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Dive Brief:
- Waiting for other disciplines to finish their work before starting the next phase of work is the main cause of construction delaysaccording to a new report from Touchplan, a Boston-based production planning platform.
- Staffing shortages, followed by material and equipment delays, rank as the second and third largest contributors, reflecting ongoing labor and supply chain challenges in the industry.
- According to the report, design changes and time-related breaks round out the main reasons for delayed activities.
Diving knowledge:
Touchplan users provided reasons for delays whenever tasks finished late on the platform. The platform captured data from over 321,000 scheduled construction jobs over the past 12 months.
The main cause of delays comes from poorly executed transfers between operations. These problems result in extended deadlines and increased costs, seriously affecting the master schedule in commercial construction projectsaccording to the report.
These inefficient transfers lead to worker congestion and rework, which further hampers overall productivity, said Jason Lyon, vice president of customer success at Touchplan.
“Missed deliveries equal rescheduling, and rescheduling creates more time spent in planning meetings,” Lyon said in the statement. “You have to overcome the challenges that are created as a result of missed deliveries.”
Lyon identified insufficient staffing as another major headwind for the project’s progress.
“The construction industry is struggling with a persistent shortage of skilled labor that is driving up costs and delaying projects,” says Lyon. “With increased work demands and no immediate workforce solutions, contractors must proactively ensure tasks are completed efficiently and disruptions are minimized through proactive planning practices and collaborative”.
Acquisition of material has long been identified as a major contributor to delays, often due to supply chain disruptions and long lead times for critical components. For this reason, according to the report, flexible material availability planning is now an integral part of successful project management.
Design changes, although less frequent, cause significant delays when they occur. Miscommunications or last-minute change orders often lead to rework, disrupting deadlines and creating confusion at the site, Lyon said.
Finally, weather-related delays, while harder to predict, are still a threat to project schedules. Severe conditions, such as heavy rain or extreme heat, can affect labor productivity, material delivery, and ultimately overall project timelines.
