“How do we solve the construction scheduling problem?” The truth is, it’s a complex question—one that many companies in this industry find themselves discussing without really making progress. Yet, tackling this problem is crucial, not just to avoid delays but to drive profitability and consistency across the board.
Construction projects are inherently unpredictable. They’re impacted by everything from shifting site conditions and evolving design requirements to resource shortages and the unique needs of multiple stakeholders. Scheduling, when done right, is the most valuable resource for managing this complexity. Without a systematic approach, however, even the best-laid schedules can go awry, leaving teams scrambling to figure out what went wrong.
To help construction teams move from reactive firefighting to proactive management, I’ve written How to Solve the Scheduling Problem in Construction, a guide that lays out a structured approach to handling schedule-related challenges. This guide is a practical resource for companies looking to improve outcomes, protect profit margins, and stay out of costly disputes.
Why Construction Scheduling Is a Huge Pain
The roots of the construction scheduling problem run deep. While Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling has been around for decades, scheduling best practices have become less applied over time.
Back in the 1990s, companies increasingly handed scheduling tasks to untrained staff or outside consultants, marking a critical shift: schedules started to be seen as tasks rather than project management tools. This shift reduced visibility and accountability, leading to inconsistent and uninformed scheduling practices.
In my previous career as a consultant, I saw this breakdown play out time and again. Projects would start with a plan and budget, only to hit roadblocks that sent them off track. Each project had its own complexities, yet they all shared a common pattern: with the schedule sidelined, teams lacked the data and insights to make informed decisions. This approach led to increased delays, budget overruns, and, ultimately, strained relationships.
The solution wasn’t just about creating better schedules but about building a proactive process to keep projects on track from start to finish.
A Systematic Solution: 7 Controls for Proactive Construction Scheduling
Based on my experiences in the field and years spent helping companies navigate troubled projects, we developed seven essential scheduling controls that address core issues directly. The full guide dives into these controls in detail, but here’s a sneak peek at three of them:
Understand CPM Fundamentals
Understanding CPM principles is essential for successful scheduling. While software can calculate a project’s critical path, knowing how to interpret and use this data allows teams to identify where flexibility lies and proactively manage high-priority tasks.
Standardize Construction Scheduling Processes
In complex projects, consistency is crucial. A standardized scheduling process creates a common framework that all teams can follow, reducing conflicting data and ensuring early visibility into potential issues.
Improve Visibility Across Teams
Scheduling information shouldn’t be confined to a few people; it should be accessible to all relevant team members, from field crews to office executives. When everyone is on the same page, projects can address issues in real-time, helping to maintain alignment and momentum.
These are just a few of the practices outlined in our guide, which provides a complete framework and a recommended action plan for solving the construction scheduling problem—a shortcut to smarter project management.
Building SmartPM to Solve the Construction Scheduling Problem
After over 15 years of dealing with this problem every day, I decided to build a solution that would make proactive scheduling accessible to any construction team. This vision became SmartPM, a platform that provides automated project controls that streamline essential analyses, dashboards, and reports, giving project teams the data-driven insights they need to manage risks and control outcomes.
SmartPM layers into your existing process, acting as a central resource that brings the whole project team onto the same page. It automates the kind of analysis that typically took me weeks and $250 an hour to perform, providing answers to critical questions like:
- Are we truly advancing according to the plan?
- Have changes impacted the critical path, and if so, how?
- What is the real-time impact of any delays, and are our adjustments realistic?
The idea was simple but powerful: automate the forensic work I used to do as a consultant and make it accessible – and understandable – to every project team in real-time, empowering them to manage the schedule proactively instead of waiting for things to go off the rails.
Who Should Read This Guide?
This guide is for everyone involved in construction projects—from owners and executives to site teams and project managers. It provides a structured, accessible approach to scheduling that empowers all team members to understand and contribute to project success.
Ready to improve scheduling outcomes? Download How to Solve the Scheduling Problem in Construction and learn how to keep your projects on time, on budget, and aligned with your project goals.
