A building programme sets out not just how long a job will take, but in what order — and that order is dictated by physics and drying times as much as by convenience. Structure has to exist before a roof goes on; a roof has to be watertight before internal finishes start; plaster has to dry before it can be painted.
A programme that ignores this sequence, or compresses it to hit a date, tends to produce either delays later in the job or defects that show up after handover.
Fixing the critical path first
The critical path is the sequence of tasks that directly determines the earliest possible finish date — typically structure, roof and getting the building watertight on an extension or renovation. Delays anywhere on the critical path push the whole finish date back; delays on tasks off the critical path often don't, provided there's slack elsewhere in the programme.
Identifying the critical path early lets everyone focus effort where a delay actually costs time, rather than treating every task as equally urgent.
Booking long-lead items against the programme, not against need
Some items — bespoke joinery, certain windows, specific roofing materials, kitchen cabinetry — carry lead times measured in weeks or months. These need ordering against the programme date they're required on site, which is often much earlier than instinct suggests, well before the trade that fits them is anywhere near ready.
A programme that only prompts ordering when a trade is imminent, rather than working backwards from the required-on-site date, is a common and avoidable cause of delay.
Sequencing first fix, plaster and second fix
First fix covers everything buried before boarding — structural carpentry, electrical cabling, plumbing pipework, insulation. Plastering follows once first fix is complete and inspected. Second fix — sockets, switches, skirting, doors, sanitaryware — follows once plaster has properly dried, not simply once it looks dry to the touch.
Running trades out of this order, such as fitting skirting before plaster is complete, usually means undoing and redoing work, which costs more time than following the correct sequence in the first place.
Treating drying and curing time as genuine duration
Concrete, plaster, screed and some paint systems all need a set amount of time to cure or dry properly, and that time is not compressible by wanting the job finished sooner. A screed that needs weeks to dry before flooring can go down will still need those weeks regardless of programme pressure.
A realistic programme builds this time in as duration, with other trades working elsewhere on the job during the wait, rather than leaving it out and discovering the gap once the job is already running.
Booking inspections ahead of the work reaching that point
Building control and structural engineer inspections, along with any warranty provider visits, need booking in advance because inspectors work to their own diaries, not the site's. A programme that assumes an inspector can attend the same day work is ready risks a costly pause while everyone waits for a slot.
Building inspection dates into the programme as fixed points, rather than as an afterthought once work is physically ready, keeps the sequence moving without unplanned gaps.
Common questions
Why does a programme sometimes look longer than expected for the amount of work?+
Drying, curing and lead times for materials all add duration without adding visible labour on site. A realistic programme accounts for this dead time rather than assuming trades can follow each other back to back.
Can trades overlap to speed the job up?+
Some can, where they work in different parts of the building or on unrelated elements. Trades that depend physically on the previous stage being finished — plastering before boarding is dry, second fix before plaster is cured — cannot be safely overlapped.
What happens if a long-lead item is delayed?+
If it sits on the critical path, the whole finish date moves back by the same delay. A good programme flags which items are critical-path so a delay's impact is understood immediately rather than discovered late.
Ask to see a draft programme before we start
We'll set out the sequence, lead times and drying periods in writing so you know what to expect and when.