You already know most projects struggle to finish on time and within budget. You’ve seen it happen more than once. But when hard numbers back up what you’ve been seeing for years, it’s worth paying attention. The 2025 Project Management Study from FMI put data behind the patterns we all know too well and laid out where things are falling apart.
Turns out, only 2.5% of contractors say their projects consistently hit both the schedule and the budget. Two and a half percent. That’s it. The rest are caught somewhere between scrambling and surviving.
The study lays out exactly what high-performing contractors are doing differently, and it’s all straightforward, practical stuff that gets results. It’s just a matter of showing up early, planning like you mean it, and getting the right people bought in before the boots hit the ground.
Let’s break it down.
Get Your PMs in the Room Before the Bid
FMI’s data shows a clear link between early project manager involvement and profitability. When PMs are involved in estimating, even moderately, the chance of hitting profit margins jumps from 55% to 78%. That’s a massive difference.
But it’s a balancing act. Overdo it, and you pull PMs too far from managing the actual job. You’re not looking to turn them into estimators. You just want them in the right meetings, at the right time.
The study calls out four areas where PM input matters most before the bid goes out:
- Productivity assumptions
- Procurement and lead-time risks
- High-variance quantities
- Schedule and resource planning
That’s the stuff that either saves or sinks your margins.
Planning Is the Backbone of Execution
Glancing at a plan won’t cut it. The best teams dig in and make it count.
When FMI asked execs and PMs how thorough their planning process was, there was a surprising gap. Only 20% of execs said pre-job planning was thorough and proactive. PMs said 35%.
The disconnect means the process isn’t consistent, and that lack of consistency shows up in the results.
Firms that take planning seriously and enforce structured practices meet or exceed profit targets 81% of the time.
So what’s in the way?
- No standard process
- No accountability
- No time carved out to do it right
The fix is simple. Set the standard. Make time. Run a process your teams can count on.
If the Field’s Not Bought In, You’re Already Losing
Planning in the office is one thing. Getting buy-in from the field is another.
FMI found that when field leaders co-own the plan before mobilization, jobs finish on or ahead of schedule 76% of the time. Without that level of buy-in, schedule performance drops to 58%.
This is a critical step, but only 25% of execs say their PMs consistently secure field alignment before the job starts.
You can have the best plan on paper, but if your super doesn’t believe in it (or doesn’t even know it exists) you’re headed for delays, blown budgets, and finger-pointing.
Get your field leaders in the loop early. Make the plan something they can stand behind, not something handed to them the morning of mobilization.
Change Orders Are Where Discipline Really Pays Off
If your change order process is messy, you’re losing time and money. No surprise there. But the numbers from FMI drive it home.
Contractors with a consistent change order process meet or beat schedule expectations 80% of the time. Those without that consistency hit the mark only 65% of the time.
It’s an even bigger deal for specialty trades. Those who keep their change orders tight see 87% profit reliability. That drops to 64% for folks with loose or inconsistent processes.
The message is simple: put a system in place and stick to it.
Bottom Line
This study spells out what the best-run contractors are already doing:
- Bring PMs in before the bid goes out.
- Plan the job like it’s part of the job.
- Get the field aligned early.
- Run change orders with discipline.
None of this is flashy, but it works. You can’t control every curveball on a job, but you can control how your team prepares and executes.
The firms doing that are the ones making money. The rest are just getting by.
