Problems with Construction Projects Scheduling
Ever wondered why it seems that not much has changed in construction projects scheduling in the last two to three decades? According to Micah Piippo, the poor state of construction projects schedules can be attributed to the six problems he sees with scheduling.
In an article titled, Why Construction Scheduling is Stuck in the 1980s, in his bi-weekly Zero Float newsletter, Piippo listed the six problems as
Lack of construction projects scheduling degree: With no university offering a degree in construction projects scheduling, he reckons that that little or no research is taking place in this field and there is a dearth of new professionals switching career to construction projects scheduling.
Lack of investment: Construction companies hardly make any investment in scheduling, and this has stifled innovation in the industry.
Lack of datasets: Despite loads of public sector construction projects being completed every year, the data for these projects are not readily available to researchers and entrepreneurs who might be working on solving some construction scheduling pain points.
Certifications, certifications, certifications. Project management seems to be all about certifications these days with no motivation from companies and professional bodies to push for technological advancement.
Software monkey on industry’s back: With most other construction projects scheduling tools trying to be clones of the industry leader, Oracle Primavera P6, it begs the question if the presence of such a juggernaut stifles software innovation in scheduling?
Whither LinkedIn groups: Despite having close to 100K members each, discussions in the different scheduling community groups on LinkedIn offer next to nothing when it comes to improving construction projects scheduling.
There has been a good reaction from other professionals to Piippo’s write-up. Why not head over to LinkedIn and read the full article and the accompanying comments.