Construction planning is a tricky process that requires the right amount of expertise to avoid mistakes. It’s essential to plan for things like where you’re going to store materials and how you’ll keep them safe from weather or theft. Likewise, what kind of equipment to use on-sit and where to procure them need to be accounted for.

With that, construction projects are complex and require careful planning before you can execute them, so you must take all necessary steps before starting construction.

The most common mistake project managers make in construction planning is neglecting to consider the specific needs of the construction site’s location. Such conditions include building code standards, quality control requirements, and environmental factors.

When getting started with any new project, a good rule of thumb is always to have contingencies planned for all risks that could cause delays. Project failure occurs when unforeseen events cause adverse impacts to a project.

Creating a viable project plan requires the right expertise to avoid mistakes. Right from project initiation, the team must employ success measures that line up with the objectives and scope of the project. By consistently monitoring this, mistakes in construction planning decrease and the probability of success stands high.

Construction projects are one-of-a-kind endeavours with many unique features such as long lead times, adverse environments, complex processes, and a high financial stake. Such complexity in both technology and organisation creates huge risks, which result in delays in completion and cost overruns.

Typically, a delay in construction occurs when you require additional time. The timely completion of the project indicates the efficiency of all stakeholders involved; however, the construction process is subject to many variables and unpredictable factors resulting from various sources.

With proper management, technical knowledge, and techniques, you can reduce these delays to a minimal level. And to do such, it is imperative to know the common construction planning mistakes.

The process of planning a project refers to defining the work activities or tasks to accomplish the desired outcomes in minimum time and cost. Such a process begins the day the project idea for a business or business venture happens.

Poor planning during construction occurs when the stakeholders do not clearly communicate the project scope and project goal. Project managers must work closely with clients at the contracting stage to outline expectations and success metrics using project management tools.

Several professionals and key stakeholders are involved in the construction process, so a project manager must consider the ideas, requirements, and capabilities of everyone involved in their planning process to achieve the best results and maximum outcomes.

During the construction phase, planning means calculating all the plans, types of equipment, materials, suppliers, human resources, time, risks and cost required to complete the curtain phase of the construction.

A lack of planning deliverables or project management mistakes results in delayed project completion, cost overruns, and inferior quality work, among other things. Therefore, to ensure the smooth flow of work, the quality of the work and timely completion, it is vital that the project team accurately designs and plans before executing activities.

Construction sites tend to be hectic and fast-paced. That is why, before the construction project commences, surveys need to be conducted to identify any possible problems towards ensuring that the site is safe for the type of project to be done.

Having an improper construction site survey of the working environment causes delays to the whole project and may cause harm. Furthermore, a lack of proper evaluation will derail the project’s objective, making it more prone to construction errors that are past viable solutions. Therefore, the survey and evaluation process should have ample time to be done thoroughly and accurately.

Managing all materials and equipment required during a construction project is also crucial to the success of a project.

These two elements represent a significant expense in any construction project, with materials accounting for 60 to 70 per cent of the direct cost of a building project. A lack of proper planning and management can result in severe cost overruns that effective planning could have avoided. Improper planning also leads to delays in completing critical activities due to shortages of materials and equipment at required times.

Labour is the biggest challenge facing the construction industry today. A construction project’s timeline can make or break depending on the skills and capabilities of the workforce involved. That is why the hiring of labourers should happen once initial planning concludes to identify the different skill sets needed for the job.

It can be immensely detrimental to a business to misquote a job estimate; some jobs close for several weeks or months or even abandoned. Therefore, it’s crucial to accurately use a viable budgeting approach based on the project’s specific requirements, so there’s always enough money for materials and wages, in addition to anything else.

Most construction projects have experience with the dreaded waiting game when it comes to gaining legal approvals. At times, the process can take weeks or even months, depending on the bureaucratic situation of the location.

It is difficult to wait for someone somewhere to make a decision that prevents progress on the project. So with that, it is best to estimate the time this step could take in the initial project plan stage.

Delays usually happen when legal or government approval is needed before you can move forward. However, construction jobs that are coordinated and approved on time (and in some cases, under budget) can see the finish line to completion faster.

One of the most common projects management mistakes is the inability of project managers to communicate effectively with their members. These instances include the contractors, subcontractors, linemen, suppliers, and even the financial advisor.

Every time there is a misunderstanding, everyone points fingers and blames each other, making the delay even more drastic. That is why it is important to establish open communication and order from the beginning to avoid such a problem.

Construction is an industry that depends on the economic conditions of the country.

Consequently, if any country experiences an economic collapse or its currency value changes, all construction projects would get affected in various ways, one of which is changes in the budget. Obviously, you cannot control such situations, thus you should account for their occurrence in the plan and estimate. That is why it is essential always to have a contingency plan.

In construction projects, design variation and error are significant causes of delay and cost overrun.

There is a need to realise that accurate representation of the employer’s requirements and more importantly, the blueprints to achieve better technical input for project execution are usually determined based on project designs and specifications.

Faulty designs lead to inaccurate or insufficient project deliverables during the execution of the project. In addition, it will result in the incorrect application of techniques, including time delays and cost overruns if the underlying design errors in the execution section of the project are not corrected.

Among the things we cannot control is the weather (although we would love to!). Suppose the weather changes in an unexpected manner; changes in the workflow then cause some delays. Knowing extreme conditions that are uncontrollable allows you to prepare, which can make a difference. It is wise to plan for slower progress in hot and humid weather, cold and snowy weather, and follow safe practices for crew members.

Not being able to oversee the whole project and manage it appropriately will indeed cause some delays. Being able to monitor a big project is not an easy task. But several technological solutions readily available today to help us manage things even to the smallest detail, like a construction project management tool (Primavera P6 and Mircosoft Project).

Many factors go into a construction project, including regulatory issues, safety concerns, equipment rentals, multiple teams, and more. If you want to meet your timelines and keep your construction project on course, you need robust and dynamic construction scheduling software. A construction management software tool that automates the scheduling process is ideal. In addition, keeping track of resources and their use helps managers make better project-related decisions.

With a construction management tool, you can minimise labour costs as you would not need to hire two or more people to be on top of the monitoring. Instead, you can just have the tool do it for you. On top of that, you can also have the following:

Make your goals realistic: Using a construction project schedule, you can realistically plan each phase of the project. Making better timelines is possible with this.

Keeping overheads low: With a clear understanding of the complete project duration, money management becomes much more straightforward. In addition, scheduling your resources effectively and putting them to their best use can keep costs in check.

Budget contractor’s cash flow: One of the significant benefits of using a construction management tool is access to real-time updates from the site, which you can incorporate into project plans.

Include flexibility in your plan: Your building schedule can improve dramatically if it is flexible. When a project begins, scheduling software can help you project the critical path correctly.

Improved visibility of tasks: Having a clear understanding of the result will continually improve the manager’s standing and accountability.

Given the benefits of getting an external construction planner and scheduler, answers whether it is worth paying for. And that is a big YES. Technologies are no doubt a big help even in the construction industry. Plus, a specialised construction consultancy firm will have the latest software, with personnel with ample experience working with a diverse portfolio.

With that, they can bring great insight to your project based on experience working with similar ones from the past.