Why the most successful roofing contractors plan further ahead

By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group.  

The strongest roofing contractors are the ones who see the problems coming and prepare accordingly. 

After more than 45 years in the roofing industry, I have learned that many project failures do not begin on site. They begin weeks earlier, when a decision was delayed, an order was not placed, access was not confirmed or information was not chased soon enough. 

By the time the issue becomes visible, the opportunity to manage it properly may already be gone. A material has not arrived, the planned area is not available, the client has changed the sequence, the site team is waiting, additional plant is required or a delivery must be rearranged. The business then moves into recovery mode; people work harder, calls become more urgent and costs begin to increase. 

The problem may appear to be today’s problem, but it was usually created by a lack of planning several weeks earlier. That is why planning is one of the most important operational disciplines a roofing contractor can develop. 

Planning is more than producing a programme. 

Most contractors have a project programme, but that does not necessarily mean they are planning effectively. 

A programme may show when work is expected to begin and finish, but true planning goes much further. It considers the sequence of activities, availability of labour, material lead times, access arrangements, plant requirements, approvals, temporary protection, coordination with other trades and the effect of weather on the work. 

A programme tells the team what should happen. Planning determines whether it can happen. 

A roofing project may be shown as starting on a particular date, but has the insulation been approved? Have the rooflights been ordered? Is the scaffolding complete? Are lifting arrangements confirmed? Has the client released the work area? Are the required operatives available? Has the substrate been inspected? Are the design details complete? 

If those questions have not been answered, the start date is only an intention. The most successful roofing contractors test the programme against reality. 

Materials should be managed before they become urgent 

Material planning has always been important, but delays, transport disruption, manufacturing constraints and changing product availability have made it even more critical. Not every material creates the same risk. Some products can be obtained locally with short notice, while others require technical approval, fabrication, colour selection, design input or scheduled manufacturing. The project team should understand that difference from the beginning. 

A standard roll of membrane should not be managed in the same way as a bespoke metal flashing, rooflight, tapered insulation scheme or specialist edge detail. Critical materials need to be identified during the handover and tracked separately. 

The contractor should know what information is required before each item can be released, who is responsible for providing it and when the order must be placed to protect the programme. Waiting until the material is needed is too late. 

Many procurement problems arise because the team assumes there is more time than there actually is. The contractor may be waiting for a technical submission, final dimensions, colour approval or client instruction and each delay shortens the available manufacturing window. 

By the time the order is finally released, the supplier is blamed for a lead time that should have been planned from the start. Planning does not eliminate every delay, but it gives the contractor more options. That alone has value.

Labour planning requires a wider view

Labour is often managed one week at a time — the company reviews which sites are active, which team is available and where the greatest pressure exists. That may be necessary for daily operations, but it is not enough for long-term control. 

Roofing contractors need to look several weeks ahead. They need to understand which projects are expected to start, which are likely to finish, where labour demand will peak and which jobs require specific skills or supervision. Without that wider view, one delayed project can disrupt the entire labour plan. 

A project that was expected to finish on Friday may continue for another two weeks, even though the same operatives have already been allocated to another site. The contractor then has to move people, delay a start, use unfamiliar labour or divide a team that should remain together. 

The result is usually lower productivity. 

Labour planning should also account for more than total numbers. The question is not simply how many operatives are available. The business needs to know which people are suitable for the work, who can supervise the project, who is familiar with the system and whether the planned team can achieve the output assumed in the tender. 

A team of six is not automatically more productive than a team of four. Too many people in a restricted area can reduce output rather than improve it. The correct labour plan depends on the project, sequence, access and available workface. That is why planning must begin with more than a headcount. 

Plant and access can control the entire project

Many roofing projects are delayed because plant and access are treated as secondary issues. 

They are not secondary. They often control whether the work can proceed at all. 

Scaffolding, hoists, cranes, telehandlers, mobile elevating work platforms, loading areas and material storage all affect productivity and programme. If the contractor does not confirm these arrangements early, the site team may arrive ready to work but unable to move materials to the roof. 

Additional handling is one of the most common forms of hidden labour loss. Materials are delivered to the wrong location, moved once for storage, moved again for access and moved a third time before installation. 

Each movement consumes labour and increases the risk of damage. The contractor may not notice the cost because it is spread across the project, but it is still there. 

Good planning asks practical questions before mobilisation. Where will materials be delivered? How will they reach the roof? How much storage is available? Which areas must remain clear? Who is responsible for booking plant? What happens if access is shared with another trade? Are there restrictions on delivery times? Will the same access arrangement be available throughout the project? 

These questions are operational, but they are also financial. Poor access planning quickly becomes a labour problem. 

Weather must be part of the plan 

Roofing will always be affected by weather. 

The challenge is not predicting every condition perfectly. The challenge is building enough flexibility into the plan to respond when conditions change. 

A realistic programme should consider the time of year, the type of roofing system, the sequence of stripping and covering, temporary protection and the consequences of leaving areas exposed. It should also consider which work can continue if the planned activity cannot proceed. 

Can prefabrication continue? Can materials be distributed? Can internal work be completed? Can another area be released? Can inspections or quality checks be brought forward? Contractors that plan alternatives lose less time. Those that plan only one sequence are more vulnerable. Weather delays become especially expensive when the business has already committed labour, plant and deliveries to one activity with no secondary plan. 

The most prepared contractors do not assume the weather will cooperate. They build options. 

Communication must happen before the problem 

One of the clearest signs of weak planning is late communication. 

The client is told about a delay after the date has already been missed. The supplier is contacted when the material is urgently required. The site team is informed of a sequence change after arriving on site. The commercial team hears about additional work after it has been completed. At that point, the conversation becomes more difficult. 

Early communication creates choices. Late communication creates explanations. A client may be willing to adjust the sequence if the issue is raised early enough. A supplier may be able to prioritise an order if given proper notice. A project manager may be able to move labour to another area if the team knows access will not be available. 

The earlier the information is shared, the more options remain. That does not mean communicating every minor concern as though it is a crisis. It means identifying issues with enough time to manage them professionally. 

Good communication is part of planning because it gives the entire project team time to respond. 

Cash flow is affected by operational planning. 

Planning is not limited to site performance. It also affects cash flow. Materials may require deposits or early payment. Labour costs begin before the contractor receives payment. Plant hire continues even when work is delayed. Late variations may not be included in the next payment application. 

An operationally disorganised project often becomes financially disorganised as well. The business may carry more cost than expected because procurement happened too early or too late. It may miss valuation opportunities because additional work was not recorded promptly. It may continue paying for labour and plant while waiting for access or information. 

The project manager and commercial team should therefore plan together. What costs will be incurred before the next payment cycle? Which materials require early commitment? What information is needed to support the application? Which variations must be valued now? Are delays affecting cost recovery? 

Operational decisions create financial consequences. The strongest contractors understand that connection. 

Short planning meetings can create long-term control 

Planning does not require endless meetings. It requires disciplined conversations held regularly. 

A weekly planning review can identify upcoming risks before they become urgent. The team should look beyond the current week and ask what must happen over the next three, six or even 12 weeks.

 Which projects are starting? Which are finishing? Which materials are critical? Which approvals are outstanding? Where will labour demand increase? What plant must be booked? Which clients need updated information? Which commercial issues require action? 

The purpose is not to create a perfect forecast. Construction changes too quickly for that. The purpose is to keep the business looking ahead. A contractor that reviews only what happened last week is managing history. A contractor that reviews what must happen next month is managing operations. 

Both are necessary, but only one protects the future. 

Planning further ahead protects margin 

Many contractors associate margin loss with poor estimating. Sometimes the estimate is the problem. 

Often, however, the estimate was reasonable, and the delivery process allowed small inefficiencies to accumulate. Additional carriage is paid, plant is extended, labour waits, materials are handled repeatedly, work is completed out of sequence, supervision is required for longer than planned and variations are submitted late. 

None of these costs may be large enough to attract immediate attention, but together they reduce profitability. Planning protects margin by reducing avoidable disruption. It allows the contractor to order more strategically, schedule labour more accurately, coordinate plant properly and communicate changes before they become emergencies. 

The business becomes less reactive. That is the real advantage. 

Better planning creates a more predictable business 

Roofing contractors cannot control every event that affects a project. They cannot control the weather, manufacturing capacity, client decisions or every condition found on site. They can control how early they look for risk, how quickly they respond, whether responsibilities are clear and whether important information is reviewed every week or left until someone remembers it. 

The most successful roofing contractors are not those that avoid every problem. They are the ones that give themselves more time to manage problems properly. They plan materials before they become urgent, plan labour before teams become overcommitted, confirm access before operatives arrive, communicate before dates are missed and review commercial issues before costs are forgotten. 

Planning further ahead does not make roofing predictable in every detail. It makes the business more prepared. That preparation improves productivity, communication, cash flow and margin. It also gives the contractor something every business needs. 

More control over what happens next. 

Learn more about Cotney Consulting Group in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit www.cotneyconsulting.com.

About the author 

John Kenney has more than 45 years of experience in the roofing industry. His career has included every level of roofing operations, from field installation and estimating through executive leadership. He is the CEO of Cotney Consulting Group, a partner member of the International Federation for the Roofing Trades. He has earned the MIoR designation from the former Institute of Roofing in the United Kingdom. He works with roofing contractors to improve estimating, project management, operational performance, leadership and profitability.