On a ‘traditional’ construction project, the design tends to be completed before a price is sought from contractors. This can mean that the project is relatively slow to complete. On some projects, the client may prioritise time above cost, needing completion of the works as soon as is reasonable.
Fast-track construction is a scheduling technique that can be used to reduce the overall duration of projects by overlapping tasks that on a traditional contract would not be commenced until the previous task was completed. The greatest time saving is often achieved by overlapping the design and construction phases.