Delay analysis and delay layering
Separating the delays on a civil engineering project by cause and responsibility, and measuring what each event did to the completion date.
Outcome
A documented report showing each event's and each party's share of the delay — a basis for an extension of time or a negotiation.
The problem
On a civil engineering project a delay almost never has a single cause. Late access to the site or to drawings, change orders, a contractor short of resources and unforeseen conditions overlap — and without an analysis each party blames the whole delay on the other.
How the work is done
- The baseline and the as-built side by side — what was planned and what happened, activity by activity.
- A register of delay events built from correspondence, minutes and daily reports, each one dated and documented.
- Each event measured against the critical path — a delay that never reaches the critical path does not move the completion date.
- Delay layering — delays separated by responsibility (employer, contractor, events outside either party's control), with concurrent delays identified.
The deliverable
A report that shows, in the language of the programme and the project records, how many days each event added and to whom those days belong.
Next
Back to work