Construction Delays

Mark F Nagata, William A Manginelli, Scott Lowe, Ted J Trauner

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9780128112434
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Architecture General
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Construction Delays, Third Edition, provides the latest specialized tools and techniques needed to avoid delays on construction projects. These include institutional, industrial, commercial, hi-rise, power and water, transportation and marine construction projects. Most other references provide only post facto construction delay analysis. This update includes 18 chapters, 105 sections and approximately 100 new pages relative to the second edition.- Features greatly expanded discussion of the project management concerns related to construction delays, including a more comprehensive discussion of the development and review of the project schedule- Offers a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the most common construction delay approaches and how they should be properly deployed or avoided- Includes significant discussion of the contract provisions governing scheduling, the measurement of delays and payments for delay- Includes numerous real world case studies

Chapter One

Project Scheduling

Abstract

If we were to ask a contractor, a construction owner, or an architect or engineer if they plan their construction projects, undoubtedly they would respond in the affirmative. In the beginning, everyone has some form of a plan as to how the work will be executed.

Keywords

Project; schedule; plan; construction; delays; task

The Project Schedule

If we were to ask a contractor, a construction owner, or an architect or engineer if they plan their construction projects, undoubtedly they would respond in the affirmative. In the beginning, everyone has some form of a plan as to how the work will be executed.

Their plans might include some or all of the following elements:

• The tasks that must be performed

• The time required to perform each task

• The sequence that these tasks will be performed

• The subcontractors, trades, and numbers of workers that will perform each task

• The physical aspects of the project and the project site that might affect the performance of the tasks

• The availability of materials

While this list of typical plan components could be expanded, the concept is straightforward: each component represents an important consideration associated with the planning of a construction project.

A project schedule is a written, graphical, or computerized model of the project team’s plan for completing a construction project. Schedules emphasize the elements of sequence and time. The plan will typically identify the major work items (activities), the time (duration) needed to perform these activities, and the sequence (logic) of construction of these activities to complete the project.

At its most basic level, a project schedule will visually depict the intended timing of the major work items necessary to demonstrate how and when the project team will construct the project.

The project schedule should include the significant elements of the project sequenced in a logical order from the beginning of the project through its completion. In addition, the schedule should define specific time periods for each activity in the schedule. The sequencing and summation of the individual time elements will define the overall project duration.

The level of detail shown in a construction schedule will vary, depending on a number of different factors. To name just a few, those factors include the type of schedule used, the contract requirements, the nature of the work, and the contractor’s practices.

Overall, the project schedule should portray in a clear way the construction tasks that must be performed, the time allocated to each task, and the sequence of the tasks.

The Primary Purpose of a Project Schedule

Just as a bid is an estimate of the costs required to construct each piece of a project and the project as a whole, the project schedule is an estimate of the time required to construct each piece of a project and the project as a whole. A project schedule is a valuable project controls tool that is used by project managers to effectively manage construction projects. As noted earlier, the project schedule should include every major element of the construction project. In this manner, it should provide a complete picture of the project’s planned construction sequence from start to finish, forecasting when the project will complete. Additionally, if the project schedule is properly developed and updated throughout the duration of the project, it will provide periodic snapshots of the plan to complete the project as the project progresses and as the plan changes over time.

When the project schedule is properly updated and revised to reflect the current construction plan, it enables the project participants to measure and control the pace of the work, provides the project participants with reliable information to make timely decisions, and serves as the primary tool to evaluate the effect of changes and other potential delays on the project plan as these events occur.

Effectively depicting and communicating the construction plan

Successful contractors use project schedules to depict and communicate the construction plan to the owner, the owner’s representatives, the contractor’s subcontractors and suppliers, and other project participants. The development of the construction plan should be a collaborative process that includes the contractor and its subcontractors, and the owner and the owner’s team. Involving the subcontractors in the development of the construction schedule will significantly facilitate acceptance by the subcontractors of the overall approach to building the project. Additionally, incorporation of the subcontractors’ means and methods will give greater credibility to the project schedule as a tool that accurately depicts the planned construction activities, durations, and sequencing.

The planning effort is the first essential step to successful execution of a construction project. This is because the development of the construction plan requires the project manager, superintendent, and other key team members to determine and identify how the project will be constructed. Although a project’s planned sequence of construction may appear to be straightforward, there are many decisions that have to be made to develop a fully thought-out and comprehensive plan. Those decisions usually begin with identifying the project’s work scope. That work scope is broken down into more detail by area, location, trade, and individual work item. To accomplish each work item, the team has to agree on the most efficient and cost effective use of the available labor and equipment resources. This, in turn, drives the decision regarding how much time must be allotted to each work item. Additional considerations are the coordination of the individual work items and the use of subcontractors. Often, a contractor’s competitive advantage is derived from its ability to manage its resources and risk, and apply its means and methods in a manner that is more efficient and cost effective than its competitors.

Estimating the time needed to complete a specific operation or trade work element, such as foundations, steel erection, or roof installation, involves many considerations, including:

• Understanding the project and its unique elements

• Understanding the physical conditions under which the work has to be performed, such as location constraints and limitations, usage of the project during construction, climate, and the effect of these on the labor and equipment to be used

• Understanding the quantity and quality of the available labor resources

• Identifying the required materials, sources, and lead times

• Identifying the required and available equipment

• Understanding how the integration of these above factors affect the predicted productivity of an operation

• Incorporating predictable risks or events that could affect how long an operation or individual activities would take to complete

Once the contractor has a project schedule that it believes is an accurate representation of the construction plan, the contractor should share the schedule with the owner to demonstrate its plan and to inform the owner when it will need to perform its obligations, which may include the review and approval of shop drawings and submittals and inspection of the work. Effectively communicating the work plan to all parties involved is not only a sound project management practice, but it also promotes a culture of cooperation and partnering.

Additionally, a properly updated project schedule will also document changes in the contractor’s plan to complete the project. Successful contractors and owners know that, as a project progresses, they may encounter unexpected problems or issues. In response to these, the contractor may need to alter portions of its construction plan, such as its work sequence, crew sizes, and operating hours. Project schedules should be periodically updated to reflect the contractor’s then-current construction plan. These updates will provide snapshots of the contractor’s plan as it changes during the course of the project.

Track and measure the work

A project schedule that is properly and periodically updated throughout the life of the project will enable the contractor and owner to accurately track and measure the project’s progress. Using the project schedule for tracking and measuring occurs on at least two levels. In most instances, owners use the project schedule to track the contractor’s progress, keep the project stakeholders informed of the project’s status, and ensure that the contractor completes the project in accordance with the contract. Also, the project schedule includes activities representing the subcontractors’ agreed-upon scopes of work. As such, the contractor is able to track and measure the progress of its subcontractors to ensure that their work is completed in accordance with their subcontract agreements.

Timely decisions

In addition to tracking and measuring the project’s progress, a properly maintained project schedule will also enable the parties to identify and deal with unexpected issues as they arise. When a problem is encountered that may delay some element of the project, the project participants can use the project schedule as a tool to predict the effect of the delay on the completion of the overall project. In addition to predicting the effect of the problem, they can also decide on an appropriate course of action to deal with the problem, which may include accelerating the work, relaxing contract restrictions to more quickly advance the project, or deleting work items. This ability to predict and deal with a problem that may delay the project before it actually does so is perhaps a project schedule’s most valuable attribute. Most project managers can see and deal with problems as they occur. However, good project managers can also predict how problems today will affect the project in a month, in 6 months, and even farther in the future. Relying on the project schedule as a planning, scheduling, and management tool will enable project managers to more competently and reliably control and manage their projects.

Types of Project Schedules

A contractor can use many different types of schedules to depict its construction plan. Selection of the most appropriate scheduling technique depends on the size and complexity of the construction project, the preferences of the par...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction to Third Edition
• Chapter One. Project Scheduling
• Chapter Two. Float and the Critical Path
• Chapter Three. Reviewing the Project Schedule
• Chapter Four. Types of Construction Delays
• Chapter Five. Measuring Delays—The Basics
• Chapter Six. Delay Analysis Using Bar Chart Schedules
• Chapter Seven. Delay Analysis Using Critical Path Method Schedules
• Chapter Eight. Delay Analysis Using No Schedules
• Chapter Nine. Other Retrospective Delay Analysis Techniques—Their Strengths and Weaknesses
• Chapter Ten. The Owner’s Damages Due to Delay
• Chapter Eleven. The Contractor’s Damages Due to Delay
• Chapter Twelve. Home Office Overhead
• Chapter Thirteen. Other Categories of Delay Costs
• Chapter Fourteen. Inefficiency Caused by Delay
• Chapter Fifteen. Acceleration
• Chapter Sixteen. Determining Responsibility for Delay
• Chapter Seventeen. Delay—Risk Management
• Chapter Eighteen. Delays and the Contract
• Index