Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
With labor shortages and supply chain hiccups, delays are becoming more common. I’d love to hear what control strategies have worked for others to keep projects on track.
Project Manager| AWR Development (BD) Ltd. Cox's Bazer , Bangladesh
Dear Rami.
From my practical experience on construction project site, delays are reduced most effectively when controls are preventive, visible, and forward-looking, not reactive.
A few key practices that have worked consistently for me:
Preventive actions at activity level: Each activity should have early warning indicators and predefined preventive actions, not just corrective ones after delays occur.
Strong focus on WBS-level control: Breaking work down clearly helps identify risks early
Short-term clarity for the team: Everyone on site should clearly know what we are doing next month
Look-ahead planning and daily coordination: Regular look-ahead schedules combined with daily site coordination help surface issues before they become delays.
Early risk escalation and fast decisions:
Mid- to long-term thinking by the PM: While the team focuses on the next month, the project manager must already be thinking six months ahead—anticipating constraints, approvals, resources, and external risks.
In short, effective project controls balance short-term execution clarity for teams with long-term foresight by the Project Manager
That combination has been key in reducing on-site delays in my experience by the day by day last 25 years .
Golam Rob
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 16, 2026 1:40 PM
Rami Kaibni
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Golam, I appreciate your feedback. Can you provide a few real-case scenarios that you encountered and what measures you took to avoid future delays. This is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks!
Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Great question. From on-site experience, delays are rarely solved by heavier reporting. They are solved by better control of flow and decision-making. The controls that consistently make a difference are:
Short-term planning based on real readiness. Lookahead planning tied to actual constraints. If an activity is not ready, it does not enter the plan.
Explicit constraint management. Materials, labor, access, approvals. Visible, owned, and time-bound. Without this, schedules are aspirational.
Reliability over raw progress. Metrics like PPC or equivalents. What matters most is whether commitments are kept.
Fast decisions at the right level. Many delays come from small decisions waiting for distant approval. Clear escalation paths are critical.
Explicit buffers and visual control on site. Buffers should be intentional, not hidden. Plans must be visible where the work happens.
In volatile conditions, effective project control is not about policing the plan. It is about reducing uncertainty, protecting flow, and enabling timely decisions.
...
1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 16, 2026 1:41 PM
Rami Kaibni
...
Luis, that you for your feedback. This all looks great in theory but can you provide a few real-case scenarios that you encountered and what measures you took to avoid future delays. This is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks!
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 16, 2026 7:21 AM
Replying to Md. Golam Rob Talukdar
...
Dear Rami.
From my practical experience on construction project site, delays are reduced most effectively when controls are preventive, visible, and forward-looking, not reactive.
A few key practices that have worked consistently for me:
Preventive actions at activity level: Each activity should have early warning indicators and predefined preventive actions, not just corrective ones after delays occur.
Strong focus on WBS-level control: Breaking work down clearly helps identify risks early
Short-term clarity for the team: Everyone on site should clearly know what we are doing next month
Look-ahead planning and daily coordination: Regular look-ahead schedules combined with daily site coordination help surface issues before they become delays.
Early risk escalation and fast decisions:
Mid- to long-term thinking by the PM: While the team focuses on the next month, the project manager must already be thinking six months ahead—anticipating constraints, approvals, resources, and external risks.
In short, effective project controls balance short-term execution clarity for teams with long-term foresight by the Project Manager
That combination has been key in reducing on-site delays in my experience by the day by day last 25 years .
Golam Rob
Golam, I appreciate your feedback. Can you provide a few real-case scenarios that you encountered and what measures you took to avoid future delays. This is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks! Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 16, 2026 7:29 AM
Replying to Luis Branco
...
Great question. From on-site experience, delays are rarely solved by heavier reporting. They are solved by better control of flow and decision-making. The controls that consistently make a difference are:
Short-term planning based on real readiness. Lookahead planning tied to actual constraints. If an activity is not ready, it does not enter the plan.
Explicit constraint management. Materials, labor, access, approvals. Visible, owned, and time-bound. Without this, schedules are aspirational.
Reliability over raw progress. Metrics like PPC or equivalents. What matters most is whether commitments are kept.
Fast decisions at the right level. Many delays come from small decisions waiting for distant approval. Clear escalation paths are critical.
Explicit buffers and visual control on site. Buffers should be intentional, not hidden. Plans must be visible where the work happens.
In volatile conditions, effective project control is not about policing the plan. It is about reducing uncertainty, protecting flow, and enabling timely decisions.
Luis, that you for your feedback. This all looks great in theory but can you provide a few real-case scenarios that you encountered and what measures you took to avoid future delays. This is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks! Saving Changes...
Program Manager| HARPER SRLSanto Domingo / Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
I agree with the direction shared here. What I’ve seen work best on site is keeping controls very close to the work itself. Short look-ahead planning tied to real readiness, visible constraint tracking, and quick daily coordination make delays surface early, while there’s still room to act. When teams know exactly what’s ready, what’s blocked, and who needs to decide, schedules stop being aspirational and start being usable.
...
1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 26, 2026 3:00 PM
Rami Kaibni
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Lissette, Good Point! we use short look ahead planning in our construction projects very often.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 16, 2026 8:10 PM
Replying to Lissette Indhira Pimentel Sosa
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I agree with the direction shared here. What I’ve seen work best on site is keeping controls very close to the work itself. Short look-ahead planning tied to real readiness, visible constraint tracking, and quick daily coordination make delays surface early, while there’s still room to act. When teams know exactly what’s ready, what’s blocked, and who needs to decide, schedules stop being aspirational and start being usable.
Lissette, Good Point! we use short look ahead planning in our construction projects very often. Saving Changes...
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