How To ‘Nail’ A Construction Project

Perhaps you’re new to the construction game or perhaps your game has been in the business for years. Whatever the case, there’s always room to grow and improvement as a company, and it all starts with each individual project your team carries out. As employees come and go, you’ll find that the dynamic of your team changes frequently. On top of this, building standards change and the procedures required for contemporary, modern buildings alter over the years. What may have worked for your business in the past could be outdated and inefficient today. It’s important that you keep on top of the game.

Nailing a construction project is all about getting the people and the planning right, much like any business. If you hire the right people and ensure you’ve scheduled every last task into the process, then failure won’t be an option. Of course, that’s all easier said than done. Putting together a foolproof plan and ensuring your team works like clockwork requires some serious preparation time. If you’ve no idea where to begin, then here’s some advice.

Set up resources and materials quickly.

One of the most vital keys for success on any construction project is time management. If you’re failing to hit minor deadlines, whether they’re self-set or determined by the client, then the lag is going to catch up with you and the project is going to end up behind schedule. You need to have a clear plan before day one, which means a laid out schedule of the physical tasks you’re going to complete on this project and in what order your team will be completing them. You’ll also need to dedicate sub-teams to specific roles so as to ensure you’re using time effectively.

The best way to ensure no time is wasted is to set everything up quickly but efficiently. You don’t want to be constantly moving people or resources around until you “get it right”. Lazy planning and poor management are weak foundations on which to start a project. Ensure you have everything you need in its right place before you begin. You could browse through some mobile office trailers if you need a portable setup for managerial and administrative tasks. It’s important that you think of a construction project as a temporary workplace and retain the levels of hierarchy. Even if you’ll only need certain tools or resources later on in the project, keep everything on-site. You don’t want any delays brought on through a lack of equipment.

Reduce costs.

So many factors go into reducing costs on a construction project. First of all, you should be arranging the perfect time to build with your client. Building at a bad time of year, such as the lowest point of winter or the highest point of summer, could really slow down your team and make the process more difficult, given extreme weathers. This could ultimately delay your project, which would be costly. It’s also vital that you double-check every last aspect of the site against safety regulations, as an accident on-site will also take a big chunk out of the company’s profit.

Continuously observe and plan.

As implied throughout the article, the key to a successful construction project is a continuous level of observation and planning at the hands of the manager. Plans may need to be redeveloped and revised as the project moves forward. All sorts of unexpected problems can arise that weren’t foreseen in the pre-planning process, and you need to be ready to make alterations if that is the case. Ensure you step out of your office to remain amongst the action. That way, you can observe each process and assess how things are going in terms of time and efficiency.