Without a timeline for a project, things can go amiss very quickly because there is no organization to keep you on track. Creating a timeline for your construction projects is pertinent for customer satisfaction and ensuring your crew completes things promptly. If you’re struggling to construct a timeline, consider the advice below.
Structure Your Tasks
The first thing you need to do with your construction project timeline is to write down the different tasks that you will need to complete. This might include surveying and clearing the land, digging a foundation, building the walls of a structure, and so on. You should be as thorough as possible with these plans to avoid mistakes as much as possible. Use the designs from the architect to help you decide which tasks need to be done first and which are dependencies and need to be done after one task is complete.
Set a Time for Each Task
Once you have the tasks broken down, it’s always best to put a time stamp on when each one needs to be done. This is where the actual timeline of your project comes into play. Don’t be too optimistic with this because you don’t want to promise a client their project will be completed in a certain time if your crew actually needs a few more weeks. Once workers know the timeline for each task, they can better structure what needs to be done in a day to stay on track to finish the project.
Identify Resources Needed and Important Milestones
So, you’ve seen the architectural plans and broken down the timeline into tasks. Next, you need to determine which resources and materials you will need. How much timber do you need? What about heavy construction equipment—will you rent the machines, or do you have what you need in your fleet? Calculate each source of material to ensure you have enough to complete the project.
Furthermore, identify the critical milestones of the project. Having these milestones in your timeline will help workers understand where they are in the project, what is complete, and what they still need to do.
Create Daily Reports
After you create the timeline for your construction project and plan out the details, consider adding daily reports. Ask your workers to make a daily report of their work each day so that you can see if the timeline is on track. These reports should include what was accomplished that day, what wasn’t, if any incidents occurred, or if there were any equipment failures. This allows you to spot where delays might occur so that you can adjust the timeline.
The more projects you begin constructing, the more experience you’ll gain in creating these timelines. If you’re struggling to do this, you might consider using computer software to help develop a more accurate timeline. Remember to be as thorough and detailed as possible to ensure you’re not missing any important steps.
