The construction industry is full of unexpected twists and turns. It’s a dangerous business that can be held up by the smallest inconveniences. It takes a tough manager to keep the ball rolling in the face of tricky weather conditions, employee turnover, and budget cuts. As a professional, it can be difficult to stay on schedule when you get hit with typical construction delays. We’ve gathered tips from the experts on how to maintain your progress despite obstacles that can occur at any time with any construction site.
The Costs of Being Off Schedule
In the construction industry, more than any other, time is money. Between equipment, machinery and labor costs, every day you add to a project can cost you money. You can easily go over budget in a matter of hours, especially on big-ticket jobs.
If you’re suffering from frequent delays, your reputation will take a hit. You want your clients to keep coming back and praise your efforts to other professionals in the industry. If you can avoid obstacles, you’ll be the construction company that customers flock to. Staying on schedule helps your bottom line and will maximize your profits by saving you time and money.
How to Avoid Common Delays
Don’t settle into thinking delays are unavoidable. With some strategic planning and expert insight, you can stay ahead of your competition by outmaneuvering obstacles. Work smart, not hard by staying in touch with staff and sticking to the plan. Solid management expertise can help keep everything moving forward.
Establish the Plan
By having a clear plan of action, you can avoid any missteps that will take the project off the rails. Do whatever you need to do to ensure everyone knows about the plan and can dedicate themselves to it. If this means hanging it up in every common area or distributing individual laminated copies to every staff member, do it. This keeps employees accountable and will prevent workers from making excuses like, “I didn’t know.” If you delegate effectively, you’ll see a steady progression in workflow.
Commit to Clear Communication
One of the biggest problems that can clog progress is miscommunication. Stop this in its tracks. Don’t let professional contractors fail due to a simple slip-up like a lost email or a confusing phone call. Get everyone on the same page in terms of what the method of communication will be for any changes or updates, and who it needs to come from. If this means enforcing an open-door policy on all project managers, so be it. If you want to be the premier construction company in the region, you need to do whatever it takes to stand out and get the job done effectively.
Stay Organized
One of the best ways to maximize efficiency on the job site is to stay organized. Have a specific home for every tool, streamline your inventory system and make your master plan available to every employee. Is everything in the right place? Keep staff members accountable for all equipment, and check all licenses before a job to make sure nobody’s executing tasks they’re not cleared for. This is also a great time to make sure all OSHA regulations are being followed and safety measures are being taken to keep your team and your site secure.
Want to learn more about how to empower your team for a successful construction outcome? You need CCS Construction Staffing. As a top staffing firm in the southeastern United States, we help job seekers and clients maximize productivity and avoid critical mistakes. Contact us today to learn more.