Grounding ambition in evidence: Benchmarking healthcare planning

Predictability is key for the construction industry, but in the healthcare sector, it’s more than a project management KPI – it’s a clinical necessity. When a project slips, it isn’t just a budget issue; it’s a delay in patient care. 

To achieve true predictability, contractors and executives need more than “gut feel”. They need a baseline of what “reasonable” actually looks like. That’s why our team analysed weekly planned production rates across healthcare projects for North America and the UK, to establish industry-wide benchmarks for key trades in Interior (or Architectural) and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing). Take a look at the results for each region below:

North America Benchmarks

UK Benchmarks

So, what does this mean?

So what does it mean for you, beyond the weekly report? Knowing what reasonable looks like gives you the following benefits:

• Competitive Edge: Know if your production rates actually stack up against the market.
• Realistic Scheduling: Stress-test your entire program’s assumptions against historical facts.
• Commitment Accuracy: Ensure your promises to stakeholders are backed by data, not hope. 

By benchmarking your production rates against these North American and UK benchmarks, you can move beyond hope-based scheduling to create realistic, data-backed programs. This gives you greater predictability for your projects, giving you a competitive advantage while safeguarding the patient care that depends on your timely delivery.