Key Points:
- You have to keep in mind that even well-planned construction projects face delays or minor disruptions.
- Causes of construction delays, like weather and environmental changes, can’t be controlled, but you can plan them properly to avoid any mishaps with timely completion.
- Always hire a company that has experience in dealing with such issues professionally.
Introduction
There is no construction project, whether commercial or residential, that does not have a deadline to be completed. You must not think that these timelines are all created equal, though.
Some of the projects can even finish ahead of deadlines, and some of them fail to finish on time. However, some factors contribute to the construction planning timeline. These are what most individuals are not keen on since they are regarded as minor, but having read this piece, you will learn how essential these are in terms of project success delivery.
Stay tuned and explore common causes of construction delays and how to avoid them professionally. Let’s read it!
Why Does the Construction Planning Timeline Matter?
It is all about on-time delivery, not dependent on the budget to determine the success of a project. Since it will require additional time, you will need to pay additional sums that will result in customer dissatisfaction, legal fines, and a greater likelihood of being sued. But, on the contrary, if everything’s properly managed according to the construction planning timeline, you’ll foresee the challenges, use the resources smartly, and get rid of unexpected issues. You should also understand the challenges in commercial construction.
What exactly makes or breaks this timeline?
Now, we’ll talk about the common influential building project timeline factors.
Factors That Affect the Construction Timelines
1. Delays Due to Permits and Regulations
Permit delays in construction projects are the first and biggest reason behind the construction delays. Regulatory agencies always ask for detailed applications, zoning clearances, environmental assessments, and safety clearances for issuing any type of permits.
And when they get to tackle incomplete submissions, slow time to respond, and shifting to the local policies, which can even bring your project to a standstill.
These delays can even affect the projects with perfect planning, and can add weeks or even months before workers get to start for a timely completion.
How to Deal with it:
- Always start with this process earlier, even before the completion of the design.
- Onboard a dedicated coordinator for compliance.
- Keep an eye on local policy changes, which can affect the timelines.
- Never leave a submission incomplete.
2. Improper or Incomplete Initial Planning
The worst enemy of the on-time completion of a construction project is poor planning. When your project doesn’t have proper detail, stakeholders begin to assume, and these assumptions cause change orders, rework, budget overruns, and setbacks in schedule.
These are the main weaknesses:
- Weak risk management.
- Ambiguous work scope.
- Limited stakeholder engagement.
- Not having the baseline timeline or any sort of contingency buffer.
For a successful construction planning timeline, each of these issues has to be sorted as early as possible. Also should know mistakes to avoid during construction.
3. Altering Designs and Scope Creep
Why do we face scope creep?
In many cases, owners demand some design changes after starting the project. These small changes may bring a ripple effect on the entire process, such as material procurement, approvals, and the entire sequence of construction, even when it is compulsory to do so.
That’s how a small change leads to a big delay.
How not to face it:
- You must implement a strict change order policy with time management and budget assessment.
- Always onboard all stakeholders for the early design freeze.
- Go for the use of digital tools to collaborate for the tracking of changes in the design.
4. Shortage of Labor or Productivity Issues
Labor can be a scarce resource.
The other reason that has a great influence on the construction timeline is the labor problems. Lack of sufficiently skilled manpower to deliver on time also contributes to delays of projects. It’s often faced when the industry booms or in regions with limitations in the labor pool.
Issues with Productivity:
Poor productivity rate won’t only hinder the tasks from being delivered on time, but it also alters the dependencies. Because when a project lags for foundational work, it gets to face the issues with electrical, mechanical, and finishing work, leading to more errors and safety risks.
Solutions for these:
- It’s better to have good working relationships with trustworthy subcontractors.
- Train the staff on how to use modern tools and methods.
- Use the labor forecasting tools so that you are able to deal with the shortages even before they happen.
5. Weather and Environmental Issues
We know that the weather plays an unpredictable role, but you can predict it. Since you cannot prevent rain and snow, you can prepare ahead of time to prevent the consequences.
Climate impacts the timeline:
The causes of delays in outdoor construction operations, such as concrete pouring, roofing, excavation, and exterior cladding, are snow, wind, rain, and heat waves.
The timeline of the project should be planned in the areas where the changes in each season are likely to take place.
Some smart strategies to deal with:
- It’s better to go through the past data when estimating the buffers in the schedule.
- Always sequence the sensitive activities in the favorable windows.
- Spend on protective gear and tools so that workers can keep working in harsh conditions.
Conclusion
Construction is always successful when it’s properly delivered, ticking every box on time. Because on-time delivery means better profit, client satisfaction, and long-term reputation. Some of the most important factors which become reasons for delaying the project are permit issues, improper planning, changing the design, and much more to talk about.
But you can avoid it all from happening to you. If you plan everything accordingly ahead of time, even about how to deal with these factors, your project will never face unplanned delays.
If you need a trusted construction company to undertake your project, Tarzia Group is ready to address it professionally. We possess decades of experience to work on a great number of construction projects, which were completed successfully and on schedule. In case you want yours to be done on time, call us now and discuss more!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are buffers important to deliver construction projects on time?
Yes, because even well-planned projects can face delays or disruptions. Therefore, it’s better to keep a buffer of 10-15% for important tasks. Also, you should have Slack for weather, logistics, and inspections. Never consider these as a waste.
How to monitor the construction progress correctly?
Go for the dashboards and progress tracking:
- Update the actual progress which is against the planned progress weekly.
- Trigger the mitigation actions on time.
- Forecast the delays even ahead of time.
Name the modern tools that help fasten the construction timelines?
These are some tools:
- BIM (Building Information Modeling) for the coordination of the designs.
- Cloud-based project tools for tracking.
- Mobile apps to update in the field.
