Failure is subjective. However, in the construction industry, success is achieved through compliance with deadlines and budgets, as well as the satisfaction of all parties involved. If you’re happy with the final results and the contractor leaves with a tidy profit from your project, you can call it a day. But to achieve these ideal results, you need construction project coordination experts.
Although a 100% success rate is not a realistic expectation, especially in construction, where many issues can arise once the building phase begins, some common failures are preventable. Being aware of them helps increase your chances of success and reduces the amount of money and time wasted.
Many factors can lead to failure in construction projects; however, most of them boil down to the effectiveness of the project management. Thus, when selecting construction project management services for your project, ensure they have a proven track record of successful projects and experience before signing a contract. This way, you can ensure that your project management is skilled enough to identify common project pitfalls and prevent or correct them before they wreak havoc.
4 common reasons why commercial construction project fails
1. Inadequate planning
Poor planning often leads to poor execution, resulting in delays and additional costs. The more time and effort your investment in coordination experts put into mapping out the project, the better they and the team cacompromising n manage situations that risk progress and quality.
But adequate planning is more than just construction scheduling support. It requires managers to meet with the project owner, the contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, and suppliers to understand the project’s needs, scope, and expectations regarding deliverables and planned efforts.
Moreover, construction project management services should include risk assessments and management plans, site plans, logistics, as well as material purchases and delivery, to ensure the plan comprehensively covers the entire project and its processes.
2. Scope creep
Scope creep occurs when the project scope and deliverables continually change, deviating from the original plan. Since it occurs gradually, change by change, it’s often difficult to identify, and the team ends up with more work than they initially agreed to, which affects the schedule and, consequently, the commercial construction oversight process.
For example, say your project is to build a new 5,000 square foot warehouse to store the inventory, but you realize that you’ll need a second floor to accommodate new hires close to the storage location. This decision will alter the original floor and site plans, as well as the materials, labor requirements, and planned hours, resulting in delays and increased costs.
To avoid scope creep, construction project management services should guarantee that the scope of the work is clearly defined in estimates and contracts, so that no details are missed in plans, specifications, and communications (notices, emails, meeting minutes, etc) and that the contract states clearly how out-of-scope work should be requested and managed.
This helps ensure that no additional work starts without written approval and that the extra costs and labor are agreed upon.
3. Miscommunications
Keeping all stakeholders informed about changes to the work schedule and the project’s overall progress is essential to prevent major issues that could lead to project failure. When communication between stakeholders breaks down, it often results in accidents, delays, costly repairs, and the client’s dissatisfaction. Thus, it’s the responsibility of the construction project management services to develop effective communication plans.
Most issues in commercial construction projects arise simply because people stopped communicating, asking, and responding to inquiries from their teammates. For example, suppose project coordination experts fail to inform the plumbing contractors about a delay in pipe delivery. In that case, it’ll generate frustration among the plumbing team, who may feel they have wasted their time.
To ensure an adequate communication flow is maintained throughout the project, managers should develop a communication plan that establishes document control procedures for all teams. Likewise, designating a central point of contact, such as managers, helps centralize communication and avoid misunderstandings and bottlenecks.
4. Scheduling delays
Productivity delays are risky because they seem inconsequential at first. Construction project management services won’t break down in panic because a meeting was postponed, or the flooring completion was delayed because two workers were on sick leave. Still, they should be on the lookout to avoid frequent interruptions that could lead to rushed processes and delivery delays.
Managers provide construction scheduling support based on the estimated time required for each team to complete their specific tasks.
When a task is delayed for reasons other than natural events, the estimated time increases, affecting the initial schedule. Thus, the construction commercial oversight professional must consider the workers’ skills, responsibilities, and required tools and equipment when planning the project schedule.
Guarantee project completion with our expert construction management services
Build your next facility with TRM’s turn-key management approach, which enables direct and clear communication with a single point of contact throughout the entire project, eliminating communication issues and simplifying your project overview process. You can trust that our project coordination experts will ensure your project is designed, coordinated, and built according to your needs and expectations, without significant delays and overspending.
Contact us today and ensure you get the project you’ve always dreamed of!