3 Things That Ensure a Successful Construction Project Schedule

AIA Contract Documents

You received your award for your construction contract, and now you must submit your construction schedule pursuant to the A201- 2017 General Conditions of the Contract for Construction which states, in relevant part:

The Contractor . . . shall submit . . . a Contractor’s construction schedule for the Work. The schedule shall contain detail appropriate for the Project, including (1) the date of commencement of the Work, interim schedule milestone dates, and the date of Substantial Completion; (2) an apportionment of the Work by construction activity; and (3) the time required for completion of each portion of the Work. The schedule shall provide for the orderly progression of the Work to completion[.] The schedule shall be revised at appropriate intervals as required by the conditions of the Work and Project.

Scheduling for project success

Below are a few items that will help your schedule be effective throughout the life of the construction project.

1. Construction sequence and critical path. An effective construction schedule should be able to demonstrate the relationship between construction activities in the same sequence you plan to execute them during the life of the project. If the relationships are accurate, there will be a sequence of construction activities in your schedule that requires one activity to be complete before the next one can start. This finish to start sequence of construction activities is the critical path of your construction schedule.

If a construction activity is on the critical path schedule and is delayed, the entire project will be delayed unless additional mitigation steps are taken to offset the delay. Due to either unforeseen or requested changes in the work, the work activities in your critical path may change as your project progresses. In any event, setting up your work tasks with the proper relationships will help give you an idea of where you may need to shift resources to allow you and your team to complete the project on time.

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