10 Common Construction Project Delays and How to Avoid Them
When you’re planning a construction project—whether it’s a commercial build-out or a custom home renovation — time is money. Delays don’t just cost money, they can also derail momentum, create stress, and damage relationships between owners, contractors, and architects.
With over 30 years of managing complex projects, I’ve seen the same types of delays crop up again and again—and I’ve also learned how to prevent them.
Below are 10 of the most common construction delays and my tips for keeping your project on track.
Incomplete or Unclear Project Plans
Expect extended period of questions, growing changes, and slowdowns for start-up and progress if your drawings and specifications aren’t complete before work starts. A complete scope and schedule is not possible without a complete design
Solution: Invest in thorough pre-construction planning so every trade knows exactly what to do before boots hit the ground. I help owners (and builders) review project designs and identify scope gaps early.
2. Permit and Approval Delays
Permitting can be a major bottleneck, especially in municipalities and metropolitan areas.
Solution: Factor permitting review by local agencies and revision time into your construction schedule. Assign someone or get a Permit Expediter to follow up and actively track progress with the local authorities, and licensees pulling the permits.
3. Contractor Availability
If you don’t lock in your contractor early, you may end up waiting months for the right crew.
Solution: Use a structured bid management and contractor selection process to qualify and secure qualified teams ahead of time. Have an early plan-B for each trade and/or have the Prime Contractor state who the trade contractors will likely be.
4. Material Shortages or Delivery Issues
A missing shipment of building materials or MEP equipment or interior fixtures can stall a project for weeks. Substitutions or manufacturer delay potential requires a cost-contingency plan or discussion.
Solution: Order long-lead items early, and prepare to accept delivery. Keep a close eye on construction cost estimating to anticipate any price fluctuations. Larger project materials should be tracked with a process.
5. Change Orders Mid-Project
Last-minute design changes often trigger ripple effects in scheduling and costs.
Solution: I help clients manage change orders efficiently—vetting requests, confirming feasibility, and minimizing impact on timelines. Mid-project changes in general should be phased in upon conception—with no project shocks, in general. Contracts should include a change order cost structure.
6. Poor Communication Between Stakeholders
When the owner, architect, and contractor aren’t aligned, missteps happen.
Solution: I serve as an Owner’s Representative, bridging communication between all parties so the project stays coordinated and efficient. I serve to support the project -- ‘carrying water both ways’; to inform the owner too, when owner actions might adversely impact designer/contractor flow. All partners become balanced around the preplanned outcome.
7. Poor Weather and Site Conditions
Unforeseen weather events or site discoveries (like poor soil quality) can stall work.
Solution: Build contingency time into your schedule development and have backup plans for protection and weather-sensitive activities. Site and soil conditions should be thoroughly understood with available investigations. Dimensional site control is a mandatory early requirement for success.
8. Labor Shortages
Even a well-planned job can slow down if skilled labor isn’t available.
Solution: Confirm labor commitments during contractor selection. Inquire during the builder interview to assess the current labor environment and considerations for labor through the project duration. The builder may have alternatives to suggest.
9. Inspections and Quality Control Issues
Failed inspections can stop a project cold. Even worse are overlapping quality issues during active installation of materials and assemblies.
Solution: My construction oversight and quality control approach builds an opportunity for risk issues to be caught and corrected before inspections occur and before good work is placed on top of inappropriate work. Rework is defeating for the project and must be guarded against—unless a deliberate change requires it.
10. Safety or Compliance Problems
Violations can result in costly stop-work conditions.
Solution: Stay ahead of compliance with proactive risk management practices. Safety throughout construction demonstrates ‘good project hygiene’ by the contractors and practitioners. Infractions of safety should lead to increased scrutiny of every aspect of the project because it suggests a lapse of care. Compliance to plans and specifications and the coordination requirements from manufacturers for products is the pride and art of the experienced builder. Any compliance breach should lead to scrutiny in every aspect of the project because it too suggests a lapse of care. Your project should not be run as a surprise!
Keep Your construction Project on Schedule
Every delay is preventable or predictable to some degree with the right systems, oversight, and experience. Think balance and harmony. If you’re planning a build – regardless of your region -- I can help you protect your budget and timeline. Keep your project in tune.
Make an appointment with me to discuss how I can support your build or explore my services for more details on Owner’s Representative offerings and more.