Around 50% of the homes built in the past five years were not completed on time. A quarter of the homes could only be occupied with a delay of three months or longer.
In most cases, these figures are due to a lack of scheduling as part of project management. While automotive manufacturers or software developers have developed branch-specific methods such as lean management or Scrum, this still seems to be neglected in the construction industry.
We therefore asked ourselves what is important for successful time planning and summarized the results with 8 tips. In doing so, we have oriented ourselves not only to classic methods, but also to modern methods such as agile project management.
Tip 1: Make planning as transparent as possible
To create realistic and promising schedules, the planning process should be as transparent as possible. Our observations show that plans are often not sufficiently communicated and those responsible are not sufficiently involved in the planning process. As a result, time frames are incorrectly estimated and conflicts arise between the different task areas.
Therefore, consider scheduling as a joint task involving all responsible parties. Develop the plans as a team and ensure that they are regularly updated by all project participants. The project manager, who is responsible for planning and controlling, has a special role to play here.
Tip 2: Structure the project correctly
Even before the first schedules and forecasts are drawn up, it is advisable to divide the project into tasks or subtasks as part of the structuring process.
Contractual regulations such as the Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers or the Real Estate Agent and Property Developer Ordinance provide initial pointers in this regard. While a time-oriented structure according to the project phases is recommended at the top level, a function- or object-oriented structure is suitable for the subsequent levels.
The aim of such structuring is to create an overall view of the tasks to be completed and an orientation for further planning measures. However, such a structure plan should not be classified as a rigid document, but should be adapted and expanded as the project progresses.
Tip 3: Create a rough schedule
Once you have an idea of how the project needs to be approached and the essential tasks have been defined, initial time estimates can be made in a rough schedule. The level of detail depends on the phase of the project and the time at which the plan is drawn up.
Based on the structure plan, a rough schedule should first be drawn up for the entire project. All essential tasks or subtasks should be recorded at a maximum of three levels, with a maximum timeframe of two to four weeks at the lowest level. In addition, a milestone should be defined for each of the subtasks.
Tip 4: Draw up detailed schedules
In a second step, the participants then plan in detail which tasks are necessary to reach the respective milestone and thus to fulfill the subtask. Planning should always take place at the start of a subtask and with all those involved in the task.
In addition to a start and end date, each task should be given the person responsible and a status (in percent). Furthermore, it makes sense, especially in the construction phase, to identify the dependencies of each task and to determine the critical path.
Often, too detailed schedules are created at the beginning of a project, which then cannot be adhered to. We therefore recommend roughly estimating the entire project in terms of time and drawing up detailed plans for project phases with a duration of two to four weeks.
Tip 5: Pay special attention to the planning phase
When scheduling construction projects, special attention should be paid to the planning phase, which often takes up to 50% of the project duration. While the construction phase represents a rigid and stable process, the planning phase is characterized by uncertainties. It is impossible to predict in advance whether a design will meet the client's requirements at the first attempt or whether further variants will have to be worked out.
Therefore, the focus in this phase should be less on determining completion dates and much more on collaboration and shaping them. We will deal with this topic in a separate article in the coming weeks.
Tip 6: The right way to deal with delays
Even the most well thought-out schedule does not rule out the possibility that tasks will not be completed on time and that delays will occur. For one thing, as mentioned above, it is difficult to give reliable information for certain tasks. On the other hand, each construction project is a unique process determined by processes and events that cannot be influenced.
Nevertheless, in order to achieve the earliest possible completion, it is important that any problems that arise are communicated as quickly as possible to the rest of the project team and that solutions are worked out jointly. In this way, subsequent errors can be avoided and delays immediately rectified.
Tip 7: Hold regular meetings
As can be seen from the first tip, successful scheduling can only succeed if all responsible parties are involved in the process and actively participate in the planning. In this context, holding regular events or meetings is indispensable.
However, experience has shown that this is often a challenge in construction projects. Unlike in the development of new software, it is impossible for teams to sit down in so-called daily scrums to get an overview of the current status of the work and to plan upcoming tasks.
Nevertheless, those involved should at least sit down to create the respective detailed plans and to accept the milestones defined in advance. During the implementation of the tasks defined in the detailed plans, on the other hand, it is important to stay in contact by regularly exchanging ideas and jointly updating the plan.
Tip 8: Regular feedback and analysis of the plan
Regular feedback is a project accelerator, especially in the initial phase. This applies to individual tasks as well as the general approach. Every team needs time until it is fully rehearsed. If both positive and negative issues are addressed early on, they can be carried over into future project phases or avoided in them.
How often such a feedback session should be held depends on the scope of the project and the number of project participants. However, we recommend that those responsible at least sit down together after each project phase and draw up a summary.
In addition, the schedule should be analyzed throughout the project and it should be determined how existing processes can be optimized for future projects. Valuable insights can be gained by documenting differences between target and actual deviations and obtaining feedback.
An example of a good website that meets each of these characteristics is this one.
The eight tips at a glance
Tip 1: Make planning as transparent as possible
Tip 2: Structure projects correctly
Tip 3: Draw up a rough schedule
Tip 4: Create detailed schedules
Tip 5: Pay special attention to the planning phase
Tip 6: Dealing with delays correctly
Tip 7: Holding regular meetings
Tip 8: Regular feedback and analysis of the planning process