Qu’est-ce qui cause le non-respect des délais de construction et comment pouvez-vous les éviter ?

Adherence to project timelines is more likely when there's robust planning, effective contractor management, and a well-defined change control process. However, it's also essential to acknowledge that external factors can influence project outcomes, emphasising the importance of adaptability and contingency planning. Regular monitoring, communication, and a proactive approach to addressing challenges contribute to successful project delivery

If the project planning is realistic then there shall not be any delays. However, construction involves a lot of changes due to coordination issues, changes in the design, changes due to authority requirements, interim payment issues, and many more. To avoid such issues, it is necessary to anticipate and plan.

Often estimating is blamed for overruns and missed deadlines but far too often an incomplete scope is the culprit. Early contractor involvement will help to address some of these issues. We have had projects where we as a specialist contractor have been asked to develop the scope and the WBS in a way that aligns with how the work is actually carried out. In projects where we have been the engineers as well we assume full accountability for design and construction. ECI or EPC approaches in certain situations can help reduce risk but present different challenges in terms of contractual arrangements and need to have a foundation of trust to succeed.

In my experience comprehensively setting out what design information is required for each stage and subjecting this to rigorous collaborative review before approving is often not scrutinised to the same degree as the cost or programme. The programme (schedule) and project costs are all based on the design information, not spending adequate time or resource on this can be a substantial contributing factor in planning failure. ISO 19650 introduced a mandatory Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP), those of us old enough will remember this fondly as an IRS in the UK. This approach ensures proper planning in design is fully considered from an early stage. A good programme will define timeframe for design, co-ordination and approval.

There will always be delays on absolutely every single construction project. The goal is to be more efficient than we were before. Get your subcontractors involved in scheduling. Just because it’s in ProCorps, Project, etc… doesn’t not make it accurate. Subcontractor coordination meetings should be broken up into scopes that actually need to coordinate. As the roofer I don’t need to sit and listen to the drywall or flooring sub. I need the MEP’s, structural steel, concrete guys.

I think it’s important to consider these points in order to secure the project's construction delivery: - Construction design freeze on time (with more technical details) and early clarify the share of work with partners and subcontractors…to avoid change orders and reduce costs - Working on anticipation in terms of site accessibility, materials storage and delivery, Quality/EHS requirements, staffing on time… - Meet the contractual requirements even if you will generate more disputes and claims with customer but avoid delaying project…

Scope creep has a adverse impact on any construction project, unfinished designs that are being redefined along the way, more things the employer wants. This will always cause projects to have problems. Best is to have the design as far progressed as possible even before engaging with the contractor. Before having a programme. So that the time allocated actually considered 90% of the scope.

É comum encontrarmos no dia a dia das obras cronogramas que não estão totalmente atrelados ao escopo, seja porque houve aumento ou redução do escopo e não houve o devido controle de mudanças para integrar e atualizar os demais documentos do projeto às alterações, seja por falta de domínio no tema, a falta do entendimento de que o cronograma precisa relatar o prazo para execução de um escopo pré definido, e se algo ocorrer no meio do caminho que gere alteração neste escopo, o cronograma precisa ser atualizado para refletir tais mudanças. Atuar com sistemas de gestão integrado pode ajudar muito a minimizar essa situação, mas infelizmente esta não é a realidade da maioria das empresas de construção de pequeno e médio porte no Brasil.

Managing scope in a construction project involves defining, controlling, and documenting the project's boundaries. Clearly outline project objectives, deliverables, and constraints. Regularly review and communicate any changes to prevent scope creep. Establish a change control process for proper documentation and evaluation of scope modifications. By maintaining a disciplined approach to scope management, construction projects can stay focused, within budget, and on schedule, ensuring successful outcomes.

Study the scope, the critical and the sequence of scope to create a plan and coordination. By this you can track down how you going to achieve the timeline.

Very often project teams are formed based on a squeezed budget and therefore often too small to start with. Then later when things start to look sour teams are being upscaled to mitigate any issues raised. This is absolutely the wrong way around: the costs will still come on the project's total, however, due to this common behavior not only the costs of staff goes up to where it needs to be, you also will be late due to responsive behavior and due to lack of time you'll miss (technical) issues that will arise and will cost additional time and money to resolve or as missed opportunities. So, cut on everything if you need, but not on the project's brains.

Manufacuting support is often under utilized. The past few years have been challenging in the manufacturing world and direct contact with a manufacturer representative in your area is crucial. When supply chain issues were at it's peak we were able to pivot to alternate materials that were readily available to meet project schedules without sacrificing performance.

Le partenariat gagnant - gagnant avec les sous traitants et fournisseurs est très important pour impulser et conserver l’élan constructif d’un chantier. Travailler avec des partenaires fiables, qualitatifs et au rapport qualité - prix optimal.

Close coordination with various agencies working on the project involving inputs from multi disciplinary agencies. Provision of adequate floats for situation where one agency complete a bench mark and handover to other agency.

Uma boa prática muito pouco vista nos cronogramas das obras quando se fala em planejamento do tempo é a alocação de recursos às tarefas do cronograma. Ferramentas computacionais como por exemplo o MS Project permitem a adoção dessa funcionalidade, o que pode resultar em uma série de benefício e análises gerenciais para o projeto. Alocar a quantidade de recursos e sua produtividade para a realização de uma determinada quantidade de serviço numa obra é uma excelente estratégia para entender qual o histograma do empreendimento, qual o seu pico de recursos (pico de obra) o que vai te permitir inclusive dimensionar melhor o canteiro e as áreas de vivência e programar melhor seus recursos.

Owners and contractors should be clear in their contracts as to how weather days will be built into the schedule, and how schedule extensions will be handled in the event of extreme weather (i.e. if weather days are already baked in, will a single extreme weather event extend the completion date or eat into the schedule float?)

When faced with severe weather, the best thing you can do is stop production and take the necessary actions to protect the job site and equipment from damage. Losing a day of production is better than loosing weeks to repair preventable damage.

Anticipate weather delays during the implementation and development of the site utilization plan, with all weather access roads entrances and on the interior of the site . Prioritize site drainage and temporary swells and provide positive site drainage grading away from the building pad, tie in storm drainage to existing outlets and or install temporary or permanent storm water retention

No tan solo el clima es relevante a la hora de planificar sino que también las condiciones propias de accesibilidad a la obra. Tiempo atrás, comenzamos un proyecto en donde los trabajadores llegaban tarde todos los días 15-30min. Además, estos llegaban sumamente cansados. Nos percatamos ya con el proyecto andando que los trabajadores caminaban 30min para llegar al trabajo en una zona con inclinación. Resolvimos el problema colocando buses de acercamiento por las mañanas y realizando visitas a terreno previas por los profesionales y trabajadores a las futuras obras, justamente para abordar todas estas temáticas que nos afectan el rendimiento y eficiencia.

Creo que, si tenemos bien estudiada la estacionalidad de nuestro trabajo, en el entorno en que se va a desarrollar, es posible prever desviaciones y reprogramaciones por causa de la meteorología. Al final, la meteorología forma parte de nuestro proyecto y, tenerlo en cuenta al programar la ejecución, nos ayuda a minimizar repercusiones, retrasos, perjuicios y pérdidas indeseados.

Always have a Plan B for everything! This means that sometimes you have to look at the problem from another angle or even think out of box to deal with certain situations. Design may need to be changed or revised many times during the construction to do value engineering, to deal with the geology or even a difficult stakeholder.

Having a solid plan to begin with will better equip you to deal with problems that arise. Construction always comes with its challenges, starting with that plan and then collaborating with those key stakeholders when issues arise to quickly and efficiently work through them will set your project up for success.

As a proactive project manager, always work with your project consultants on the job in the estimation of problems onsite. Leverage on the experience of your team then work cooperatively in finding solutions. Ensure that you are well versed with the conditions of contract for every contractor on the project.

Para lograr el éxito en un proyecto de construcción, es importante tener en cuenta una planificación adecuada, una gestión eficiente de riesgos, una comunicación efectiva, una gestión de cambios adecuada y un enfoque en la calidad y la seguridad. 

One of the most helpful things in this regard is having a team that is willing to review items quickly as they come up and collaborate to provide feasible solutions. This includes everyone from the field personnel that discovered the issue to the design team.

Poor project definition. Sometimes the urge to start is overwhelming, like when there is political pressure, meaning that uncertainty gets baked in which can have catastrophic results. UK's HS2 is a classic example. Resist time pressure until the definition is clear, the deliverables and the budget are set, and the risks are quantified as much as possible. If time pressure is too great, then make clear what the risks are. Always take decisions with your eyes open.

One cause of missing construction deadlines is contractors logistics- freighting and shipment including transportation time. In a country such as PNG, where 99% of materials are imported, this is a crucial element in the construction program. If the PMs are not keeping a lead on off shore materials which constitute a major fraction of construction, materials can take significant delays to get to the site. This also is to be dealt with carefully when certifying progressive claims for materials that are not yet purchased or on-site. Negotiations with the contractor and flagging any delays ahead for purchase, should be raised with the client early to avoid payment delays and subsequently delaying the contractor purchasing materials on time

O principal problema na gestão de prazo é a falta de contingência de riscos recorrentes que não são avaliados na elaboração do planejamento. Vários riscos podem ser citados e poderiam ser contingenciados como :(improdutividade, chuva, atrasos na entrega, alteração de escopo, aumento de custos postergando as compras), não adianta analisar o impacto, pois desvios de prazo, custo e escopo são consequências de riscos não gerenciados.

The main reason people fail to meet construction deadlines is that people are "fast thinking, act slow" Simply reversing the order of “think slowly and act quickly'' will almost always solve the problem. In the past, projects have failed due to poor advance planning and slow/delayed action so invest more in your front-end execution plan and stick to it

The lack of effective project controls can contribute to missing construction deadlines. Construction projects are ever dynamic, especially in uncertain situations and the risk of missing deadlines increases without strict performance measurement mechanisms. Activities such as tracking progress using performance metrics, managing risks and promoting an adaptable environment to respond to issues are important elements for meeting construction deadlines. Furthermore, conducting regular reviews that are commensurate with the issues or tasks at hand is important because they provide insights to construction status and allow for adjustments to be made where applicable while aligning to project objectives