The ability to meet schedules and deadlines is critical for success in today’s construction industry. While all clients hope their projects are delivered or completed at a fixed time, it might not always be so. Many factors can cause delays and disrupt the timeline of the project. So, what factors can affect construction delivery time, and how can you remedy or prepare against them?
Regarding project delivery time and schedule, contractors strive to set realistic timelines and work best to adhere to them. But truth be told, some factors can affect construction delivery time. Some are human errors, others are beyond anyone’s control, and it is best you know.
In this article, I will highlight the factors that affect construction delivery time. By the end of this article, you will understand the hurdles encountered in construction and how you can stay on delivery time
1. The availability of workers
The construction industry is continuously faced with a limited supply of skilled laborers. Aside from retirement, other factors like annual earnings, strenuous work conditions, and career requirements are key factors affecting the reduced availability of workers in construction. This shortage is becoming a common problem for many construction projects, leading to delayed timelines.
2. Supply chain shortage and cost escalation
With the continuous increase in the price of materials, many supply companies find it hard to stay afloat. The construction industry remains affected by these events as the available suppliers have escalated prices, causing construction costs to skyrocket.
Since the market is very volatile, it is hard for the architect to predict prices during the design phase. Therefore, the price escalation may negatively affect the estimated timeline of your project.
3. Scope change
Another factor that can affect construction delivery time is scope change. Several things can lead to scope change; unexpected issues with the land, errors or omissions in the contract document, owner-requested changes, etc. are some examples that can lead to scope change, impacting the project’s schedule.
4. Weather
As I mentioned earlier, some factors affecting construction delivery are human errors, and others are out of the hands of the construction company. Inclement weather is a natural phenomenon that can take its toll on a construction schedule. This includes heavy rainfall, wind, snow, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and so much more.
These weather conditions are beyond anyone’s control and can impede the contractor’s ability to complete the project within the stipulated delivery time.
5. Poor communication
Regardless of the sector, communication is very important. In the construction sector, poor communication can have the greatest impact on a construction timeline. Every project should have a project update delivery method, usually between the client and the project manager.
This should make conveying information and decisions easy. In a case where communication is poor, decision-making is slow, and the approval process takes longer, impacting the project’s delivery time.
6. Inadequate planning and preparation
In most construction projects, unexpected events may occur, and your preparation during the planning stage can differ. For example, your contractor may discover that abatement services will be required for a project that has begun already, affecting the timelines.
However, if proper planning and investigation had been carried out before the start of the project, this situation would have been prevented. This event may shorten the design process but will save time in the long run.
How can you stay on course?
Even if some of these factors are out of our hands, some contingencies or steps can help your project stay on course. In this section, I will highlight some of these contingencies.
The first one is to adjust the schedule expectation or leave room for unforeseen events in the construction schedule. This should cover scope changes, limited worker availability, and inclement weather conditions.
Secondly, a plan should be created to address submittals and change orders. For this to happen, the project manager and the client or building owner must constantly communicate. The team will relay messages to the project manager and the manager to the building owner. With this in place, the project will likely stay on schedule.
Lastly, preliminary research into the site should be carried out to determine its condition before the construction commences. With an awareness of the site conditions, you can handle potential problems earlier, protect your budget, and save time.
FAQs
What are the effects of delay in construction?
There are 2 major effects of delay in construction they include loss of money and loss of time.
Are there other factors that can affect construction delivery time?
Yes, there are. Poor management and limited finance are some other factors that can affect delivery time.
In Summary
Timely completion is a very important factor in determining the success of a project. However, no one is perfect, and various factors may cause a delay and affect the delivery time of a project. Some of these include the availability of skilled workers, limited supply chain, volatile cost of materials, poor communication between the project manager and the client, etc.
That said, your project success doesn’t have to be delayed by these factors. Making room for contingencies and adequate preparation could give your project a higher chance of success.
Now that you better understand the topic at hand, you might also find this article on “Why buildings collapse” interesting.
Thanks for reading.