From projects to processes – apartments are completed in a controlled manner, even ahead of schedule

In the past year, YIT's housing projects have been completed almost 100% on time or even ahead of schedule. Why is that? And what does it mean for the buyer of the apartment?

In the general debate, there is a myth that construction projects are always late. Or at least there is a need to prepare for delays and budget oversizing. Is it really true?

Marko Oinas, interim EVP of the Housing Finland and CEE segment, refutes this claim regarding housing projects.

"What has happened recently is that the handover to the customer has even been earlier than before," Oinas says.

When a large and significant project is prolonged or the budget is exceeded, the media gets interested. An apartment building construction in Oulu completed ahead of schedule is not news. Due to some unfortunate examples, all construction projects are easily categorised as projects behind schedule.

Trust is earned every day, again and again

In the past year, almost all housing projects have been completed on time, some even ahead of schedule. In projects that have fallen behind schedule, there has been a natural reason for the delay, such as difficulties in frame element deliveries.

According to Oinas, the success is due to careful forward planning of the schedule and the construction site, the parties' commitment to the schedule, monitoring and controlling the work, and addressing possible deviations promptly. The developer has a responsibility to stick to the schedule and keep its promises because the buyers of apartments plan their lives according to the construction schedule.

"A bigger fear than the sanction for a delayed schedule is that our customers start to think we are unreliable," Oinas says.

YIT succeeded in the EPSI Rating 2020 study in the industry comparison of new residential construction. In the question "the construction company remained on schedule", YIT's rating was 92.0, while the average for the whole industry was 86.0.

“This is a great acknowledgement. However, on the reverse side of the coin, we can be positive and remember that trust can and must be earned every day, again and again. Trust is also really easy to lose, and rebuilding it takes a long time,” says Oinas.

Pace schedule determines the pace of the construction

In addition to traditional schedule planning, YIT makes extensive use of pace scheduling in housing projects, in which the overall schedule is broken down into smaller, easily manageable parts. Previously, where an entire floor in the construction of an apartment building has been the unit in scheduling, a pace schedule is planned for each apartment.

“With this kind of division, we know quickly if any of the work phases is lagging behind, and we are able to increase the number of workers or change the working method, if necessary,” Oinas says.

According to Oinas, construction should move more from individual projects to process-type construction. With the experience of hundreds of residential construction projects and the lessons learned from them, YIT has been able to create a recipe for residential construction: a controlled and standardised process with ready-made models for construction. The introduction of new methods aims to complete projects in a shorter time than before.

"Our goal is to shorten the construction times in a controlled manner, so that the apartments are completed for residents faster, but with at least the same high quality."

Apartments are built as a team with partners

There are many different partners in the construction projects, from the city to the subcontractors. Communications, involvement and commitment to schedules ensure that cooperation plays out and the project is completed on time. According to Oinas, all construction is going to have the features of alliance projects: schedules are optimised together.

“Today, there is talk of visual leadership, which includes breaking down and opening up the schedule to an understandable level and seeking a common vision of how the schedule would best be implemented as a team.”

Further reading:
YIT has the most loyal customers in the construction industry
Takt time production in light rail projects

For further information, please contact:
Marko Oinas, interim EVP, Housing Finland and CEE segment, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)40 506 7430, marko.oinas@yit.fi 
Johanna Savolainen, Communications Manager, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)44 305 4594, johanna.savolainen@yit.fi
 

YIT is the largest Finnish and a significant North European construction company and urban developer. We develop and build apartments and living services, business premises and entire areas. We are also specialised in demanding infrastructure construction. Together with our customers, our nearly 8,000 professionals are creating more functional, attractive and sustainable cities and living environments. We operate in 10 countries: Finland, Russia, Sweden, Norway, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In 2019, our revenue was approximately EUR 3.4 billion. YIT Corporation's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. www.yitgroup.com