What Is Forensic Planning and Delay Analysis?

What Is Forensic Planning?

Forensic planning, or delay analysis, is the structured investigation of a construction programme to establish how, when and why delay occurred - and, critically, who bears responsibility. It is the backbone of extension of time and prolongation claims, and one of the most contested areas in any construction dispute. A robust analysis demonstrates the causal link between a delay event and its effect on the completion date. A weak one collapses the moment the other side's expert examines it.

Why It Matters

On most projects, the question is rarely whether delay happened - it is whose delay it was, and whether it affected the critical path. Forensic planning answers those questions with evidence rather than assertion. Done well, it converts directly into entitlement: an extension of time that relieves liability for damages, and a prolongation claim that recovers the associated cost.

The Main Methodologies

There is no single correct method - the right approach depends on the records available, the contract, and the nature of the dispute. The recognised methodologies include:

• Time impact analysis - a prospective, event-by-event method modelling the impact of each delay on the programme as it stood at the time. Well suited to NEC compensation event assessment.
• Baseline versus impacted (as-planned impacted) - delay events are inserted into the baseline programme to show their theoretical effect on completion.
• As-built versus as-planned - compares what was planned against what actually happened, identifying divergence.
• Windows / time-slice analysis - the project is divided into periods and the critical path and delay assessed within each window. Often the most robust retrospective method.

Concurrent Delay

Concurrency - where two or more delay events overlap, one the contractor's responsibility and one the employer's - is among the most difficult areas in delay analysis. The treatment of concurrent delay affects both entitlement to time and recovery of cost, and it is frequently where disputes are won or lost. Rigorous identification of which events were genuinely critical is essential.

Records Are Everything

Forensic analysis is only as strong as the records behind it: contemporaneous programmes, progress updates, early warning registers, instructions and correspondence. Where records are incomplete, an experienced analyst can still construct a defensible position - but good record-keeping from the outset transforms the strength of any future claim. This is why disciplined contract administration and forensic capability go hand in hand.

How Projjex Helps

Projjex prepares forensic planning and delay analysis on NEC, JCT and IChemE projects across the UK water and infrastructure sectors - selecting the right methodology, building the evidence base, and presenting causation in a way that withstands challenge. Whether you are advancing or defending a claim, the strength of the planning evidence decides the outcome. Get in touch to discuss your project.