Worried about the delay you might face at your construction site? Well then, this is the right article for you. In this article, we will be discussing how to handle those delays by using forensic specialists.
Generally, delays in construction projects are inevitable. They can be no one’s fault, and they occur at the most unexpected time. This is normal for any long-term project and can be dealt with if you know engineering forensics.
It is common practice to use Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling, the most widely used scheduling tool or any other similar tool. It helps in not just streamlining the project but also helps in identifying potential delays.
This is where forensic specialists come into play. They use this efficient CPM tool to analyze the construction tenure and plan to avoid possible legal process and negotiation delays.
Time is of the essence when we talk about construction. A small dispute can cause a long delay. Sometimes it is no one’s fault, but the delay is caused due to the unpredictable weather. These delays can cost both the owner and the contractor a small fortune. This is where we use engineering forensics techniques, and the forensic experts are the best people to do it.
Forensic specialists use four basic methods when they are making a delay analysis. Here is a brief description of these models:
Table of contents
As-Planned vs. As-Built Analysis
This is the simplest and most commonly used model by specialists. It is built on the simple strategy of comparing the initially planned model with the built one. The main benefit of this method is its simplicity. You just have to compare the landmarks of the baseline schedule with the actual ones, and you know where you stand.
Windows Analysis
This method is also an easy model to understand. However, it has one difficulty. It becomes useless if you don’t update it. In this model, you make windows of an allotted time frame. The forensic experts then analyze the delays by carrying out extremely precise monitoring.
Time Impact Analysis
This method is considered expensive and time-consuming, but it is very useful for complex situations. It analyses the cause and effect of the CPM schedule. And when the event causing the delay is identified, the activities related to this event are then rectified to speed up the process.
Collapsed As-Built
If you have concurrent delays, then definitely this method is perfect. It makes a revised schedule with the delayed schedule. Using engineering forensics techniques, forensic experts calculate the delays caused by the contractor by using the actual as-built schedule.
Conclusion
A small mistake or a small delay can cause huge damage. This is why it is important to ensure that all precautions are taken to avoid them. A delay time analysis comes in handy, but it is useless without the experts. Forensic specialists are the experts you need to handle these methods, identify the delays, and rectify them. They are well aware of engineering forensics and can handle these things better. They know which method will come in handy while using the CPM schedule. They can guide better so as to avoid delays.