Delay and Remediation: Ensuring Project Delivery

"The causes of delays on a variety of construction projects are many and varied; change orders, financial issues, adverse weather, supplier delays, design issues, inexperience or unforeseen conditions. These are just a few of the most common causes of delay." (Lepage et al., 2020)

In general, these common causes of delay can only be resolved at the point of discovery. for example, the delays rooted in design flaws (material supply or lack of resources) can be managed and monitored through the use of other planning tools.

Inclement weather or unforeseen ground conditions however are two such examples of delay in which remedy can only take place once they occur. Under those circumstances, the only way to remedy a given incident is to adjust the project schedule accordingly. This can be actioned either by allocating project programme float to the delay or extending the completion date. Doing this means all parties being in agreement.

'Activity Based Planning' is one such tool (also known as a lookahead plan). This tool has proven very effective in uncovering any early signs of a potential delay, and it identifies (in detail) the cause of the potential delay. This type of planning then allows for early action to be taken to mitigate any further delay. 

A '3–5 week lookahead plan' identifies the most important tasks and all of the pre-activity requirements (also known as dependencies). It allocates the correct level of resources to complete the task and delegates the responsibility of delivering this task to an individual. The cause of any variance in the project can then very easily be identified, as priority, responsibility, and the delegation had already been carried out prior. 

At the end of every week, the lookahead plan is reviewed by all parties. The actual progression is then compared against the planned progression, and any variance is identified. Additionally, the reason for such variance is also recorded. If the reason for said variance become a trend across the 3-5 week plan, a detailed investigation will be carried out, and any necessary action will be taken. 

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Lepage, M., Says:, B., Says:, D., Says:, J., Says:, M., Says:, R., & Says:, L. (2020, August 21). Types of Schedule Delays in Construction Projects [Illustrated]. Retrieved January 14, 2021, from https://www.planacademy.com/types-of-schedule-delays-in-construction/