The ability to stick to a schedule is one of the most important skills in the construction industry and it takes years to master. Schedule delays not only cost the contractor time and money, but it can cost the owner thousands of dollars of lost sales and delay people from starting jobs. If the owner loses money, a battle for liquidated damages is likely to occur. As with many things, early detection and swift reaction is key to battling schedule slippage and knowing the causes of slippage makes it easier to detect.
Many of the causes were recently identified in a Procore blog post by Alisa Banks Snyder, titled “Prevent Construction Schedule Slippage.” Snyder blamed inaccurate specifications, inadequate resources, inadequate or missing information, and flaws in task relationships as the major contributors to a lagging project. A common theme amongst all four reasons is a lack of proper planning.
It’s easy to blame others for delays in our projects, but, the truth is, if we do all we can as construction professionals, we’ll know about and be able to react to issues before they even exist. Snyder suggests conducting thorough reviews of the schedule and specifications throughout the project and using analysis and collaboration tools to get out ahead of issues. Reviews and collaboration need to occur on a regular basis to truly be effective.
What are some of the ways that you combat schedule slippage in your jobs? Tell us in the comments!
Prevent Construction Schedule Slippage | Procore
