Without communication within your construction team, it’s challenging to have your projects hit the ground running.
What’s important to you when it comes to communicating with your construction team?
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Several recent studies have shown how the lack of communication can affect construction teams. For example, in 2018, consultancy group FMI Corporation found that miscommunication costs the construction industry $177 billion each year. They reported that these high costs were the result of tasks like finding project information and resolving conflicts.
Likewise, a 2019 Dynamic Signal found in its Annual State of Employee Communication and Engagement study that 80% of the US workforce reports feeling stressed because of ineffective company communication. Another 63% said that they were frustrated and ready to quit their jobs, and 70% felt overwhelmed by poor communication and fragmented information. The report also went on to say that 36% of employees didn’t know where to find information in order to complete their work.
Effective communication is crucial to the successful completion of any construction project. Good communication can improve teamwork and lead to better project collaboration. However, poor communication can result in misunderstandings, delays, and problems down the road. If the jobsite feels chaotic and disorganized, miscommunication is likely the culprit. Misunderstandings can result in rework that can range from replacing a few lights to breaking up an entire concrete slab and repouring a new one.
Does your construction team communication contribute to these numbers? If so, you need to find ways to keep everyone feeling like they are part of a team and on the same page.
When your teams fail to communicate, there’s a waste of time and energy that results in a lack of understanding of what needs to be done. For example, take any issues stemming from spreadsheets and manual takeoffs. Each requires communication and accuracy in order to develop winning bids. You and your teams need to be aware of the project information and have access to it at all times.
When there’s a lack of communication, you lose efficiency and productivity among your teams. So, what are the benefits of having great communication?
Construction team communication is vital to achieving a successful construction process, from inception to completion. Good communication leads to positive collaboration, improved teamwork, and a positive work experience for your team. Teams that communicate tend to complete projects more efficiently and faster. They are also more accurate in their work.
Effective communication also lets team members understand their roles and those of everyone else on their team, giving them room for understanding what work needs to be done. It helps in developing long-lasting employee motivation and improved relationships. Your team appreciates good communication because it produces a healthy work environment and helps them—and you—all work from the same page.
In contrast, using old technology can affect communications and does not work to keep construction teams on the same page during a project. The calculations of Excel spreadsheets and manual calculations of takeoffs by disparate teams can leave errors that may create a wide range of inaccuracies, resulting in costly estimate mistakes.
So, can technology play a role in construction team communication?
Streamlining team communication and project management can be effectively supported through the right technology platform.
That means getting the whole team to adopt new technology. With the right technology partner, however, that’s not as overwhelming as it sounds. The results extend beyond a more productive team and better communication.
When it comes to working with a distributed team, communication is paramount. There needs to be a way to communicate, collaborate, and connect with subcontractors and construction company teams. Wallace Perkins, director of operations at Vantis, realized that technology was part of the solution and that spreadsheets and manual calculations were not good fits for his needs. Vantis recognized that technology was an answer, and it used a solution that worked.
ProEst is an automated cloud estimating platform that enables communication between teams. It removes the problems surrounding spreadsheets and manual takeoffs that can cripple estimates due to the lack of communication that can result from distributed teams. ProEst streamlines team communications and improves project information awareness and team access to information at all times and the creation of accurate, competitive bids.
Without a doubt, construction team communication is critical for success, from project kickoff to completion. ProEst lets you improve your communications with an automated, cloud-based, digital platform that enables you to successfully manage your distributed teams and gain estimates that win bids.
To learn more about how communications are among the most important aspects of your teams’ effectiveness and efficiency, schedule a 1-on-1 walkthrough with one of our specialists today.
