Importance of Scheduling in Construction Projects

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Scheduling in construction projects is the process of listing of tasks, activities, milestones with a planned start and finish date. The importance of scheduling in construction projects cannot be neglected since it plays a crucial role in a project's success.

Proper scheduling would ensure the completion of the project on time and within budget. Not only does it outline the pace of the work but also how the tasks are executed. Added to that, scheduling defines method and sequence in which materials are delivered. Finally, it permits adjustments to accommodate changes and unanticipated events.

Importance of Scheduling in Construction Projects

The importance of scheduling can be outlined through the following points :

1. It assigns dates to project activities.
2. Construction companies would be able to see whether the
   duration stipulated by the client is obtainable or not. In this case, penalizing due to late completion of project can be avoided.
3. Based on construction project scheduling, the preliminary costs can be estimated.
4. The schedule is useful for formulating tender or bid estimates.
5. Project scheduling is intended to match the resources of equipment, materials and labor with project work-tasks over time.
6. It provides a sequence of tasks. So, the project manager knows what activities they need to be working on, and what are the next activities they need to be prepared for.  
7. Improving safety performance by sequencing the activities to ensure maximum protection for workers.
8. It enables construction team to see their goals and when they need to be achieved.
9. It is possible to change the sequencing of activities and extend or shorten the durations in such a manner that the use of resources is smoothed and optimized.
10. It eliminates problems due to production bottlenecks.
11. It ensures the completion of a project as soon as possible.
12. It helps avoid delays in the completion of an entire project, hence avoid creation of havoc for owners who are eager to start using the constructed facilities.
13. Detailed construction schedules can be used by the owner as a means of monitoring the work progress.
14. It can help compare actual work performed with the schedule to determine if construction is proceeding satisfactorily.
15. Planned schedule and the actual accomplishments can be compared to allocate the liability for project delays due to changes requested by the owner, worker strikes or other unforeseen circumstances.