To complete construction projects ON TIME while prioritizing quality, these are my own guidelines based on my experience as a construction manager: 1) Dedicate the NECESSARY TIME to properly plan the work ("Think twice to work only once"). 2) Work ONLY with suppliers and contractors you have FULL CONFIDENCE in. 3) Have a list of urgent and important tasks. 4) Check the list several times a day; it's very important to write down the next day's priority tasks at the end of each workday.

Meeting tight deadlines while maintaining quality requires focus and teamwork. Prioritize the most important tasks, communicate clearly with the team, and check work regularly to fix issues early. Quality should never be sacrificed, it always pays off in the end.

Over the years, I've seen construction deadlines become more and more unrealistic. Why? Well there are a number of reasons but the driving force is someone making promises based on others performance and of course MONEY. If shortcuts are taken at the expense of quality, chances are the deadline won't be met anyway since rework usually takes twice as long as doing it right the first time. The rework may come after the construction is "completed" and problems are found by the owner. Then there goes the money. One other thing to keep in mind is that in order for a project to be completed on time, it needs to start on time. And I can't help but mention the fact that in construction we can control men and materials but not mother nature.

Balancing time constraints with high-quality work requires strategic planning and prioritization. Start by setting realistic timelines and breaking the project into manageable milestones. Use efficient scheduling tools to allocate resources effectively and prevent bottlenecks. Emphasize quality by providing clear standards and regular inspections to catch issues early. Foster a culture of accountability where the team understands that quality cannot be sacrificed for speed. Flexibility is key—be prepared to adjust plans to maintain high standards while meeting deadlines.

This is kind of thing is becoming more than frequent issue over all in short projects. How to overcome this problem. This is a good question with no easy answer, many people can resume quoting the beutiful theorical answers, don't get me wrong, of course you as Leadman you must to do it, in my experience that kind of recommendations are not enough to meet the deadlines. The most frequent solution it is increasing the resorces (more workers, equipment and overtime) but when this is out of reach, I do prefer left work undone rather than take the shortcuts... Shortcut most of the time are more expensive even though than the revenue of the task itself, of the activity itself, and in the worse escenario, it can result in lawsuits battles.

1. Plan tasks efficiently. 2. Use experienced workers. 3. Monitor progress daily. 4. Avoid compromising materials. 5. Conduct strict quality checks.

As the saying goes, “If you don’t have time to do it twice, you have time to do it right the first time.” So, organization, clear communication, and team commitment are key. Double-checking lead times, setting achievable benchmarks with your team, anticipating challenges before they impact your timeline and clear communication with the client regarding expectations and results are all important factors to success.