The importance of a construction planning
For every company in the construction industry, planning is crucial, from rough construction to plasterwork, and even for suppliers such as prefab companies. Construction planning are often very large and complex, but they are also indispensable. A construction planning program is necessary to complete your project within the agreed-upon time. When done effectively, it will help you:
- To understand what you can realistically achieve with your available time and capacity;
- To avoid taking on more work than you can handle;
- To create a healthy balance between office and field work;
- To prevent own staff from being idle;
- To be able to react proactively.
It is important to manage the schedule effectively and visually. This provides you with an overview, gives you flexibility, and helps prevent errors. With a solid construction planning, you consider what you want to achieve within a certain period. This ensures time is used efficiently and prevents construction projects from coming to a halt.
How do you achieve an effective construction planning?
1. Plan your colleagues
Ensure all your colleagues are clear about their responsibilities. Schedule colleagues for their tasks. This way, they know what they can focus on, and you gain insight into your employees' capacity.
2. Plan in phases
You want to know exactly in which phase your construction project stands. That's why it's important to plan different phases and plan accordingly. Is everything still on track, or are you falling behind schedule? Additionally, you want to ensure all project processes are completed. Planning in phases helps you avoid missing any steps and creates more tranquility.
3. Gather important information
Keep essential information for each client digitally organized. This way, everything is kept together in one place, and nothing gets lost. Think of building permit forms, floor plans, and quotes.
4. Create buffers
In the construction sector, you always encounter unforeseen circumstances. Think of bad weather, late deliveries, or clients who keep you waiting. From experience, you know you need to account for these. Therefore, include buffers and necessary flexibility in your planning. This way, you can efficiently adjust the schedule later when needed.
Construction planning in vPlan
Because a construction planning is so complex and requires a lot of information, an Excel sheet is not the right way to plan. An Excel sheet will become cluttered and difficult to manage. Therefore, it's useful to plan in a professional planning program like vPlan. In vPlan, you can create a planning that is clear, flexible, and comprehensive.
Easily visualize (long-term) construction projects
Do you work on long-term and complex construction projects? With our timeline feature, you can visualize your projects. View the planning months in advance and visualize your (sub)projects over multiple days, weeks, or months.
A planning that thinks along with you
When you undertake a construction project, it often consists of more than just two simple tasks, but rather a set of sub-projects. With vPlan, you can visualize all these activities and quickly see which tasks are dependent on each other. If the project encounters some delays, you can easily adjust tasks in vPlan, and the dependent tasks will automatically adjust accordingly. For example, roof panels need to be installed before roof tiles can be laid.
Gain insight into your available capacity
With vPlan, you can control your capacity effectively. You can easily assign employees to your construction projects, ensuring everyone knows what needs to be done. You can clearly see when you have space in your schedule and when your employees are available. You receive clear notifications when you have insufficient capacity to carry out the projects. This way, you no longer miss deadlines and increase your delivery reliability.
Integrate your existing ERP
Integrate vPlan with your favorite ERP system. This way, you automatically get your project information in vPlan. This includes: customer data, pre-calculations, and the availability of your employees. This prevents you from doing duplicate work. Then, you only need to drag the projects into the schedule. Additionally, you can send information back to your ERP from vPlan, such as: time registrations and statuses.
Your work planning in your pocket
In the construction sector, you often work in different locations. Wherever you are and wherever you go, with our vPlan Go app, you're always informed about the planning. See all your tasks and assignments. Register activities and progress. Communicate with the office through the chat function and capture situations by taking photos.
Wet kwaliteitsborging
From January 1, 2023, the Wet Kwaliteitsborging will gradually make its entrance into the construction industry. With this new law, the government aims to increase supervision and control in the construction sector, ensuring that builders adhere to applicable quality standards. The changes from the Wet Kwaliteitsborging initially apply to simple works, such as single-family homes and small commercial buildings. The intention is for other types of constructions to follow suit from 2026.
Need help setting up your construction planning in vPlan? Contact us!