Keeping a construction project on schedule and within budget is no easy feat. Countless variables are entirely out of your control, like bad weather, subcontractor delays and damages, amongst a host of other terrifying prospects.
Preparing for every potential outcome can become a costly exercise, and it is largely a waste of time. Experienced construction teams know that even with the perfect plans and intentions, sometimes things go wrong. The important part is whether or not you have an effective plan for bouncing back.
Below are five tips for keeping your project on schedule and running as it should:
- Review The Project Scope
When undertaking a big project, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and lose sight of the bigger picture – getting the job done. Review the scope of the project regularly during the build, just to make sure that the client’s brief is being met in an effective and impactful way.
Carefully review and understand all of the documents about the project, which will allow you to create the best schedule possible for your project.
- Come Up With A Master Schedule
Construction projects are all about the result when they should be about celebrating and acknowledging the small victories along the way. Create the best master schedule to use to keep all your subcontractors performing cohesively with the rest of your build team.
Assign conservative estimates for start and finish dates for tasks and building activities, that way you can accurately determine the time and money you’ll need to complete on time.
- Have Some Contingency Plans
As much as you can check the weather forecast in advance, there are no guarantees that it won’t change as you get closer to your build dates. You can mitigate these risks and resolve potential problems before they get out of hand by employing contingency plans.
Assign overtime if you need to when working on your construction workforce scheduling plan, whatever it takes to get your project to meet its deadline.
- Communicate Effectively
Effective communication can take your project to new heights; without it you’re doomed from the start. Staying on schedule and completing tasks will take effort from everyone involved.
Ensure that your team has an effective way to communicate with themselves and management. Schedule weekly meetings if you feel like your team is dropping behind, they might seem like a waste of time at first, but your team will soon realize just how effective they are.
- Monitor Progress
Your project can totally run amuck if you don’t monitor its progress. Keep track of what’s happening on and off-site by getting detailed daily reports from those nearest and dearest to the project.
Pay attention to areas that frequently run over time or budget – those are the areas that will require extra time and effort to rectify.
Construction projects should be intoxicating for passionate builders – if it is anything less than that, then you are doing it wrong.
