Making the Grade: Top 10 Tips for Keeping Summer School Construction Projects on Track

By Joe Lipski

Nearly 10 years ago, when the Great Recession clobbered the country, construction was one of the industries that took it the hardest. New building developments all but stopped, and many additions and deferred maintenance projects were put on hold. The slowdown also forced companies to freeze hiring and lay off staff. But, our country is resilient and, today, the construction industry tells a different story. New construction, renovations and upgrades are soaring, putting pressure on building companies to staff and complete projects on time and on budget.

There are many reasons why projects may face a time crunch, including securing permits, acquiring funding and overcoming inclement weather. But one industry sector that squeezes an already-short timeframe is education – building schools. That‘s because the lion’s share of the work is performed over an abbreviated, three-month summer break and must be completed before students return in the fall. It’s a monumental task, and it’s all hands on deck.

Kraus-Anderson Construction calls this time of year the “Summer Slam.” While the project managers begin planning their numerous school projects 18 months ahead, the superintendents are dedicated to a school project at least a full month before crews arrive onsite.

The short summer timeframe is challenging, but the jobs get done by way of extensive planning. Project teams meet early to discuss the flow of the project from start to finish, including communication, scheduling, meetings, planning, planning and more planning. Here are the Top 10 tips KA recommends to ensure a successful Summer Slam:

1. Schedules – A master schedule is written, including timelines that crews need to hit to stay on track. A detailed three-week forecast is also prepared using input from subcontractors and foremen onsite. Superintendents and the foremen, who are held responsible for maintaining the schedule, meet regularly to make sure everyone is on the same page.

2. Product submittals – Because some products can take up to 6-12 weeks to arrive onsite, product requests are submitted early, returned with approvals from the architect, and sent back to the subcontractors so the materials are ordered well before the job starts. Any delays could adversely impact the job’s schedule. Project managers also assist in the submittal process to acquire quicker approvals.

3. Safety – Because safety is always a key component to a successful project, safety orientation videos are shown to every new employee who steps on a jobsite. Superintendents hold weekly toolbox talks and safety classes, as well as weekly safety audits of the jobsites using a program called I-Auditor, which is an app that facilitates site safety inspections and reporting. In addition, KA’s Safety Department conducts its own bi-weekly audit and meets with the subs to ensure a safe work environment.

4. Staffing – Providing adequate staffing is always a major concern, in part, because in addition to the Summer Slam education projects, the subcontractors have several other projects they are responsible for. Superintendents stress with all subs that they need to manage their time wisely to remain one step ahead. If needed, KA will not hesitate to enlist the assistance of its own carpenters and laborers to stay on track.

5. QMS (Quality Management System) – KA uses the QMS pre-install management system to help superintendents, project managers, subcontractors, architects and others to anticipate and solve problems together before an onsite task begins. QMS quality management system is KA’s approach to meeting customers’ requirements and exceeding expectations through continuous improvement on all projects, including schools.

6. More meetings – Internal meetings, subcontractor’s pre-construction meetings, onsite owner/project manager meetings, onsite foreman meetings and QMS meetings give everyone a voice in the planning process. Preplanning and communications are key components with all jobs, but particularly essential on Summer Slam projects. While no one likes meetings, everyone understands their importance. The more planning the better.

7. Change Orders, RFIs – Changes always happen and can impact the schedule. No matter how many changes or delays are encountered throughout the project, the end date doesn’t change. Therefore, it’s important to stay on schedule by possibly adding staff or working longer hours to make up for the changes. KA tries to minimize the change orders by troubleshooting the problems onsite instead of waiting for the RFIs to be returned. KA will then follow up to make sure the solution is documented.

8. Quality control – As the project progresses, pay attention to the details and give subcontractors time to make corrections before it costs more money to fix problems down the road. Also, conduct a pre-punchlist walk-through with every contractor to further ensure quality.

9. Subcontractors – It’s key to get all subs and trades working together from the first day on the project. They are encouraged to communicate on a regular basis to understand each other’s tasks for the day and for the week.

10. Exterior work – Oftentimes, when starting a school project, crews can begin to work outside early in the spring. Unfortunately, this is also the season that brings more rain. In order to be productive and efficient, superintendents must take advantage of clear skies, assigning subs to add staff when the weather is expected to cooperate. Every nice day counts and keeps projects on schedule. In addition, when bad weather persists, KA will provide further assistance with miscellaneous tasks, such as pumping water and building access roads to and around the site to keep workflow moving.

Summer Slams push superintendents to make the best of the time at hand, by maintaining an open line of communication with all subcontractors and making sure they do the same with their crews. Superintendents should use all the resources a company or subcontractors have available, and help staff adapt to and manage the constant changes that happen on a daily basis. And, most importantly, creating a strong safety culture on the jobsite is paramount.

The key elements in a successful Summer Slam are communication, scheduling, meetings, planning, planning and more planning.

Joe Lipski is project superintendent at Kraus-Anderson Construction. He can be reached at Joe.lipski@krausanderson.com.