Strategic Construction Planning to Improve Project Delivery in Saudi Arabia
The primary challenge stemmed from fragmented planning processes across different projects and departments. Project plans were often developed in isolation, leading to misalignment between timelines, budgets, and resource availability. The absence of an integrated strategic planning framework resulted in frequent scope adjustments, cost overruns, and schedule delays. Additionally, limited scenario planning made the organization vulnerable to market fluctuations, regulatory changes, and supply chain disruptions. Decision-making was largely reactive, reducing the client’s ability to proactively manage risk and capitalize on emerging opportunities within the Saudi construction market.
The engagement was structured around a phased strategic planning methodology:
- Assessed existing planning workflows and decision-making structures
- Mapped current and upcoming project pipelines against organizational capacity
- Analyzed capital allocation efficiency and cash flow timing
- Conducted scenario planning based on market, regulatory, and supply chain variables
- Developed an integrated construction planning framework linking strategy and execution
- Defined standardized planning templates and governance mechanisms
- Established KPIs for schedule adherence, cost control, and resource utilization
- Enabled internal teams through planning playbooks and review cycles
This approach ensured strategic planning became a continuous, organization-wide capability.
Key recommendations focused on strengthening long-term planning discipline:
- Implement rolling multi-year construction planning cycles
- Integrate market intelligence into early-stage project planning
- Standardize project gating and approval processes
- Strengthen cross-functional coordination between planning, finance, and operations
- Institutionalize scenario planning for high-value projects
- Regularly review and recalibrate plans based on performance data
- Enhance governance to ensure accountability and transparency
These measures improved strategic coherence and reduced execution risk across projects.
