Driving Efficiency on Your Construction Projects: A Guide

Most leaders in the construction space know that efficiency is everything. Because your projects can last a number of months to complete if they are of a large enough scale, you’ll have seen costs ballooning when you’re not hitting your deadlines and targets, and when workers are disrupted or materials are stuck in supply chains. As such, you’re more than aware that anything you can do to make your processes more efficient could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here are three ways that you can get there, operating a watertight, optimized construction business.

Meticulous Planning

All businesses are only as strong as the thought leadership underpinning them. And all projects require careful management in order for all the individual components to come together as quickly and smoothly as possible. Your job is to facilitate this seamless operational side of your business. And you can get ahead by:

• Using high-end management technology to keep you abreast of developments on site
• Structuring a chain of command that helps you remain aware of all elements of the project
• Use a Construction Management Company
• Making contingency plans in the case of delays that may be out of your hands
• Hiring outsourced staff where appropriate to help you get the job done

These tips all fall under the auspices of “organizational skills” – absolutely vital if you’re to make a success of your construction business.

Tech Engagement

On site, your workers will be using all kinds of tools, vehicles and machines to get the job done. They’ll be expensive and valuable, but they may also be approaching several years of age. Some may break, some may be faulty, and others might simply not be up for the job on a modern construction site. So the advice here is to engage with new technology and to make upgrades where you can to your tools and hardware.

Where to start? Well, you should always be keeping an eye out for automation technology. Look to automatic welders for plastic, for instance, to give your workers a head-start when they’re fixing the paneling on roofs and under floors. Or invest in far better material-moving equipment – like cranes – so that the logistics of getting things around your site take far less time.

Great Staff

It’s easy to lose sight of the workers when you’re in the planning office of a project site. You’re trying to see the big picture constantly, envisaging potential delays that could come from anywhere on your risk map. With this perspective in mind, you can often forget that it’s the people who are following your commands that are ultimately going to decide the success of your project. Training is key for a cohesive business. Whether it’s the administrators, the crew, someone looking to become welder or learning to run heavy machinery, ensuring everyone is on the same page is essential.

On site, you want there to be team unity and motivation to get the job done. You want great managers underneath you to head out there, making sure everyone’s pulling in the same direction. And you want to hire the best talent where possible so that you can rely on your workers to get the job done on time.

Run a more efficient construction firm, on more efficient sites, with the three key tips outlined above.