Why Construction and Design Projects Exceed Timelines

This issue is relevant in many fields — from construction to the creation of complex software products. The main reason is planning error. People tend to underestimate hidden time costs and focus only on the central part of the task, ignoring expectations, switches, and other time expenditures.

Planning Error

Any process consists of 20% “empty” time — time spent waiting, switching between tasks, or dealing with unforeseen circumstances. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable when considering an example from everyday life.

Airport Example

Let’s take a typical 2-hour flight. At first glance, it may seem that the flight will take just a couple of hours. However, in reality:

• You arrive at the airport 2-3 hours before departure.
• You spend time going through security checks.
• You wait for boarding.
• After landing, you collect your luggage and make your way to your final destination.

As a result, a 2-hour flight turns into 6-8 hours of time spent.

Reality of Deadlines in Design and Construction

When designers or builders mention deadlines, they rely either on calculations or, less frequently, on past experience. However, honest deadlines based on real data often scare off clients.

For example, how would a client react if they learned that it would take 2 years from signing the contract to moving in? Even if a 350 m² apartment project is completed in a record 40 days, and builders perfectly fulfill their obligations, such timelines rarely align with client expectations.

What to Do?

To effectively manage deadlines and build realistic forecasts, it is essential to use proven tools and approaches.

Deadline Management Tools

• Schedule. It can be created in:
  • Excel,
  • MS Project,
  • Google Charts,
  • GanttPRO,
  • TeamGantt,
  • ClickUp.
• Time Buffer. It is advisable to include a +15% buffer for unforeseen costs in the schedule. For many, this may include unallocated days off that can help compensate for delays.
• Experience and Data. If you are not doing the work for the first time and are tracking the time spent on each task, it will be much easier to estimate future deadlines.
• Parallel Processes. Some stages can be carried out simultaneously, but this requires an experienced project manager. They will ensure the synchronization and seamless operation of the team. Such a specialist is an additional expense, but the result is worth it.

Example Schedule

Below is an example of a typical schedule that you can use for planning:

Team Work Organization

When designing a single apartment, several designers and visualizers work on the task simultaneously.

• Drawings and specifications begin to be prepared as soon as the first room is completed.
• Work is distributed among participants to speed up the process.

Factors Affecting Deadlines

• Motivation of Performers. The higher the team’s engagement, the faster the process goes.
• Speed of Client Approval. If the client approves decisions on the first try, it saves a significant amount of time. If three or more iterations are required, deadlines increase.

How to Reduce Approval Time?

To minimize the number of iterations, we dedicate additional time to pre-project work:

• We develop the concept.
• We study the task and the client’s user stories.
• We conduct a thorough analysis of analogs.

This approach allows us to prepare a solution that closely matches the client’s expectations on the first attempt.

Conclusion

Meeting deadlines is not only about discipline but also about smart planning, relying on experience, using tools, and quality interaction with the client. The more attention is paid to details at the initial stage, the higher the likelihood of project success.

Frequently Asked Questions