Backlogs aren’t inherently bad. In fact, they can be the sign of a healthy pipeline, contracts in place, work on the books, and a team ready to deliver. The trouble starts when the backlog doesn’t queue up on schedule. That’s when things get interesting, and by “interesting” I mean it’s time to start calling audibles.

Over the years, we’ve had seasons where everything lined up like dominoes, and others where the dominoes were missing, late, or hiding under someone’s desk. Here’s how to keep your build schedule intact when the lineup falls apart.

1. Accept That the Plan Will Break

A good plan is necessary. A flexible plan is survival. The moment you believe your schedule is sacred, you’re setting yourself up for a rude awakening. Weather delays, supply chain bottlenecks, and client changes don’t care about your Gantt chart. Build your baseline schedule, but bake in the expectation that it will need rethinking.

2. Know Your People and Their Depth

When the work in one area slows, having cross-trained staff is like having a Swiss Army knife in your back pocket. We’ve shifted forensics experts into QA/QC roles, and testing techs into project support when needed. Sometimes it means deploying overqualified people into positions where you can’t bill their full rate, but the trade-off is keeping the machine running, and reinforcing a culture of adaptability.

3. Move Resources, Not Just Deadlines

If one project is stalled waiting on permits, pull that crew onto a site where work can advance. This keeps momentum up, maintains revenue, and sends a clear message to clients that you’re problem-solving instead of finger-pointing.

4. Track Your Backlog Like It’s a Live Animal

A backlog is not a static list, it’s a breathing, shifting organism. Monitor it weekly. Identify which jobs are feeding the schedule and which are starving it. The moment you see a project slipping, you have a window to adjust staffing, negotiate delivery dates, or pivot to a ready-to-go opportunity.

5. Protect the Core Business Plan

When panic sets in, the temptation is to slash expenses, freeze hiring, or accept any job that comes your way. Resist the urge to throw your long-term business plan overboard. Lean operations weather backlog storms better than bloated ones, but you can’t cut so deep you lose capability.

6. Leverage the Off-Schedule Time

Downtime in one silo is training time in another. Use the gaps to build new competencies, document processes, or tackle maintenance and upgrades you “never have time for” when the calendar is full. That investment often pays off faster than you expect.

7. Celebrate the Wins Along the Way

Catching up a backlog isn’t a quiet affair, it’s a team sport. When your crew pulls a big fish into the boat, even one you weren’t trolling for, make sure the win is recognized. Momentum builds when people know their efforts are making a difference.

The Big Picture

Backlogs will test your patience, your processes, and your leadership chops. But if you’ve got a lean team, a culture of cross-training, and the discipline to keep your eyes on both the short-term fixes and long-term strategy, you won’t just survive the off-schedule season, you’ll come out with a healthier, more capable crew than you had going in.

Rough seas don’t just make seasoned sailors. They sharpen the captains too.