Time management of construction projects

See also: Scheduling construction activities.

Time management is the process of organising and implementing a strategy related to the time required for work activities on a project. Effective time management is essential to successfully and efficiently meeting budget and programme targets, as well as achieving profitability.

Projects can risk incurring unnecessary costs and delays as a result of ineffective time management, either by failing to allow for the full complexity of a project, or by failing to effectively manage scheduled work or unexpected events.

On large projects, the client may appoint a programme consultant to prepare a detailed programme for the project including an outline programme for construction if a contractor has not been appointed. Once the contractor is appointed, they will take responsibility for programming the construction works, but the programme consultant may continue to develop an overall programme for the client.

During the planning stage, all work activities should be properly understood, and planned in detail to optimise the allocation of resources and reduce the potential for ‘unknowns’. Estimates can then be made of how long each activity will take. This is critical to the setting of milestones and deadlines, for allocation of resources, and for determining the pricing of contracts and cashflow requirements.

As well as work packages, time management should also make allowance for activities including:

• The interrelationships between tasks.
• Project management administration.
• Liaison with third parties, such as the local authority.
• Client approvals and decision making processes.
• Training.
• Accidents and emergencies.
• Internal and external meetings.
• Holidays and sickness in staff.
• Suppliers and subcontractor activities.
• Equipment breakdowns.
• Missed deliveries by suppliers.
• Interruptions to work progress due to inclement weather.
• Inspections, testing and other forms of quality control.

The concept of 'float' describes the time that an activity can be delayed without changing the overall project duration. The float is obtained by subtracting the duration of activities from the available time. The critical path is determined by all activities were the total float is zero.

The critical activities have to be carried out without delay, any modification in their duration results in change in the project’s duration. The duration of an activity can sometimes be reduced by adding additional resources, but this will also increase its cost.

There are a wide range of articles on Designing Buildings Wiki describing a range of tools, devices and techniques that can be used to assist with time management.

• Acceleration.
• Contractor's master programme.
• Critical path analysis.
• Earned value.
• Fast-track construction.
• Gantt chart.
• Information release schedules.
• Key performance indicators.
• Line of balance (LOB).
• Milestones or gateways.
• Pareto analysis.
• Precedence diagram method.
• Programme for building design and construction.
• Project crashing.
• Resource leveling.
• Schedule performance index (SPI).
• Short period programme.
• Time-location chart.

For more information see: Scheduling construction activities, and Programme for building design and construction.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Acceleration of construction works.
• Activity schedule.
• Construction management.
• Contractor’s master programme.
• Contractor's working schedule.
• Construction project.
• Gantt chart.
• How to manage construction plant.
• Key performance indicators.
• Line of balance (LOB).
• Milestones.
• Programme for building design and construction.
• Progress of construction works.
• Project benchmarking.
• Project manager.
• Resource leveling.
• Resource management.
• Scheduling construction activities.
• Schedule performance index (SPI).
• Time-location chart.
• Time management.
• Transition time.

[edit] External references

• Time Management with P6