How to Perfect Multi-Family Project Scheduling for Better PM Results

Time is money, especially in multi-family construction projects, where delays can mean lost revenue. Using the right scheduling method can improve construction efficiency and productivity, facilitate communication among project team members, and define resource requirements and allocations, leading to higher-quality projects and fewer delays.

The critical path method (CPM), resource-oriented scheduling, and Gantt charts are three common construction scheduling tools that are used to improve project outcomes. They help project teams identify tasks that can significantly affect completion timelines, so they know when to add resources and how much to add to meet deadlines. They also provide a visual representation of the entire project and how each activity relates to those before and after it.

By combining these tools, project teams give themselves the best chance of completing projects on time while maintaining affordability.

Critical Path Method

The CPM for construction scheduling identifies the tasks or activities that are critical to meeting project completion milestones. It recognizes tasks that could affect these milestones through their relationships.

The process of creating a CPM schedule includes:

• Listing all activities or tasks that must be completed during the project, along with their duration
• Clarifying what activities need to precede a specific task (predecessors) and what activities follow it (successors)
• Determining the shortest possible project timeline by identifying the sequence of activities that will take the longest time
• Analyzing activities to figure out which are critical to maintaining completion milestones
• Updating the schedule regularly with actual completion and resource allocation data

CPM scheduling is best used on large, complex projects, such as multi-family developments. Identifying critical activities helps ensure that they aren’t delayed and highlights when additional resources are needed, such as money or personnel. It’s also used for fast-track and design-build projects, when critical activities can be overlapped to help shorten the schedule.

Resource-Oriented Scheduling

Resource-oriented scheduling can be used alone or in combination with CPM to track the use of key resources during a project. It helps ensure that the required labor, equipment, and materials are available when they are needed and that a lack of resources doesn’t delay completion.

Line of balance tracks the flow of work for specific resources (a crew or subcontractor) over multiple, similar locations, such as multi-family housing units, to help ensure a continuous flow of work and reduce downtime. It tracks when multiple parties need access to the same resources at the same time or when resource levels aren’t enough to meet milestones.

When resources are stretched thin and have more work than they can handle, resource leveling is used to better align the schedule with the work that can be realistically performed. This is done by extending the duration of tasks performed by a specific resource. For example, if a framing crew is short-staffed, the duration of their work is extended to account for this. This delay is then reflected in the overall completion date.

When critical tasks fall behind, resource crashing can help facilitate earlier completion. Crashing involves adding resources to tasks on the critical path. While this is effective in shortening completion time, it does increase costs. An example is when a crew works overtime to complete their work when the schedule has fallen behind. Crashing can also include expediting the shipping of key materials to speed up production.

Gantt Charts

While not a scheduling method per se, Gantt charts are widely used for displaying construction project schedules. Each task or activity is shown as a bar across a timeline. Related tasks are joined with arrows showing predecessors and successors. These charts provide easy-to-read visual summaries of all project tasks, helping keep team members better informed.

Using Gantt charts can help:

• Simplify complex schedules so technical and non-technical team members can understand project flow
• Track completion progress in real time
• Track progress against project milestones and deadlines
• Identify delays early so they can be addressed when costs are lower

How Better Multi-Family Project Scheduling Creates Results

For maximum effectiveness, most projects use a combination of methods to accurately represent the work, resources, and time necessary for completion. Accurate, realistic task descriptions, durations, and resource assignments help keep projects on time and on budget.

Schedule assists with project management by:

• Facilitating communication among team members: When everyone can see the impact of delays on the final completion date, it encourages the exchange of ideas and collaboration to get the project back on track. Also, it helps keep subcontractors and suppliers on schedule by clarifying expectations, enabling them to assign resources accordingly.
• Assisting in resource management, reducing waste and cost overruns: Team members can quickly see the effect of assigning additional resources, such as labor, equipment, and materials, on the project schedule, helping them determine the optimal level to keep both the schedule and costs on track. The schedule can also help identify opportunities to shift resources from non-critical tasks to those crucial to completion.
• Reducing delays due to unfinished work by predecessors or lack of resources: Everyone can easily see the effects of unfinished work through regular schedule updates and how early-project delays can have a profound impact on completion dates. When expectations are clear from the beginning, team members can plan work and resource allocation accordingly.
• Increasing awareness of the cost impacts of actions taken to speed up the project or make up for delays: Resource-oriented scheduling can help highlight exactly how much it will cost to assign or procure additional resources to make up for delays or speed up completion. This helps contractors and project owners make better-informed decisions about resource allocation and its effect on the project budget and profitability.

James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation uses all three of these multi-family project scheduling tools to help ensure that its clients’ projects hit their target dates and budgets. By identifying critical activities, managing resources, and clearly communicating schedule impacts, its team provides the client with all the information needed to make informed decisions about every aspect of the project.

By choosing James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation’s cost-estimating solution, project managers gain a powerful tool to navigate the complexities of multi-family housing construction. It helps anticipate cash flow needs, support lender and grant planning, and reduce mid-project surprises. Its team’s commitment is to provide reliable, market-aware cost data that enhances project success and stakeholder confidence. Discover how this solution can streamline your project management process and ensure that your affordable housing initiatives stay on track and within budget.