How to Deal with Unrealistic Project Schedules

Do you find yourself once again making changes in your project schedule? This is the one that you thought was perfect previously, but with the client constantly changing the scope, the productivity of your team is going down and you are no longer able to cover the additional features requested by the client in the given budget. Are you wondering how this happened? As a construction project manager, you must prepare yourself to someday deal with a project that has an ever-changing schedule. Therefore, you need to be able to manage unrealistic project schedules if you are ever faced with such a dreaded project.

Why Schedules Are Important for Construction Projects

According to several reports, over 25% of construction project failures are due to inaccuracies in task time estimates. Reports also suggest that a high number of projects fail due to incorrect resource forecasting and inadequate team performance. A lot of project failures are tied back to time management and schedule-related issues. Reports suggest that it is rare for companies to be able to complete projects successfully within the given deadline. The success or failure of a construction project depends entirely on your ability to manage any uncertainty that arises during the construction process.

Main Cause of Scheduling Issues

A lot of construction projects suffer due to schedule problems, so as a construction project manager, you need to be able to get to the root of the matter to avoid failure. There are a lot of things that you need to take care of before the project even begins. For instance, if there are any evolving demands or requests from the stakeholders, you need to address them and understand their requirements in the pre-construction phase. Once work on the project begins, as a project manager, you will be responsible for dealing with the team members and listening to their requests and requirements. To avoid scheduling issues, you need to make sure that you negotiate realistic estimates and ensure that the project constraints are reasonable or else meeting the requirements will not be possible.

When you are working on a project, you need to make sure that you have a clear idea of what the key stakeholders expect from the project and how they like to work. Make sure that you understand that different stakeholder groups have different interests and deadlines for the project, so knowing what motivates them will make it easier for you to negotiate with them. It is better if you deal with any unrealistic expectations upfront so you can focus on keeping all parties on schedule after construction work begins.

How to Get Your Construction Project Back on Schedule

Delays are quite common in construction, so if you find yourself dealing with scheduling issues, there is no need to panic. There are a few different things that you can do to get back on track and finish your project within the scheduled time. You can use these tactics on their own or in combination to manage time constraints and continue working on the project. When you are trying to deal with schedule challenges, you need to make sure that you are considering the specific circumstances of the project you are working on and planning accordingly. The following are a few things that you can do to try to get your construction project back on track.

Negotiate

If you are trying to deal with unreasonable deadlines and hoping to get back on schedule, you need to be able to negotiate with the key stakeholders of the project. Make sure that you can get information about the situation from them and understand their perspective and expectations so you can communicate more openly with them regarding the progress of the project. It is important to have discussions about deadlines and the time-consuming factors involved in the construction process. Business experts also recommend that you get the discussions regarding the impact of missing deadlines out of the way ahead of time so you are able to figure out the next steps instead of getting stuck worrying about missed deadlines.

Manage Expectations

As a project manager, you need to make sure that you manage expectations from the start. Be sure to start searching for construction equipment for sale early and build in buffer to avoid missing any set deadlines. If you recognize that a schedule is not realistic, explain it to the key stakeholders and inform them why it is not. You should also use reliable projections to create a timeline that accounts for resource constraints and is deliverable.

Risk Management

As a project manager, when you are creating a schedule, you need to be sure to account for uncertainty. Make sure that your schedules are flexible. By doing so, you are able to manage risks without having to revise the entire schedule. 

Progress Updates

When you are creating a progress report, you need to include more than just a percentage of completion. The key stakeholders, clients, and managers working on the project should get clear details about the progress of the project. They should be aware of the time remaining until the completion of the project.