Project management can be one of the most challenging aspects of construction management to master. Many construction businesses can struggle with their projects, either going over budget or missing deadlines. The list of challenges that come with project management is endless: resource planning, task management, scope creep, staffing, going over budget, slow communication… It may feel like it never ends.
Project scheduling software is a crucial tool for any construction project manager. It can help you manage all aspects of your projects, from finances, to site inspections, to document management systems, to human resources. No matter what type of building or construction you’re working on, project scheduling software can help improve your ability to deliver on time and under budget.
What is a project schedule?
A construction project schedule is a plan that shows the sequence of events, tasks, and activities that must be completed to achieve a project milestone. It’s like a to-do list for your entire project. A schedule can be organized in several different ways depending on what information you want to include in it. The most common choices are:
- A Gantt chart
- An activity-on-arrow diagram
- A bar chart
While such schedules have traditionally been prepared manually, digital project management technologies have made construction project scheduling easier and more connected. Digital project management software platforms like PlanRadar allow you to manage your resources seamlessly while allowing all stakeholders to access project schedules. Using this feature you can streamline project management, collaborate with your team, and collect data that provide insights about your construction projects in real time. To learn more about how PlanRadar helps you schedule your projects with reduced overhead and improved operational efficiency, you can try the app for free or contact us here.
Why should my business use project scheduling?
You should use the project schedule as a tool to manage the time, cost, and resources of your project. It can also help you manage and mitigate the potential risks and contingencies of your project. And finally, it can be used to communicate with stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of a construction project.
Project planning is not just about writing down dates (e.g., start date, end date). You need to understand what’s going on around these dates and use this knowledge as part of your plan. For example: If you’re building two projects at once but one has more complicated design details than the other—and therefore takes longer—you’ll need more resources for that project than the other one with simpler requirements. Project scheduling can help you ensure there are enough resources available for both projects without overloading any one team member or department by giving them too many assignments at once.
The best construction project managers can create a schedule that is realistic and achievable. They understand their resources and how much of their time they can devote to the project. If you’re working on multiple projects at once, you need to keep track of all these details so that your team members don’t get overloaded with work or stressed out by unrealistic deadlines.
Benefits of using project scheduling software
Although project scheduling software is an investment, it can help you achieve a variety of benefits:
- Reduce human error
- Increase visibility and communication
- Improve reporting capabilities
- Streamline collaboration
- Meet project deadlines
- Reduce associated risks
How does project scheduling help streamline construction project management?
To use project scheduling to keep your construction projects on track with regards to budget and timelines, follow these steps:
- Create a timeline for your entire project from start to finish, outlining all necessary milestones and deadlines. This should be done in a timeline form so that it’s easy for anyone on your team—including yourself—to see what needs to happen and when.
- Assign due dates for each milestone based on its importance (i.e., if it affects other parts of the job or affects multiple people). Do this by mapping out each stage of the process visually with sticky notes, index cards, or whiteboard markers. This will make it easier for everyone involved in the project (and especially those who aren’t familiar with how things work) to understand what you’re doing and why.
- Create a Gantt chart for each milestone and assign tasks to team members based on their availability and expertise. This is where project scheduling software comes in handy, as it allows you to quickly create a visual representation of the process and then collaborate with others on completing it.
- Once you’ve assigned tasks to team members, it’s important to keep them in the loop. Send out regular updates so that everyone knows what’s going on and how their contributions are helping the project move forward. The more you update your team members and stakeholders, the less likely it is that there will be issues down the road.
- It’s also important to keep a running list of things that need to be done but aren’t relevant enough to be included in planning meetings. This way, you’ll have all the information you need when it comes time for these tasks to get done. Otherwise, they might fall through the cracks.
- One of the biggest challenges for project managers is staying organized. It can be so easy to get caught up in all of the tasks at hand that you forget about important things like updating stakeholders and team members on what’s going on. To help with this, try using construction project management software so that there’s an easy reference point for all of the information related to a given project.
Conclusion
One of the biggest challenges of project scheduling is managing your projects within the constraints of your budget. If you don’t have enough money to hire all of the people who are needed for a project, or if one part of the project takes up more time than expected, then it’s important to be able to change things around quickly so that everything stays on track. Project scheduling software is a useful tool for managing projects and improving efficiency. It can help you keep your team organized and on track to meet deadlines while reducing wastes and overheads.
Interested in using project scheduling software for your next construction project? Start your 30-day free PlanRadar trial here.
