BuilderSpace states that “nearly a third of construction projects fail, underperform or face budget and time shortcomings yearly. This happens due to changing customer requirements, poor cost/time evaluation, labor inefficiency, and second-rate materials. However, adequate project management can help reduce such failures.”
Before procuring materials or breaking ground, a construction firm must lay a solid foundation for a project’s success. The pre-construction phase sets the tone for the project’s entire lifecycle.
As the name suggests, pre-construction, also called pre-con, is a comprehensive planning stage that occurs before a build. The client, designers, and general contractors collaborate to develop and determine a project’s scope, preliminary schedules, initial budget, designs, and more. It gives the client a high-level overview of the anticipated timeframes and costs. Pre-construction planning also helps determine how to best use resources and finances, mitigate potential problems before they arise, and ensure the project runs smoothly.
This initial phase is crucial to prevent delays, cost overruns, miscommunications, and other unexpected issues.
Detailed pre-construction planning benefits firms and clients by:
- Optimizing efficiency
- Preventing the project from going over deadlines or budget
- Assessing feasibility
- Improving client satisfaction
- Establishing a clear, shared vision
This guide provides essential information for developing your pre-construction plan to ensure a smooth build process from start to finish.
Crucial Components Of Preconstruction planning
According to ENR, preconstruction is becoming widely recognized as the most critical phase of a construction project. “The future of construction is about connecting preconstruction to real-time financial data captured during the construction process. It will be less about hanging onto thin margins and more about leveraging data to make the best decisions on project pursuits, business partners, design plans, and preparing accurate estimates.”
While every project is unique, pre-construction plans typically encompass five essential components:
- Scope: The scope lays out what you plan to accomplish with your build. A project’s scope should include its overview, objectives, goals, deliverables, schedule, administration, and terms. A thorough project scope ensures each stage is completed as efficiently as possible.
- Budget: Once your team has established its objectives and deliverables, you must define a clear budget and how it will be best allocated for each stage. This step involves setting precise budget controls, realistic cost expectations, and alternative financial options. Setting a budget makes it easier to exceed expectations while minimizing cost overruns.
- Management Team: A project is only as effective as the people behind it. Choose the best core team members for each construction phase based on their unique capabilities and skills. You must also clearly establish who is responsible for what. Team members can include general contractors, forepersons, project managers, and admins.
- Supplies, Equipment, and Materials: Define the quantity and type of materials and supplies the project requires at every stage. These can include concrete, scaffolding, steel, and drywall. There is a high demand for premium materials, and many have shipping wait times. This can impact the project’s budget and schedule.
- Schedule: A master project schedule defines when each project phase starts and ends and each team’s work hours. This should detail the entire project’s lifecycle and include team assignments and deliverables. Project managers can use the master schedule to optimize critical path method (CPM) processes. They can plan all tasks and sequences to ensure the project is completed on time and within budget.
Pre-construction planning should also account for:
- Labor
- Vendors
- Permits, licenses, and inspections
- Preferred methods of communication
- Construction details, including style, layout, size, and systems
- The best construction project management software to use
Preconstruction Planning Failures To Avoid
Potential pitfalls in pre-construction planning can arise from numerous sources. Here’s a breakdown of prevalent challenges:
- Lack of Comprehensive Planning: Effective execution hinges on meticulous planning. Investing in a comprehensive planning process ensures smoother project progression. This necessitates a profound grasp of project blueprints, work scope, specifications, and the client’s aspirations. Collaborative planning with stakeholders such as clients, architects, subcontractors, and suppliers to frame construction timelines and significant milestones is paramount.
- Ineffective Communication: Clear communication is pivotal for any project’s success. Breakdowns in communication can foster misunderstandings, result in delays, and possibly lead to the project’s downfall.
- Overlooked Deadlines: Habitual lapses in meeting critical dates, especially during phases like land procurement, design development, and site plan authorization, can indicate a novice project team. Swift intervention is necessary if the timeline has a discernible lag.
- Ambiguous Project Scope: A project without a well-defined scope can plunge into chaos, misdirection, and potential failure. It’s imperative to ascertain and comprehend the project’s objectives, criteria, and extent.
- Project Underestimation: A frequent precursor to construction setbacks is imprecise project evaluations. Blunders like miscalculations, oversight in specifications, overlooked permits, or fluctuating market scenarios can escalate costs.
- Inadequate Leadership: Avoid indecisive project leadership, which can sow seeds of confusion and misalignment, jeopardizing the project. A competent project leader is indispensable for orchestrating tasks, making pivotal choices, and steering the project toward its goal.
- Erroneous Resource Allocation: Misjudging resource needs can culminate in either a shortage or surplus of resources, both detrimental to the project’s health.
- Unanticipated Variables: Sudden changes or unexpected scenarios can derail a project. This encompasses unpredicted site-related issues, shifts in market dynamics, or evolving client needs.
To circumvent these prevalent challenges, it’s vital to commit to exhaustive planning, champion transparent communication, appraise project needs precisely, and fortify project leadership. Leveraging project management utilities and digital solutions can also aid in monitoring project evolution and prudent resource allocation.
Pre-Construction Planning Best Practices
Pre-construction planning is a pivotal stage in the construction journey, holding considerable sway over a project’s outcome.
Based on a study in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, contractors who adhere to an in-depth preconstruction protocol can realize an average profit margin of 23%. In contrast, those lacking robust planning might face an average profit decline of -3%.
Use these tips to streamline pre-construction planning and set your team up for success:
- Continuously Audit your Preconstruction Process: Regularly assessing and refining your preconstruction process is imperative to ensure the ongoing success of your projects. As the construction industry evolves, so should your methodologies and strategies.
- Comprehensive Schedule Development: The project schedule should be developed in collaboration with the core team and contractors. This keeps everyone on the same page. Each person will know who is responsible for what and when. A comprehensive schedule will outline the project’s plan with clear deliverables and team assignments. The master schedule must be broken into a series of tasks. Each task must have precise details for the necessary:
- Work
- Resources
- Contractors
- Costs
- Budget
- Materials
- Equipment
- Task dependencies
- Storing and Organizing Project Documents: Every construction project has many documents, plans, and media. These can include change orders, RFIs, and submittals. Project managers must stay organized and make essential records accessible to crews and clients. Traditionally, project stakeholders were bogged down by piles of paperwork. Construction project management software, like Linarc, allows you to store crucial documents in the cloud.
- Hold Pre-Construction Meetings: Pre-construction meetings establish a chain of command and communication. It also promotes collaboration, ensuring all team members work harmoniously. The pre-construction planning team must agree with the firms involved on defined objectives for the project’s design and realistic delivery targets. All team members should meet early and often during pre-construction. During these meetings, they should discuss the project’s overview and requirements. Each session should have established guidelines for what will be discussed and when it will take place. Pre-construction meetings can include:
- Reviewing essential contracts and documents
- Discussing potential issues and identifying resolutions, including budget changes or permitting delays
- Opening the floor for concerns or questions
- Reviewing schedules, safety plans, payments, and inspection plans
- Permits, Approvals, and Inspections: Well before construction gets underway, you must submit zoning and building permits. Teams must also thoroughly assess potential risks and develop actionable steps to reduce them. These include on-site evaluations and understanding inspection requirements before breaking ground. Typical building inspections include:
- Site inspections, layouts, and foundation
- Structural and systems inspections, including decks, plumbing, and electrical Have a firm understanding of building codes, regulations, operating hours, and conditions for government approval. Consider hiring a planning and permit professional specializing in your city, county, and state. Every project requires the necessary permits and approvals. Firms must complete projects by the books. This means buildings meet code regulations, are inspected for compliance, and have the proper permits.
- Develop a Project Roadmap & Stats: Use construction forecasting tools like takeoff software and estimating to prevent overruns for both labor and materials costs. Maintain excellent accounting records to see at a glance if an overrun is likely. A project roadmap should include:
- Timelines with deliverables
- Breakdowns of teams and tasks
- Milestones and dependencies Your roadmap streamlines cross-functional projects by defining responsibilities and roles at every stage. A roadmap is an easy-to-digest, visual representation of your project’s plans. It clarifies a project’s stages and breaks down the corresponding responsibilities and tasks.
Conclusion
Pre-construction planning is imperative for optimal outcomes and preventing risks and overruns.
Well-planned pre-construction processes ensure everyone has the same understanding of responsibilities, timelines, and expectations. This guarantees the project progresses smoothly, boosting efficiency and client satisfaction.