How To Shorten Your Construction Project

When a construction project goes off schedule, it can cause a ripple effect of problems.

If it's at all possible, you never want your construction schedule to be longer than you planned.

Shortening your project schedule with proper construction management and finishing sooner than expected allows you to collect revenue sooner, and it typically results in a lower overall cost to build.

On the flip side, scheduling delays lead to cost overruns and affect your bottom line negatively.

So, what are the best ways to keep your project on schedule or even shorten your construction project?

In the article below, we will discuss a few simple ways to shorten your construction projects.

Table of Contents

• Establish Scope Before Your Project Starts
• Improve Your Planning
• Be Mindful of the Weather
• Listen To Your Staff
• Sometimes Less Is More
• Build The Right Team
• Build With Steel
• Contact CDMG

Establish Scope Before Your Project Starts

The best thing you can do to shorten your construction projects is to establish the scope before you start.

Establishing scope before the team is assembled will reduce non-productive time at the beginning of the project.

In the best-case scenario, the project scope, high-level requirements, general design, and effort level are understood before the team begins work. 

When this happens, your team can hit the ground running, and they are productive from day one.

Improve your Planning

Many errors in efficiency are made during the planning phase.

If you don't do your homework and measure out all the details beforehand, you will run into problems down the road.

But proper planning will remove that risk.

For example, if you don't work out how much concrete you need for your project, you could realize you need twice as much as you initially thought.

This slows everything down.

Proper construction management is devoting time before your project begins to figure out the staff, processes, information, equipment, and materials you’ll need before you get started.

Be Mindful of the Weather

No matter what part of the country you live in, the weather will likely influence how long it takes you to finish a project.

If you live in an area prone to heavy snow in the winter, project managers should plan the project schedule around the weather you'll be expecting. 

During the bitter cold winter months, you can aim to do most of your work indoors. 

Things like site work, framing, and roofing all use different methodologies for the weather. 

Know what they are for your project, and adjust your schedule accordingly. 

Once you have your schedule mapped out around the weather, there are things you can do along the way to shorten your schedule.

Listen to Your Staff

Your team members are your eyes and ears on the ground.

If something is slowing them down or something could be done better, your team members will know long before you do.

That's why constant communication with your workers is key.

Experienced and properly trained workers will help you spot holes in your plan before they cause problems in the field.

Involve your best workers in the planning process so they can spot potential problems.

Then make sure your team members keep you updated daily throughout the project.

Sometimes Less Is More

It might seem like the more people you have working on a project, the sooner it will be finished.

But that's not always the case.

For example, if you're working on a sizeable commercial project, having too many workers in the same space can actually reduce efficiency.

Team members will be running into each other, and some workers just don't work well in crowded areas.

That's why it is essential to find the sweet spot for the size of the staff you need for your project.

Two people working on a project will likely double your efficiency, but having ten people working on the same project might slow it down.

Build the Right Team

There is a place for a seasoned veteran as well as a rookie on each type of project.

The types of employees you need will depend on your project's size, scope, and complexity.

If your projects need a high level of experience, you should go with larger, more established teams. 

But if the budget is a concern, a smaller, more agile team might be in order. 

Knowing what you need at the beginning and assembling your team accordingly will prevent your team from getting in over their heads or prevent you from overspending on your most experienced team members when it's unnecessary. 

Build With Steel

Traditional buildings can take several months and longer to complete. 

But when you build and erect pre-engineered steel buildings, your projects will finish much faster. 

Most of your prefabricated metal building is constructed off-site in a factory, so you don't have to worry about or plan around the weather slowing down your construction time. 

Those pieces will be delivered to your prepared construction site, where they are assembled. 

Contact CDMG Today To Shorten Your Construction Schedule

If you're ready to begin your construction project and want to be sure it stays on schedule (saving you money), the first step is to choose a company that can get you to the finish line on time so you can keep your project stakeholders happy.

CDMG is one of the nation's foremost engineering companies serving industrial markets and customers.

Since 1991, the goal of CDMG as a company has always been to deliver projects on time, every time, within budget, and to the highest level of quality. 

To learn more about CDMG or to get a quote for your next construction project, click the button below.

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