How Important is structural planning for every project?

What is Structural Planning?

The structural planning is considered to be an integral part of any developmental project. Structural planning involves a set of plans with details regarding the construction, installation, or reconstruction of any structure.

It comprises various details such as maps, diagrammatic presentation of the layout, dimensions, calculations, designs, and specifications that serve as a foundation for the entire project.

It serves as a reference point for the project manager, on-site team, engineers as well as the stakeholders of any project.

Structural planning for projects:

Structural planning for a project is the creation and development of a plan for the construction of a project. It outlines the basic structure and is responsible for crucial functions listed below:

• Defines the tasks for all the entities involved
• Illustrates the relationship between different work teams
• Scheduling tasks and actions to be taken 
• Ensures that the plan meets specific guidelines

These structural design documents can be presented in the form of drawings and calculations. Drawing is a medium used by engineers to explain the project’s design and requirements to the contractors and the clients.

Drawings can be in the form of a blueprint, map, rough sketch or layout, or a roadmap listing down the requirements for each structure. Calculations are done on the basis of dimensions and other figures to evaluate the strength, size, load, and layout of the design.

These calculations can then be used to figure out the number of materials, equipment, and workforce required for the implementation of the design. This can help in estimating the cost of construction of a house or a building.

The structural planning is vast and involves an array of functions and tasks that are undertaken to create an action path for a project. It can be broadly grouped into two main categories:

• Strategic planning:

  This kind of planning deals with the development of a master construction delivery plan that is based on the guidelines that have been agreed upon by the contractor and the client. Strategic planning is usually undertaken by the corporate planners of the project owners and aims to satisfy both the end-user and the project owner.

• Operational planning:

  This kind of planning deals with the plans that need to be made in order to implement and execute the plans laid out in the strategic plan. Operational planning is usually undertaken by the construction teams and engineers with detailed planning and assigning work tasks to meet the strategic goals.

Why is structural planning important?

As every construction project is different from one another, there is “no one size fits all” for their structural plans as well.

Each plan is structured and thought out as per the requirements, location, design, budget, and resources available for the given project. 

Large construction projects would not have been successfully completed without a systematic and effective structural plan in place from the very beginning.

A well-thought and analyzed plan save the time and efforts required to execute the project as it prepares the task force for any inconsistencies that may arise.

The importance of structural planning for any project can be explained through the following points:

• There are numerous guidelines that need to be followed while constructing or designing any project. There are several environmental, social, economic, technological, and political factors to be considered before even initiating a project plan and permits to be granted in order to commence the plan in a sustainable manner. A structural plan ensures that these guidelines have been met, and the necessary permits have been obtained or list them clearly so that they can be obtained in due time.
• In order to get permits from various departments to initiate the construction project, a blueprint with clear drawings and calculations need to be submitted. Submitting a structured plan with clear and accurate drawings and calculations that are compliant will help to reduce the number of revision cycles and get the permits faster to commence any given project.
• Identifying and analyzing key risks, in the beginning, helps the team to be prepared and avoid any roadblocks that could arise in the implementation and construction stages due to these risks. When these obstacles are identified in the planning stage, they can be tackled at that time itself, or the planners can come up with a solution so that it does not become a hindrance.
• Construction bidding is the process of proposing a tender to undertake or manage the construction of a given project. A construction bid is prepared by the contractors before commencing the construction work to give an estimate of their work on the basis of the drawing and plans issued by the design team.  It’s important to choose a good and experienced construction partner. A good structural plan ensures that fair value is presented for the project, and the bid value can thus be justified based on that plan.
• Proper planning and scheduling will ensure that there would be no or little shortage or excess of materials, equipment, and workforce at the time of the construction stage. When there are huge gaps in these requirements, it leads to delays and unexpected cost overruns, which is not favourable to either party. Structural planning aims to save time and efforts by creating an optimized and reliable schedule for all activities to be undertaken.

After taking a look at all the above factors, we can understand that structural planning sets the foundation for any project and must be carried out with due diligence and introspection.

Every detail must be taken into consideration by the planners to avoid any pitfalls in any stage – obtaining permits, construction bidding, material, and labour planning, scheduling, and the overall construction phase.

Even after preparing a detailed structural plan, there can be little room for unforeseen risks and hazards, but with a plan in place, we can be assured of overcoming these perils.

One can’t think of initiating a project without having its structural plan in place first, as it is a fundamental part of any project. For detailed consultation, contact Constructure today. We take care of all your construction needs.