How Scheduling Programs Can Improve Construction Profitability
Date Posted: July 11, 2023
Posted In: Discussion,
From For Construction Pros: Construction firms that choose not to schedule their jobs set themselves up for avoidable problems. By contrast, those that schedule every job are better able to bid, plan, manage, and execute well on a consistent basis. As a result, those firms tend to be more competitive and more profitable.
Teams that schedule every job perform better. Is your team taking advantage of scheduling to stay on track, or are you avoiding the creation of a schedule because you think it’s too complex or overkill for your projects? If so, you could be setting yourself up for avoidable problems later.
For the purpose of this article, scheduling refers solely to the construction activities themselves. Scheduling workers is another task which is critical to the success of a project; for now, however, we’ll define scheduling as entering and managing the timelines for the specific tasks and sub-tasks of a single project.
Schedules should not be seen as just a chore that you do only when required by contract terms. Instead, it should be considered an invaluable tool to help your team plan more strategically, manage with greater visibility, and control the countless moving parts of a busy jobsite.
While it does require some up-front time, a rock-solid schedule can pay dividends throughout the lifecycle of a project – from bidding to final invoice.
Here are five key actions that can give you a rock-solid construction schedule and improve your project efficiency and profitability:
1. Bid correctly/ Set Reasonable Expectations
Some people like surprises, but not contractors who need to make a profit from their team’s work or the project owner who has plans for the building due to be completed by a certain date. A proper construction schedule can help ensure that the scope of work is do-able in the allotted time at the allotted price. You can be sure you’re charging a fair price, given the staff and other resources that need to be committed to the job. Additionally, a solid schedule shows your potential client that your firm is serious about project controls and likely to deliver.
That schedule also lets the owner know in advance when they will need to provide you with access to documents or other items required for your team to be able to complete the job.