Not all contractors turn up on time or finish when they say they will.

For most of us, "having the builders in" can be a difficult time and a real inconvenience so the sooner they are complete the better! There is nothing more annoying than being told the job will be complete on a specific date only for it to drag on weeks and even months after.

Through good project management techniques, you can avoid this by establishing and maintaining, including a regular independent site visit, a realistic and accurate construction schedule.

The construction schedule is the most powerful tool you can use to control time, communicate your expectations and keep everyone accountable. It is very difficult to track progress and establish the completion date without it. Knowing accurately when the roof is coming off and your building will once again be watertight might be a cue for the dates of your next vacation!

To establish an accurate and realistic construction schedule, you should bear five things in mind:

Understand the activities that are to be completed.

Sort them into the order of sequence.

Determine what has to be done first and what is done later.

Determine how long each activity will take; and

Establish the float. This is time in the schedule allocated as a "buffer" or contingency for unknowns. Poor weather preventing outside work is a good example of this.

There is no point having a schedule unless it is kept up to date. The frequency depends on the project; it might be daily, weekly or monthly.

The schedule gives you control and it allows you to see if work is falling behind or moving ahead; and how this might affect the critical works and the end completion date.

Another way of keeping the schedule up to date is regular independent site supervision. This will take the weight from your shoulders, ensure your best interests are always kept, motivate the workforce and keep the pressure on so the schedule is maintained and unnecessary costs are prevented.

Bermuda's remote location and simple supply and demand island economics mean there is an often long delivery time for goods, materials and services (local and overseas). Therefore, accurate forward planning is essential to avoid unnecessary and costly production bottlenecks.

By having an accurately maintained schedule along with regular independent site supervision, you are making sure your builder and designers are working as efficiently as they can. You give your self piece of mind knowing there is control and ultimately you save money!

@EDITRULE:

Chris Potter MRICS is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and a registered quantity and building surveyor. He is employed with Bermuda Project Managers Ltd. Formore information, he may be contacted at chrisbpml.com. This article and others can be found at www.bpml.com