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We鈥檝e all, I鈥檓 sure, seen plenty of Master Build Programmes! These are often just codged up when a Tender is being prepared and then only to impress the potential client with our expertise!

They just suggest that we have 3 months to stick up a tin shed, three months to fit it out, do the external works in the last couple of months, then hand it over to the client. Not – I hope everyone agrees – a lot of use when we get to start work on site!

Please Check: Why They Should Rename Construction Programme To Detailed Programme to Completion

But we so often see it just being re-named as a 鈥淐onstruction Programme鈥�!!!聽 Then it just gets ignored as a daft bit of paper or e-mail attachment!聽 Well, I have been known to stick it up on site office walls as a temporary decorative measure! That鈥檚 the only real use it has for construction management!

So, some lucky fellow sets up the site and wants to get the project under way. He needs to know what has to be done, in what order, when and by whom. The materials have to be procured in time for that to happen; but not too soon or there鈥檒l be no room to work. The QS needs to know all that, too, so he can sort out the cash flow. Our newly-renamed 鈥淐onstruction Programme鈥� isn鈥檛 a lot of use to either of them so they just have to make it all up as they go along and hope for the best! The consequence of that is something we are all familiar with; overruns of time and budget! Oh, dear me!; Claims and LAD are looming up!

Now to be fair the guys on site aren鈥檛 usually up to doing much programming using the planning software for Construction Management. That isn鈥檛 a skill they are getting paid for; they are there to get the job done! They wouldn鈥檛 have the time on their hands, anyway! But let鈥檚 just assume that someone sneakily changes the name form 鈥淐onstruction Programme鈥� to 鈥淒etailed Programme to Completion鈥� (DPC). What that will do it make someone high up in the hierarchy stop and think 鈥淥h, heck! We鈥檒l have to get a Planner on the job!鈥�

That will cost the main contractor some money they would probably have chosen to keep in their bank account, but look at the savings that brings! No Delay; no additional Prelims; no LAD to pay! They might even complete early and save even more money!

The planner will have a good study of the drawings and a wander around the site, and then he鈥檒l sit down and start thinking. Every Task, in exactly the right order, who does what, how much it costs and when payment will be due; dependencies; critical path; procurement periods for materials and labour, and, and, and 鈥�.

The site management get this, usually, these days on their PC鈥檚, and then they make sure all the subbies know and that all materials are ordered in good time. Then a progress inspection is made at least once a week and progress marked up on the DCP. Any hint of a delay on a Task and it can be accelerated at an early stage before it causes problems!

The result of a simple change of name? on time, to budget and a 鈥渄elighted client鈥� left behind! It all comes down to the 鈥渉eadology鈥� of the new name of 鈥淒etailed Programme to Completion鈥�! Makes people think!

p.s. HINT …. GenieBelt keeps your programme up to date automatically and keeps everyone informed of what needs to happen and when…