The construction industry is a very complex business sector that needs to leverage dozens of diverse activities ranging from design and modeling to logistics and on-site works. Putting all these different facets into functional workflow management once the works are set in motion requires a lot of time, dedication, and hard work.
That means the project managers need to use every trick on their sleeve to ensure the success and quality of the work they are overseeing. Not an easy task but let us see if we can help you out with these simple and highly effective tips and strategies.
Hire a capable and trained workforce
Preparation makes half the project done. However, the other half will, for the most part, depend on the skill and training of your workers. Be sure then that you have access to the best possible labor on the market and keep the workers on the same board with various drills, seminars, training sessions, and other activities that can improve their team capabilities. If you have a problem navigating the labor market try luring in prospective talents with perks like flexible hours, bonuses, promotion ladder, etc.
Make informed decisions
Running a project is not that different from running a smaller company – it just plays out on a smaller scale. But that doesn’t mean you can use some of the good practices you would if you were running a small company. First, delegate the responsibilities or look for guidelines from a more experienced mentor. Second, be sure that your decisions are driven by the data. Doing quick market research aimed at getting better insight into the materials, prices and similar variables is a good place to start.
Automate and use AI assistance
Digital tech makes much better sense of complex workflows and data sets than human beings. Using these technologies to sort out these challenges also leaves far less space for mistakes since they provide great transparency, detailed process mapping, and excellent document control. Australia and its booming IT sector are a perfect example of this practice. So, if you are, for instance, running a project Down Under you will be glad to know that the offer of professional construction management software in Australia is very efficient and versatile so you can easily find a platform tailored to your needs.
Ensure safety and compliance
That’s right, playing by the book can go a long way at ensuring a great level of standardization and quality control which are both absolute requirements for any kind of efficient and well-thought-out project. So, for a start, go through all safety recommendations and construction industry guidelines and see how you can make them a part of your workflow. Once you are done, see where you can implement similar guiding principles and ensure standardization in the construction areas not addressed by the legislation.
Ask for employee feedback
The insights the workers get on the site are invaluable and can get you tons of relevant data you would otherwise acquire through complex surveys or even third-party auditing. So, encourage everyone that works on the project to share their insights and observations. You can even go as far as establishing a full-scale management committee that will be composed of workers from all levels of the company that will use the shared communication infrastructure and discusses all critical decisions before putting them in motion.
Use the adequate materials
Over the last couple of years, the offer of construction materials has experienced a real renaissance. Because of that, the choices you will make in this regard may drastically affect the ultimate efficiency, sustainability, and quality of your projects. The list of popular mentions you should take into account includes the rising stars like cross-laminated timber, rammed earth, pigmented concrete, cigarette butt bricks, and transparent wood. Of course, you should never ignore the growing relevance of 3D printing.
Use the adequate tech and safety equipment
Last but not least, we would like to remind you that we are living in an IoT and AI-driven times. Both these technologies can be used both to improve the quality of the construction work and ensure your employees get timely safety warnings and analytics. What’s important to note is that the wearables capable of using all these assets like, for instance, smartwatches, helmets, and visors are becoming increasingly affordable – you will be able to produce huge productivity leaps without investing a fortune.
Final comments
We hope that these few suggestions give you a general idea about the strategies you can use to make your future construction projects tighter, safer, more efficient, and capable of producing better quality output. As we can see, neither of these things doesn’t require that you completely overhaul your company or management workflow. But, they are capable of producing incredibly powerful results. So, make sure your next project is handled with all due care and diligence.
