13/10/2026
Ask most site managers where a programme loses time and they'll point to the start. Late access, late drawings, late materials.
A lot of it is lost at the back end.
Cable pulling, terminations and testing sit late in the sequence. When earlier trades overrun, the electrical tasks don't get any bigger, but the time available for them shrinks. A task planned for two weeks gets squeezed into one, with the same sign-off requirements at the end.
That's when capacity becomes the problem. The in-house team is already stretched across other packages, and there's no float left to absorb the delay.
The contractors who handle this well tend to do one thing early. They identify which tasks are most exposed to being squeezed and line up specialist support before they need it, not after the programme has slipped.
It's a small piece of planning that protects a much bigger date.
Which tasks on your current projects are most exposed to being squeezed at the end? We'd be interested to hear.