7 Strategies to Simplify Your Next Construction Project
Use these construction management tips to make your jobs more efficient.
From labor shortages to material shipment delays, project managers have a lot of moving parts to manage on a construction site. Luckily, there are sound strategies that can simplify and manage your next project with ease. Find out how these construction management tips can make your job more efficient below:
1. Rethink your materials
2. Use digital project management tools
3. Delegate smart
4. Stick to a schedule
5. Track progress throughout
6. Communicate more
7. Complete a final evaluation
Rethink your materials
A great place to start simplifying your construction project is to take a second look at the materials and other resources you are using on the job. Finding ways to reduce the supplies needed or choosing ones that can do double-duty can bring you one step closer to simplifying your next construction project – and maximizing productivity. Think wall systems that include both structure and envelope, or work with the architect to simplify the structural design to reduce material needs.
When it comes to simplifying your materials, look to smart technology and higher quality construction material designs that are becoming industry-standard in construction. These tools allow you to use more sustainable and efficient materials that can potentially save money and time, and reduce the risks of injury or other problems.
Use digital project management tools
Technological advancements and new software tools are making it easier than ever to effectively communicate and collaborate with your team on a construction site. Simple-to-use cloud-based software, such as Dropbox, can help you store important documents in one place where all parties can access information on-the-go. Intuitive construction project management platforms such as BuilderTrend, CoConstruct, and Contractor Foreman may also prove useful to your business. These tools can help you streamline project communication and documentation, manage financials and accounting, and delegate tasks to team members with critical due dates.
Learn more about emerging construction technologies that are transforming the industry here.
Delegate smart
Delegating tasks to your team is critical for helping the project sail smoothly to the finish line, but are you doing it correctly on your job site? Neglecting to delegate or ineffective delegating are some of the biggest pitfalls for construction management teams. To help simplify your project, start by determining which duties you can hand off to someone else and which you should keep. Next, decide which team member will be best to handle the task and tailor it to their competency level. The last, and perhaps most important, step is to follow up to see how the job is progressing and address any challenges.
Learn more about these smart delegation steps in this industry article called, How Delegation Can Be a Contractor’s Secret Weapon for Development.
Stick to a schedule
Keeping a construction project on track can be incredibly challenging at times. With a lot of moving pieces, it can be hard to know where you’re falling behind and how a single delay will impact all other parts of the project.
Efficient scheduling can help you eliminate many of these problems, and it doesn’t have to be hard to implement. Start by choosing a project management timeline tool that keeps track of tasks and project details in one place. Many such online tools can help you do this. Construction scheduling templates and tools like Smartsheet and SmartDraw offer trials that you can try for free. Simply add your team members as users and begin collaborating, editing tasks, and following along with project updates.
Need a schedule that works for both you and your client? Review our walk-through of creating a customer-friendly project timeline here.
Track progress throughout
Once you have a comprehensive timeline of the job up and running, you’ll be better equipped to track progress throughout the life of the project. Knowing which tasks or areas of the project are struggling to stay on deadline can help you adjust and prioritize as needed. Be sure to regularly review the week’s work and mark completed tasks so that your client and the project team know what is going on.
Communicate more
With new project management and scheduling tools at your disposal, communication should feel like a second skin. Frequent contact with your team members can help simplify your project and help keep everyone in-the-know. Weekly check-ins with critical team leaders and workers can quickly resolve problems and determine effective solutions that can help the project stay on track. When everyone adopts a communication-centered outlook, you can truly begin to enjoy the benefits of a simplified project management experience.
Complete a final evaluation
Once the project is done, consider a final evaluation, both externally with your client and internally with your team. These evaluations allow you to take a step back and reflect on the project and its efficiency, team management, resources, training, communication, and more. It can deliver compelling insights for managing your next construction project and help influence future decision-making. For instance, if there were frequent project delays, perhaps you need to implement more on-site training or look for suppliers with shorter lead times. Taking a birds-eye view can help you to connect the dots and identify the secret formula to your team’s success.
These construction project management strategies and tips can help you simplify your project and finish on time and budget. Find more helpful tips for the construction trades on our blog.
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