9 Indispensable Principles of Large Construction Projects

Master large construction projects with these 9 indispensable principles. Learn strategies for effective planning, management, and successful project completion.

Large construction projects have a way of getting out of hand before anyone — even those supposedly in charge — realizes what went wrong.

It’s a phenomenon described in painful detail in books like How Big Things Get Done by project management expert Bent Flyvbjerg. Unfortunately, it’s also one that everyone involved in building or rehabilitating big buildings develops firsthand experience with sooner or later. Yes, even the best.

What sets apart renowned construction professionals like Karim Allana, founder and CEO of Allana Buick & Bers, is their willingness and determination to implement sound, time-tested principles before and during major construction or renovation projects.

“These principles are absolutely indispensable for construction professionals who take seriously their obligation to deliver projects on time and on budget,” Allana says. “Thorough planning, careful sequencing, and economies of scale are among the keys to a successful undertaking.”

Read on for more on the nine crucial principles pros like Allana follow to reduce the risk of delays and cost overruns on large building projects.

1. Have a Clear, Firm Project Scope

Effective project management begins with effective scope management.

“Scope Management techniques enable project managers and supervisors to allocate the right amount of work necessary to successfully complete a project — concerned primarily with controlling what is and what is not part of the project’s scope,” says Avantika Monnappa, Simplilearn project management expert.

This is a critical early step in the planning process and one that can set the trajectory (for better or worse) for the remainder of the project. It also informs the next step, developing a budget and schedule.

2. Develop a Realistic Budget and Schedule

Many a big project has gone off the rails, or at least appeared to, because it had an unrealistic budget or schedule (or both). It’s better to overestimate the final cost and time to completion than to have to tell your bosses that you’re yet again exceeding its budget or meeting key milestones behind schedule. 

3. Plan for Long-Lead Time Equipment First

So-called “long-lead time” equipment or supplies can delay a project for months or even years if not properly accounted for from the outset. Specialized building systems and electrical equipment can often take several years to procure, so project managers need to order them as soon as they know they’ll need them and work with suppliers who can deliver them when they say they will.

4. Anticipate Risks (Known and Unknown) and Develop Contingencies

Risk modeling always involves some uncertainty, which makes linear thinkers uncomfortable. However, simply hoping that your project won’t run into a particular roadblock is not a viable strategy. Your project plan must therefore incorporate both known and unknown risks as well as contingencies to work around or through them. Like everything else discussed so far, this part of the process should be done before any dirt gets moved.

5. Plan Ahead for Adequate Staffing and Smooth Sequencing

Everyone in the construction industry is painfully aware of the United States’ skilled labor shortage. It has been building for years and is now severe enough that real, concerted efforts are being made to address it.

“If we don’t have skilled tradespeople to build highways, real estate, and new housing, or we don’t have the workers needed for areas critical for our national defense, our economic prosperity and liberty are at stake,” says Bryan Hancock, a workforce development expert.

Unfortunately, it will be many years before skilled labor markets move back into balance, if they ever do. Until then, project managers must see themselves in competition with others for a limited supply of labor and work proactively to ensure they have enough for their purposes.

6. Leverage Modular Building Systems and Repeatable Processes Wherever Possible

Modular building systems are faster and more cost-effective to install, allowing construction crews to do the same amount of work with less labor and fewer materials. They’re also more likely to enable repeatable building processes that further streamline operations. So, wherever possible, project designs should incorporate these systems and processes.

7. Apply Learnings From Similar Past Projects

Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. This is certainly true in the construction industry, where prior experience informs faster, more effective decision-making and reduces preventable mistakes. Applying learnings from past projects can also complement modular systems and repeatable processes to further reduce costs and completion timelines.

8. Build (Or Source) a Seasoned Project Management Team

Construction managers are only as good as the people around them. Among the most important individuals on any large project are the project managers themselves — those responsible for planning and executing operations at a high level. No single person can do this work by themselves, so it’s imperative that you surround yourself with highly capable and highly experienced people.

9. Hold Field Leaders and Subcontractors Accountable

Execution depends on accountability. Big construction projects must have clear chains of command and assigned responsibilities such that everyone knows who they report to and what they are accountable for. For those accustomed to smaller, less formally organized projects, this can take some getting used to, but the results speak for themselves.

So Much to Keep Straight

To state the obvious, a large construction project is a complicated undertaking. Seasoned professionals know this to be true because they’ve experienced it firsthand, often in uncomfortable ways. 

Those not as familiar with the construction industry and its intricacies are nearly always taken aback by their first up-close encounter with big building or renovation jobs. Some are so shaken by the experience that they swear it off for good and turn their attention to other endeavors within the industry — if they don’t leave it altogether.

However, for better or worse, big projects tend to get easier and more cost-effective with repetition. That’s why seasoned professionals like Karim Allana follow the road map outlined above. They take advantage of modularity and repetitive processes wherever possible, make realistic timelines and budgets, dive down into the details of staffing and procurement, and make sure their work isn’t delayed by preventable supply chain issues or risks they should have anticipated from the start. 

Every project has its share of hiccups and setbacks. But with attention to these nine principles of construction management, your next big job should come in reasonably close to its original schedule and budget.

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