Teaching the Value of Timeliness in Construction and Manufacturing.

This article presents the author's discussion of the importance of timely execution of work in construction and manufacturing. Late work, a growing problem in our society, ultimately undermines the value delivered to the consumer. All three authors have experienced a predisposition in students to turn their work in late. As educators of the next generation of professionals, we must address societal problems, and teaching students the importance of timely execution should be one of our key concerns. We do not aim here to address the origin or the extent of the problem of being late. We simply note that in the business/industry environment, late can spell disaster. You can easily see in any field of business that the issue of timeliness affects profitability and productivity, among other things. The construction industry offers an excellent example of how important timeliness is to its professionals by considering the use of liquidated damages. Liquidated damages are monetary damages that the contractor agrees to pay the owner if a project is not completed on time as stipulated in the contract. Some of you may have heard the expression, there is no degree of lateness. If by definition, late is after the proper time, then work can only be delivered early, on time or late. In reality, once late, the ramifications vary significantly.