How to Keep your Building Projects on Schedule

You can’t simply start building and expect everything to go smoothly without detailed planning. A project schedule is vital to ensure everything happens in the right order to the right quality. Without it you could make errors that double the cost of construction. Below are some simple tips to help you create an efficient schedule.

building project

Get The Most Out Of Time

Efficiency is a vital part of saving time and keeping to schedule. Even the smallest and most simple things can create huge issues with time on large building projects. By being efficient and keeping to set task rules you should be able to complete deadlines without problems. For example the mining industry uses technologies from innovative tech companies like iVolve to track exactly how much weight is placed into each truck. This prevents over or under burdening. Not only will it save costs by preventing damage caused by overburdening, it also allows you to keep exact records of how much is being shipped in each load. This has proven to be extremely efficient at keeping production to schedule and can be matched on large scale building sites.

Personnel/Project Calendars

Set up a project calendar early on in the pre-project stage. This calendar should include the working days and shifts of all contract teams with their contact information. Work days are dependent on the availability of resources. Make sure you do not have concreters ready to work if there isn’t any concrete coming that day. Resource unavailability can also prevent you from progressing in your schedule, so plan ahead and ensure everything you need is ready to be delivered on the day it is needed.

Risk Assessments

Nothing slows down construction faster than an unexpected, and unplanned for, workplace accident. Before construction starts, do a full risk assessment of the entire project, assessing every possible hazard that could arise. The last thing you need is a workplace accident caused by an incident not stipulated in a hazard report. This will cause your project to be put on hold and cost you a great deal of money. Ensure that all loose ends are covered by doing a reassessment of the risks each time a step in the project is completed.

Using the Right Equipment

Possibly the biggest factor in staying efficient is using the right tools for the job. No point hitting a screw with a hammer. When it comes to machinery in construction there is a lot to choose from, so ensure you get not only the right equipment for the job, but also the best operator. Even with the best equipment the wrong driver can do a poor job. You will also need to take into account possible breakdowns in machinery, keeping a backup ready to hire can be a quick fix to an otherwise huge problem that can take your schedule back a week.

It’s near impossible to have a building project run smooth and stay on schedule, but with some planning you can run efficiently and keep your costs down. What do you do to keep on schedule? Leave your comments below.

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12 thoughts on “How to Keep your Building Projects on Schedule”

  1. I love this post so much! Even though I’m not a builder or project manager, I can see how you could convert all of these tips to other business practices.

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  2. A large-scale project has a million different ways that it can go off course. A full plan will help to keep the project moving forward and the cost down.

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  3. I wish I had been a better planner when I was renovating a fixer-upper a few years ago. Keeping a personnel/project calendar would have helped me so much to manage the work being done by various carpenters, electricians, etc. Great tips!

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  4. We are planning for a big kitchen renovation in the future. I will remember these tips so we can make sure it goes off with as few hitches as possible.

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  5. These are wonderful tips. They’re not just applicable to building projects but for all other projects, in general.

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  6. It’s just a matter of time management.. Great tips really! Applicable to anything that deals with projects or deadlines!

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  7. I have an updated calendar that I make sure to use to keep up with what’s going on. However, it’s also nice to set aside time for things.

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  8. These tips are awesome coz you can use them on any project (big or small projects!). Being organized is also very important.

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