Jackson Digney, Managing Director of Enduro Builders, explains why a live project schedule is critical for new-home construction. A constantly updated document listing tasks, milestones, and critical-path items keeps builds on time, gives owners visibility, and holds builders accountable. Before signing a contract, ask your builder two questions: Can I see the project schedule, and where can I log in to view it 24/7?
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Have you ever seen a house as it's being built and wondered why it's taking so long and has so many days with nothing happening on site? Hi, my name is Jackson Digney and I'm the Managing Director of Enduro Builders. There is every chance that that home was being built without a project schedule. It might surprise you to know that a lot of builders will create one, but then not utilise it to make sure the project that starts on time stays on time. So what is a project schedule and how do they work? When done correctly, a project schedule is what is known as a live document. It is constantly referred to by supervisors, project managers, and builders, and should provide the following minimum functionality. It should contain the tasks required to be carried out to complete the job. It should include milestones for the ordering of materials or subcontractors that require lead time. It should be linked with the subcontractors so they receive automatic updates to the schedule changes, such as when bad weather strikes. It should highlight the critical path of the project, which means the tasks that can't start until the previous one has finished. It should provide you with a calendar-style view that shows the percentage of progress made in each task, should be regularly updated so that any project delays can be caught up by tweaking the schedule, and it should have a baseline. And this, this is a record of what the dates and durations of the tasks were before the project started, and it's a good guide as to how the project is really tracking. So how does a good quality project schedule help you as the client? What it does is it makes sure that your new home will be built on time. You can see when things are happening on site and what's coming up next. You'll get plenty of warning for decisions that you need to make, so you're never rushed, and your builder is accountable to you for keeping the project on that schedule. I am sure you have all heard the arguments against a schedule. They make things too rigid, there's no room for moving things around, things never go to plan, and the list goes on and on. Well, I can tell you that it is completely impossible to effectively and professionally run a building project without one. Yes, things change on a project. It rains for a week at a time in the project where you need clear days. A delivery that was booked months in advance doesn't happen because a truck breaks down. A subcontractor is sick and doesn't show up. It all happens, and it happens to every job. Without a schedule, you can't assess the true effect of these unforeseen things occurring. A delay to let— might actually affect a trade on the critical path in a month, but if you don't have a schedule, you can't see that. Your builder can't effectively rejig the schedule to make sure things stay on track unless they have one. So before you sign a building contract, make sure you look your builder in the eye and ask them these 2 simple questions: can I see the project schedule? And where do I log in to view this 24/7? If you get a no to either of these, it's critical that you hold off signing up until your builder can provide a detailed project schedule. To find out more questions to ask your builder before you sign a contract, click on the link below to get our free guide.
