It is extremely rare for a construction project to finish exactly on schedule. Most projects begin with a solid plan that appears organized and ready for immediate execution. However, delays are incredibly common, as even experienced teams struggle to keep everything on track.
Why does this happen? It isn’t typically a major catastrophe that derails the schedule. Instead, delays are caused by a series of minor, often predictable, problems that accumulate as the project unfolds.
- Shifting Goals and Design Changes
In many cases, the biggest factor that impacts scheduling is a shift in design while a construction project is underway. Any adjustments made to the initial blueprint will require corresponding changes in the scheduling timeline, the quantity and type of materials needed, as well as the labor required. Even relatively minor changes can have significant ripple effects and bring the schedule down to a halt as the team must re-do or adjust parts of the building. - Problems with Material Deliveries
Because the industry relies heavily on precise timing, any delays in material delivery can be disastrous for the progress of a project. If supplies arrive too late or in insufficient quantities, the project will be halted. In many cases, these supply issues are due to poor scheduling or a breakdown in communication between teams. - The Effects of Weather and Other Outside Factors
Unlike almost any other industry, construction projects are directly impacted by the natural environment. Extreme weather conditions can cause a project to slow down or even bring the entire work effort to an absolute standstill. Professional companies often account for these types of external conditions when setting a timeline for projects. - Mismanagement of Project Coordination
When the teams on a construction site are not fully coordinated, this can slow progress of the entire project. If one group cannot move forward with its tasks because the others are falling behind, a cascading effect is created, with delays building and spreading to the other groups. - Underestimation of Actual Effort
It is very common for the first phase of project scheduling to be an idealized scenario. The original timelines do not always take into account the full extent of the effort involved. Once the project kicks off, the challenges of dealing with real world problems, such as structural repairs or difficult access to some parts of the site, make completing everything in the specified time much harder to achieve.
Conclusion
Delays don’t happen on construction projects randomly. They occur because of gaps in planning, scheduling difficulties, or the unpredictability of real life. Being aware of these factors and understanding how to mitigate them is crucial to managing a construction project.