According to a report released by McKinsey & Company in 2017, the construction industry has a productivity problem that's difficult to manage. This creates issues with performance. In this guide, we break down the mistakes that occur most often in the early stages of the construction process from data, information, and logistical standpoints. You'll also find tips on how to make improvements to achieve the best performance outcomes.
Does your project's estimator, foreman, project manager, and superintendent have the same operational standard during the early stages of the construction process? Your first obstacle is overcoming this issue if the answer is "no."
Are operational standards collaborative or a dictation-type series of checking off boxes? If it's the latter, then your construction process regarding collaboration might be stagnant. Before mobilizing, ask the following questions:
It isn't uncommon for the construction process to go through cursory elements that relate to contact information, deliverables, permitting, scheduling, and submittals. While this information is essential to the process, it only grazes the project's surface. It fails to move the project's phases forward using innovative approaches for delivery.
How does customer relationship management equate to operational standards? A great way to ensure that you're tackling the construction process for the best performance outcomes is to ask yourself:
Take the answers to all these questions, and use them to incorporate solutions into the plan. The ideal recourse is to look at how you want the project to turn out (the finished product), and create a construction process plan by working backward. Then, put that plan into action.
Many contractors depend solely on the project's schedule, which might not reflect the reality of what's happening or what's available. Instead, when a thorough plan is available from day one, contractors can use that to create and implement a schedule for their team.
The early stages of the construction process often have a disconnect regarding a construction company's ability to shift the knowledge they require during meetings and conferences into action.
Creating this plan involves defining equipment, labor requirements, and other aspects of the cost-estimating process. This plan also requires you to look at your team. Do you have new members since the development of the original construction process plan? If so, then it's time to create another plan. The main reason is that not everyone has the same set of skills or understanding, so you need to address those discrepancies.
Construction managers must pull together the ever-growing data sets they collect or generate to help keep their workflows moving. Addressing this requires selecting data integration software that not only manages the process but also simplifies it.
Instead of managing multiple spreadsheets or handwritten documents, use high-quality digital integration software. The best construction management software handles bids, billing, contractors, invoicing, job scheduling, timesheets, and more. Choose data integration software that's hosted in the cloud to allow team members, construction managers, and other stakeholders to access data quickly.
Implementation of the best data integration software also prevents estimators, managers, and team members from keying information more than once. Not only does that save time, but it also reduces costly errors. When information is available in one centralized location, whoever has permission to access can do so seamlessly and without encountering duplicate information or data discrepancies.
Understanding how to tackle the construction process to ensure the best performance outcomes involves a series of steps. Begin by looking for operational standards and mapping out how they improve customer relationship management. Then, put that plan into action and use the best data integration software.
ProEst is a proactive approach to helping companies learn how to tackle their construction process for the best performance outcomes and to maximize company scalability to help businesses flourish with a profit increase.
Reach out to one of our construction process specialists today, and schedule a 1-on-1 walkthrough!
