Management is daunting to say the least. There are multiple pieces in the puzzle, and it isn’t a black or white solution especially when dealing with human workers.
In construction, a manager must keep the project within budget, on time, and in accordance with numerous codes, laws, and guidelines. With so many factors to align, efficiency is essential to making your job easier and more organized, which will directly affect the quality of the project itself as well as the profits made after completion.
So, here are a few tips that we’ve gathered to help you complete your project efficiency and effectively.
- Know the codes
It’s not as simple as finding a place and claiming to build an office building or house in that spot. Each city and state will have different laws, rules, and codes to abide by so safety standards can be met and risk of injury or damage can be kept to a minimum. In Dallas, we have nine different codes to meet (all which can be found here), and it can be overwhelming if you don’t have project managers or specialty consultants to help you.
- Have a hierarchy structure
It’s crucial to be structured properly from the beginning, and let team members know how they fit in the grand scheme of things. Though the composition of the project team may change through the duration of a project, creating an organizational chart will improve operational efficiency and promote transparency.
It is important that roles, responsibilities, and reporting structures are clearly defined and communicated to project team members. Then, responsibility gaps can be identified and filled while an assessment can be made as to whether any additional resources are required for project completion.
Example:
Image provided by designingbuildings.co.uk
- Thoroughly map out your schedule and time-tables
One of construction’s biggest challenges is staying on schedule. Because of endless components of the project and tens – sometimes hundreds – of workers present on a worksite, things can and probably will go wrong. The key to successful scheduling is being locked-in to areas where you’re most confident and looser in areas where problems tend to arise.
Is it common for you to have problems with electrical work? Put in a little bit extra time in your time-table to account for unforeseen issues. Worst case scenario is everything goes smoothly and you’re ahead of schedule.
- Use bids from subcontractors
It’s tempting to use a subcontractor you’ve used before, but just like how you had to bid on the construction job, subcontractors should bid for you too. Prior to selecting your subcontractor, hold a pre-bid meeting to explain what you expect and to answer any questions they may have. This is also a good opportunity to evaluate and meet your potential subcontractors.
- Be meticulous
Keep a close eye on every detail on your project. Once work has begun, follow along with everyone’s progress, assisting when needed, and commending workers when deserved. Remember, you’re the project manager. Go and manage.
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