Tight Job Control Starts with Good Planning

The old saying that a failure to plan is a plan for failure is particularly germane to controlling construction projects.  Adhering to our commitment to continuous quality improvement, early last fall our project management team participated in a workshop on Tight Job Control, led by FMI Corp. of Raleigh, NC, a leading construction industry management consulting firm.

Managing Time and Resources

FMI divides typical construction site tasks into three distinct blocks of time based on data collected in the field:

Recoverable Lost Time - Waiting for information, materials, equipment,  tools, manpower, or other trades; rework on items already installed, 32%... 

Primary Time - Installing units of work for the first time, 42%...  

Secondary Time - Planning, scheduling, material handling, lay-out, set-up, mobilization, etc., 26%.  

While every job is unique, this model brings into focus the areas managers should tackle for more efficient use of project time. We identified reactive actions that occur at each level of our organization, and outlined proactive actions to enhance time and resource management.

Handoffs Are Critical

As our general superintendent, Jeff Hadfield, reported, "We're doing more scheduling and pre-planning, and lots of things to knock down lost time in particular." A key element in that respect is the handoffs or transitions between disciplines, i.e.:

Estimator > Project Manager
Project Manager > Superintendent
Superintendent > Foreman
Foreman > Crew
Foreman > Shop Manager

Each handoff involves a distribution of documents and making sure everyone knows where everything is and who's doing what.

In addition to assuring well-coordinated handoffs, Hadfield explained that getting superintendents and foremen involved early in the pre-construction phase is critical to tight project control. Uncovering problems early makes solutions much more efficient and cost effective.

Short-Interval Planning

Our field managers forecast as precisely as possible their plans for the coming two weeks, including daily labor and task duration requirements. The plans also identify lead items that are not yet on site, and any actual or anticipated problems with materials and personnel.  Our field managers submit their schedules and forecasts to the general superintendent every week so there's an overlap between the bi-weekly plans. If there are any problems, concerns or complaints, the general superintendent calls together the field managers to resolve the issues.

A Key Example of Recoverable Lost Time

Hadfield explained that one of the challenges in terms of recovering lost time is receiving final color and finish selections, decisions that must be made by the architect and project owner. "We can only go as fast as they make final decisions," Hadfield said.  Lost time impacts not only material delivery schedules but also the planning and scheduling of equipment, tools and labor, and the sequencing of construction tasks. Involving the builder early in the planning phase can avoid such problems and their ensuing costly delays.

With our daily contact with vendors, and our knowledge of the availability and lead times required for various materials, we're able to offer viable alternatives to keep budgets and schedules on track.

Planning vs. Scheduling

Whereas planning involves the "how" of a project, i.e., what resources are needed, and the means and methods of task completion, scheduling involves the "when." Indicators of poor short-term field planning include emergency calls to the project manager,  resource-related delays, poor production and rework.  By monitoring such reactive events, we continue to develop proactive measures to improve lost time recovery, facilitating scheduling and resource allocation in the process. Tom Smith, Vice President, Director of Construction, said, "When construction is ready to start, we conduct an extensive pre-construction checklist conference with the estimator, general superintendent, project manager, field superintendent and foreman." The conference helps assure that everyone is on the same page with the right information and expectations.

Bottom Line Results

Smith explained that recent improvements in our pre-construction planning strategies have led to more consistency in allocating work crews and keeping them together. "They don't go away for a few days and then have to come back," he said.  Using the bi-weekly field forecasts and reports, project managers develop contingencies to keep crews occupied on other aspects of a project if their scheduled work should be delayed. Hadfield said that such planning has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of trucking we do for materials and personnel.

Unforeseen events are a fact of life on every job, but good pre-construction planning keeps them to a minimum. It also paves the way for tight control of the project schedule and budget once construction begins.