As a project manager or a general contractor, your ultimate goal is to finish projects on time. If someone gave you a new project to start and run, the first thing that comes to mind is how can you manage it efficiently to deliver it on time? You are probably feeling a combination of excitement with a mild panic attack and a feeling of dread that comes when given new responsibilities. Right away, there are a lot of paperwork and meetings to kick off, including permits, a construction schedule, method statements, copies of insurance policies, qualifications of the construction team, and more.
As a result, what we do in the next few days and weeks could affect how well the project goes. In this case, a construction schedule will guide you on how to go about the project. People usually want to wait a few days before starting a project, so they have time to plan it well and check any possible delay causes. If you make mistakes at the start of a project due to inefficient planning, they could follow you for the rest of the project. This article will look at creating an efficient and effective construction schedule that works for your project.
Defining What a Construction Schedule Is
In a nutshell, a construction schedule lists all the tasks and events that need to happen. It is a timeline that project managers use to determine which tasks need to be done first and for how long. It contains a lot of valuable insights about the project, such as what resources are needed and which teams are in charge of each task. Construction schedules also keep track of milestones, deliverables, and dependencies to help make sure projects stay on time and budget.
Five Steps to Creating a Construction Schedule
An excellent way to start planning your next project is to get a general idea of how a construction schedule is made. In this section, we have listed five necessary steps that can help you jumpstart your way to creating a unique schedule customized for your project.
Get All Your Project Details
First, to make a good construction schedule, you must know and understand everything about the project. You must collate all the information, plans, specifications, budget, list of subcontractors, zoning and building code rules, bill of materials, and procurement plans you need for the project. This can help you understand the steps and requirements needed for you to finish the project.
Choose A Construction Scheduling Software
Several apps and programs are made just for construction in today’s present age, making scheduling more accessible and less complex. In choosing one for your company, you should use a construction management application that focuses on tools that provide scheduling, task, and inventory management while promoting smooth communication and collaboration with you and your crew.
Start With a Draft Schedule
When making the initial schedule, think about how tasks depend on each other, build in buffers, and add extra time if something goes wrong. Most project managers add a bit of contingency to their schedules to account for possible delays such as inclement weather or broken equipment. By doing so, you can ensure that your time estimates for when the project will be done are correct before you show your client or other stakeholders your draft schedule.
Add Revisions Based on Comments
Share the draft schedule with those who need to know about it and ensure it will work. When you discuss the draft schedule with your stakeholders – the top management, your planning team, or the construction team, you can get any comments or insights from them about things you might not have considered when creating the schedule. When this document is revised, finished, and approved, it becomes the official project schedule.
Ensure Open Lines of Communication
An online construction management software allows all stakeholders to access valuable information with a few simple clicks. This way, they can keep track of the timetable and what happens from within the project. Even if there are delays, you might be able to keep the project’s original due date by discussing with your teammates on possible solutions.
Five Tips for Better Scheduling In Your Next Project
For a construction project to go well, you need an accurate schedule for the process. This cannot be stressed enough. But since construction projects are complex because they involve many moving parts, you need to have a clear overview of every step in your project’s progress.
Account For Your Team’s Vacation and Sick Leaves
Your crew can get sick, hurt, or need help in a hurry like everyone else. But do not panic; this is entirely normal – even your best workers might have to miss a shift once in a while. You can solve this by factoring in your team’s sick days and paid time off in your schedule. Another way is to set up a reliable way for employees, your office, and project managers to talk to each other so that everyone who needs to know about an unexpected absence can do so as soon as possible.
You can do this through construction task management software that lets you have an overview of your team’s schedules, ensuring they are not overloaded with the work and still get enough rest days.
Add in a Few Extra Time When Scheduling
As a project manager, you are probably optimistic that everything will be done as quickly as possible. But it is best to lower your expectations if you do not have enough people to finish an activity in a week. Coming from the first tip, do not plan project schedules assuming everyone will be there for every shift if you have trouble getting enough people to work. Instead, plan for a certain number of absences per week based on the size of your team. That might even help you finish some things early, which is better than what could have happened.
Talk To Your Team and Get Their Insights
Sometimes, a crew member might have more experience than you since they may have been doing the work for far longer. You can talk to them and get their advice on how long most of the job will take. This ensures accurate data when planning how long each activity will take. If a subcontractor says they can probably only do two of four jobs, for example, then it is better to plan for the delay possible delay. A construction job management software lets you have a clear overview of your team’s activities across your organization, preventing you from compromising one project’s quality over the other.
Invest in Specialized Equipment
If you do not have enough workers, you can make each of the ones you have work harder. However, to make things easier, you can consider investing in specialized equipment to help you get the job done faster. This allows your crew to focus more on other things that require more attention and leave the more laborious tasks to the equipment.
Track Your Resources
It may take significant time before the supplies arrive at the construction site. However, there are ways to handle the delivery of goods without diverting the attention of your workforce from the operation at hand. You can prepare a list of potential suppliers and evaluate them according to the quality of their products and how quickly they supply them. Using software that offers inventory management features can help you stay on track with your resources.
Key Takeaway
You must focus and pay attention to stay on top of your project. If the contractor or the project manager does not plan well enough, the project will likely be doomed from the start. There might not have been enough or the right kind of resources, or the wrong way to build might have been chosen. If you plan the project well from the start, you won’t have to deal with problems later on. Using a construction job scheduling software, like Pro Crew Schedule, can help you fast-track all your management processes and ensure that everything will run as smoothly and seamlessly as possible. As a result, this ensures that your project is completed on schedule, within budget, and of the highest possible quality.
Easier Scheduling for Construction Projects with Pro Crew Schedule
With Pro Crew Schedule, you can keep everyone in the loop with real-time collaboration and automatic updates. With just a few simple clicks, you can access valuable information about your project from beginning to completion. You will be able to complete tasks on time and without exceeding your budget when you have a complete overview of everything going on with the project.
Pro Crew Schedule‘s automated software lets your team focus more on the critical tasks and function more effectively. Keep track of your important metrics and see how your project progresses by utilizing roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows that keep you and your team well-informed.
