Schedule ‘Games’ People Play, and Some Suggested ‘Remedies’

Abstract

The intended purpose of construction scheduling is to assist with proper planning and coordination of a project. All too frequently, construction schedules are used primarily to help build claims against project owners. Much of the process of “building claims” through the use of schedules involves “schedule gamesmanship.” This paper briefly identifies 14 common schedule games played on public construction projects. The paper also offers 34 suggested “remedies” to help prevent schedule gamesmanship. Some suggested remedies involve changes to contract‐document language and, thus, need to be implemented during the design stage. Other suggested remedies are pragmatic in nature and can be implemented on a daily basis by a knowledgeable construction management team even in the absence of specification language.