It’s crucial for any industry to avoid costly delays, not only for saving the company money but also to showcase efficient project management skills. This is especially true for the construction industry since managers might overspend with the usual high budget allocation. Therefore, it would be best to strictly follow the financial plan and schedule. This will show clients that the company is capable of staying true to its word of making the project happen.
More than the aforementioned reasons why avoiding construction delays is beneficial for the business, you will also be able to put your employees at ease when you’re on top of the project if you’re managing a team in a construction company. Though, before anything else, you should first know the causes of delay to be able to identify the best solutions possible. Here are some common causes and what you can do about them. Carefully look into them to be fully prepared in case they were to happen.
1. Uncooperative weather
One of the most frustrating causes is bad weather conditions since it is not something you have no control of. It can cause long-lasting consequences, which is why you should not forget to add an allowance for natural disasters into your contracts to make sure that you won’t be responsible for liquidated damage payments due to unforeseen circumstances. Get comprehensive reports from meteorological departments whenever possible which could help you in analyzing construction schedule delays especially for your outdoor projects since poor weather can leave you way behind schedule. Though, of course, it’s a different matter when you’re doing an indoor project as the weather wouldn’t be a reasonable cause of delay.
2. Resource shortages
It’s never a good sign when you find yourself paying for the project once the client has already paid. To avoid this, be sure to cover all bases so you won’t run out of money amidst an ongoing project. Encourage transparency with your clients to avoid payment disputes. Communicate well with them to further collaboration and have everyone on board for a common goal which is basically to complete the project. This would also help you build valuable relationships that can pave the way for repeat business. Some of the things you may also want to consider include access to complete job costing utilities, regular updates on the company’s financial situation, and job costing software maintenance.
3. Overbooked crews
Regardless of whether you’re a startup or veteran in the industry, do not ever spread your team too thin so they won’t be unnecessarily exhausted. That would also make you fall behind schedule on one or more projects you’ve taken on. Know your team’s limitations and make their well-being a top priority. You may also want to use project management software that could help you assess the bandwidth of your crews for better construction site management.
4. Lack of insight
Using insights is imperative to come up with informed decisions. In a digital era, it would be best to update your tech solutions that can give you relevant data and analysis to avoid construction delays. Tools such as GPS tracking and virtual assistance can be of help as well to address inefficiency gaps.
5. Unreliable contractors
There are cases where crews waste time chatting or taking long breaks when they’re on site. Unfortunately, you cannot possibly control their every move especially when they are contractors or subcontractors that follow their own pace. This is why it’s important to invest in full-time employees as they can be much more accountable for their actions and motivated to deliver timely results. If there are budget restraints, you’ll just need to be really firm and aligned with your contractors on what exactly is expected of them.
Conclusion
Thorough planning is incredibly important in managing construction projects since they don’t always go as expected. Manage everyone’s expectations so that they can also work on their respective schedules. Utilize available resources to comprehensively track progress and easily identify hints of possible delays. Don’t forget to have your customers sign the order form to be on top of changes as well. This would help you look into why the project took longer than expected and adjust accordingly for better management in the future. If possible, make all documents digitally available so you get to eliminate the risk of losing them.
Continuously work on your project management skills by starting with covering possible conditions which can come unexpectedly. Be detail-oriented enough to know exactly what went wrong and what can be done about it. Information is power so get as much as you can. Also, do regular check-ins with your team to know how they’re doing. You’re not a good manager if you only view everyone as workers and not humans with their own personal needs. Even if there are a ton of possible causes of construction delays, being consistent with a solid process and communicating clearly could be the key to all of them.
