks need to be done. However you want to look at it, most construction sites will run late, but with these tips, you can keep your construction project on schedule, at least 99 % of the time.
1. Review your plans, project documents, and specs
Look through every detail of the scope of work and understand the drawings, spec book, and project documents. Knowing these details by heart will help you craft a better project schedule by knowing how likely you are to be done with certain things, what should follow, and what you need to make it happen. It will also help you determine material placement and layout areas, equipment storage, break areas, access points for employees, job site trailers, among other details.
2. Fill time-slack loopholes
It’s common to have unforeseen delays you had not expected, such as natural disasters. However, some time slacks will entirely be your lack of planning. For instance, you know your construction equipment needs a certain amount of fuel to operate for a given number of days. If you don’t plan for fuel delivery before your machines run out, you will cause avoidable delays to your project. Having your fuel delivery company install storage tanks on site will help you keep track and give you enough time to order for the next batch of fuel before it runs out. Check all possible time-slacks and brainstorm ideas on how you will handle them in case they occur.
3. Don’t change your designs last-minute
If anything takes the trophy for time setbacks, it will be last minute-design changes. With so many people working on the project, you have to go back to the drawing board and explain the changes to the whole team, then learn the drawings, specs, and project documents all over again. Some changes may seem insignificant, but the magnitude of change they cause could be costly both in time and money. Unless it’s unavoidable, don’t change your designs in the middle of a project
4. Monitor your progress
Track your daily activities and write a detailed report outlining what you covered, what you didn’t cover, when you plan to cover it, and how you will make up for the lost time. Compare your report against your detailed plan or schedule and note all reg flags that indicate you are falling far behind on time. Pay close attention to areas that were completed before time or ran over to determine why there is a time discrepancy. Use a job site time clock to monitor your construction crews’ schedule and hours spent on-site. With this information, you can improve your working schedule, adjust tasks where necessary, and keep everyone in the loop for upcoming changes that will impact their work.
Breaking the project into phases will prove helpful when creating and maintaining your construction schedule. To avoid delays, preparation is better than regret, so don’t leave anything to chance.
