When it comes to managing construction, general contractors and project managers should monitor the planning stage of a project. In this stage, the project plan is finalized, and a thorough document lists the project’s goals, objectives, timelines, and resources needed to finish it successfully. It is one of the essential tools for the team to monitor the project’s progress and ensure it stays on track.
In this article, we have listed the most essential steps to writing a construction plan that works for your team. It covers defining the project’s scope, setting reasonable goals and deadlines, finding possible problems and risks, making a project schedule, monitoring it, and making changes as required. But first, let us take a quick overview of the project life cycle.
The Five Stages of The Project Life Cycle
A construction project is one of the most complex industries. One project often involves a million moving parts and dozens of subcontractors, suppliers, trade partners, and stakeholders. With such a big scope, it is critical to break down your project into smaller, workable tasks to make it more manageable. In this section, let us look at the five stages of the project life cycle.
Phase 1: Initiation
In the initiation process, the client and the contractor communicate to set the goals and scope of the work that will be done. It is critical to ensure that everyone involved in the project has the same goals during this time.
Phase 2: Planning
In this stage, the project manager creates a detailed project plan and road map. This includes determining important details about the schedule, the budget needed, how to use resources, and risks that could affect the project. The goal is to create a detailed plan for how the team will do the work, serving as the baseline as the project progresses.
Phase 3: Execution
Once the plan is ready, the team will carry it out. The project manager plays a very important role as they make sure that all the resources—people, tools, and materials—are coordinated and that everyone on the team knows what they need to do and when they need to do it.
During this time, the project’s deliverables are finished. There is usually a kick-off meeting and then regular team meetings and progress reports while the project is being worked on.
Phase 4: Monitoring
This step is done at the same time as the project completion step. It is critical to keep track of the metrics for success and performance, which can indicate whether the project stays on track with its plan or if you need to mitigate some risks.
Phase 5: Closure
The project is over when the last product is given to the stakeholder. This is where the project is being turned over to the end user. People release resources, sign contracts, and, ideally, talk about what worked and what did not.
How Do You Plan a Project?
As mentioned earlier, project planning is critical in finishing the project. This includes determining when things need to be done, how much money will be spent, setting goals and deadlines, evaluating risks, and confirming jobs and giving them to team members.
We have discussed earlier that the project management lifecycle has five stages, and project planning is the second step.
In this section, let us look at how you can create a project plan using the four pillars.
Milestones
Milestones are essential in the schedule that show how far you have come. In construction, they indicate how your project is doing and whether you need to do something to hit the target timeline. They usually ensure that a deliverable or part of the job is done.
People
Your project plan should also list the people you need on your team and what they do. Everyone on the team needs to know their job and how to do it. Making sure everyone knows what they are supposed to do frees you up to manage the project, giving everyone on the team a sense of personal responsibility and accountability for the task at hand.
Documentation
When planning a project, it is critical to make a plan that includes links to essential documents such as the scope, schedule, and budget baselines or a RACI chart (Responsibility Assignment Matrix). The project plan describes the project and lists the steps you need to take to reach your goals, so it is critical to be able to easily access it whenever you need it. If it makes sense, include a budget and a risk management plan.
Time
Project plans should include an estimate of the job’s duration. The schedule will hold your project plan together. It has due dates for tasks that need to be started and finished and dates for reaching specific goals. Setting a start and end date for the project will help you place it among other goals and figure out what resources, like people, you will need and when you will need them.
The Importance of Focusing On Project Planning
Planning a project is essential because it helps you determine the steps needed to finish it efficiently. This way, teams can stay on track with a project by planning and avoiding problems and roadblocks.
Here are some of the benefits that you can realize with good project planning:
- Helps ensure that projects are finished on time, on price, and up to par.
- Allows everyone on a project team to talk to each other clearly
- Detect possible risks and problems early
- Keep everyone on the same page about the project’s goals and ideas.
Steps to Writing a Good Project Plan
Now that we have discussed the benefits of a good project plan, it is time to create one for your company.
Set Goals and Expectations
The first step in any project is to figure out the “what” and “why.” Your stakeholders have the power and impact to tell if a project succeeds or fails, and their goals must be met.
Set a meeting to get everyone on the same page, set clear goals, and determine the project’s value. At this stage of project preparation, talk about what is needed and what is expected, as well as setting a budget, a timeline, and a scope baseline.
Write Up a Statement On Your Project’s Goals
Once you have a clear picture of the project, it is time to create a project plan that includes all its parts. Take a look at each deliverable and list the steps needed to finish it. For example, to hit the foundation pouring milestone, you must dig the layout, lay the grave base, install the rebars, and pour the concrete.
Figure out how long each job will take, what resources are required, and who will carry it out. Finish the project details and write them down so that everyone has a single source of truth.
Creating The Plan
Now that you know your project’s goals, jobs, and milestones, it’s time to start putting it on a schedule. Some jobs must be finished before they can begin to do other tasks. Use subtasks to help you break up bigger jobs into smaller ones as you plan them out. This can make it easier to report and keep track of resources.
Try to check which activities are dependent on one another. This will give you a good idea of the critical path and the tasks to watch out for.
Allocate Your Resources, Roles, and Tasks
Resources are the people, tools, or money needed to finish a project. Remember your people once you have chosen your tools and set a budget. When you start giving out jobs, remember to think about bandwidth. Ensure everyone knows what they must do and what is expected of them.
Plan On How to Foster Communication and Collaboration
Two main reasons people get stressed at work are the need to communicate and work together well. Project participants get frustrated and lose motivation when they have to read through pages of emails or keep asking for information. Utilize a construction scheduling tool to keep everyone on the same page.
Be Ready for Unforeseen Circumstances
Even if you are the most organized person, every project has surprises. Identify possible problems, such as team members’ future vacations, holidays, or outside teams that could be involved. Tell everyone on the team about the risks immediately so everyone is ready to deal with them together.
Disseminate Information
A project needs a start to be successful. Have a clear plan for a quick meeting with the people who matter the most. Your aim should be for everyone to agree on the tasks, due dates, jobs, and plans. Everything you thought about in the steps above should be on your agenda:
Write down the project’s goals and what they will do for you.
