OPC: three letters for a key assignment
In French construction vocabulary, OPC stands for Ordonnancement, Pilotage et Coordination — scheduling, project steering and site coordination. It is an assignment whose objective is simple to state and demanding to achieve: making sure a project proceeds in the right order, at the right pace and with stakeholders working together rather than against each other. The OPC does not design the building and does not carry out the works: it organises the project’s time and interfaces.
On a building site, many players are involved: project owner, architect, engineering consultants, structural works contractors, finishing trades, suppliers, utility companies. Each has its own constraints, deadlines and priorities. Without a function dedicated to synchronising the whole, slippages accumulate, rework multiplies and the handover date becomes uncertain. That is precisely the role of the OPC.
Scheduling: defining the order and logic of tasks
Scheduling consists of analysing all the tasks to be carried out and determining their logical sequence. Which tasks must be finished before others can begin? Which can run in parallel? Which directly determine the completion date, i.e. lie on the critical path?
In practice, scheduling results in a baseline schedule, broken down into packages, phases and milestones. This schedule is not a mere administrative document: it is the shared tool that lets each contractor know when it is due on site, under what conditions and with what prerequisites. Good scheduling takes into account procurement lead times, drying times, site access constraints and the approvals required from the project owner or the lead design team.
Project steering: tracking progress and anticipating
However well built, a schedule never unfolds exactly as planned. Steering consists of tracking the actual progress of the works, comparing it with the baseline schedule and identifying deviations as early as possible. The challenge is not to note a delay once it has set in, but to spot the weak signals that announce it: a late materials delivery, an unapproved drawing, an understaffed team, a poorly prepared interface.
Steering relies on indicators, dashboards and regular check-ins with stakeholders. When drift appears, the OPC proposes corrective actions: reorganising sequences, reinforcing teams, changing the order of works, requesting a decision from the project owner. The schedule is then updated to remain a reliable, shared tool.
Coordination: getting the trades to work together
Coordination is the most visible dimension of the assignment on site. It consists of organising exchanges between contractors, managing technical interfaces and preventing two trades from getting in each other’s way or waiting for one another. On a site, the most costly problems often arise at the boundaries between packages: forgotten openings, reversed installation sequence, occupied work area, information not passed on.
The OPC leads coordination meetings, drafts or contributes to the minutes, follows up agreed actions and makes sure everyone has the information they need at the right time. It thus becomes a point of contact between the site, the lead design team and the project owner.
When does the OPC get involved?
Ideally, the OPC gets involved before the works, from the construction preparation phase. That is when a realistic schedule can be built, site facilities organised, procurement anticipated and working rules between stakeholders set. An OPC assignment can then continue throughout the works, up to handover and the clearing of snags.
The OPC is sometimes called in during construction, when a project has fallen behind or coordination between contractors has become difficult. In that case, the assignment starts with a diagnosis of the situation — actual progress, blocking points, responsibilities — followed by rebuilding a credible schedule to get the project back on track.
Why use an OPC in Casablanca?
Casablanca concentrates a large share of construction activity in Morocco: residential developments, office buildings, retail, public facilities, refurbishments. Projects are often carried out in dense urban settings, with access, storage, neighbourhood and traffic constraints that complicate the organisation of the works. In this context, controlling deadlines and interfaces is particularly important.
Using an OPC gives the project owner a clear and independent view of progress, secures the schedule and allows decisions to be made at the right time. For contractors and the lead design team, the presence of an OPC provides a common framework, shared working rules and smoother exchanges.
What an OPC assignment delivers in practice
- A shared baseline schedule, updated regularly.
- Early identification of delay risks and blocking points.
- Structured coordination meetings, with follow-up of agreed actions.
- Better management of interfaces between trades.
- Clear reporting for the project owner, making decisions easier.
- Calmer preparation of handover and delivery.
In summary
The OPC is the function that organises time and collaboration on a construction site. Scheduling means defining the logic of tasks; steering means tracking progress and anticipating; coordinating means getting stakeholders to work together. Done well, the OPC assignment replaces no one on the project: it allows everyone to do their job in better conditions, serving a common goal — delivering the building on time and to the expected quality.
To discover our assignments in detail, see our OPC services and our working method.