Construction projects are often plagued by various problems. Employee injuries, slow transport of materials, and equipment malfunctions are just a few things you have to worry about during your daily operations. These problems can delay your project by several weeks and even months, significantly increasing your operative expenses.
Although you can’t fully eliminate these risks, you can do a few things to mitigate them. For example, you can invest in technology and training or improve your safety policies. Whatever the case might be, you need to proactively seek solutions that will boost your efficiency.
Construction Efficiency Basics
When we talk about construction project efficiency, we mainly refer to the following things:
- Project timelines
- Project quality
- Project budget
As a project manager, your main job is to ensure that the project is finished on time and that everything is according to widely accepted construction standards. You also need to be careful not to go way over the budget.
To achieve these objectives, you have to invest in modern software, such as time tracking for construction. You must purchase equipment, tools, and gear that will make things easier for your employees. Lastly, you have to provide quality guidance and organize your workforce so there aren’t any delays.
Importance of Construction Efficiency
By boosting your efficiency, you’re able to satisfy all your stakeholders. You’ll finish projects on time, which is vital for your clients. Plus, by creating a superb workflow, you can reduce expenses, which will help the long-term sustainability of your business.
Unfortunately, maximizing construction efficiency is very difficult nowadays. The price of various construction materials has risen significantly in the last few years. Labor shortages, as well as expensive labor, are another problem that will reduce projects’ profitability.
That being said, here are a few of the biggest challenges you have to consider:
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Skilled Labor
In the last year or so, the construction job market has slightly improved. Nevertheless, many companies are still struggling to find an affordable yet proficient workforce. The inability to hire additional staff will delay your projects and put extra pressure on your current employees. The only way to address this issue is by building better rapport with highly skilled professionals and by offering better incentives.
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Cost Efficiency
Today, many organizations have cost escalation clauses that would safeguard construction companies from sudden material increases. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to protect builders from massive fluctuations. By improving your internal processes, you’re able to minimize material waste, which will remedy the issue to an extent.
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Productivity
Labor costs are traditionally one of the bigger expenses for construction companies. Labor deficits are making matters worse, as many electricians, painters, and bricklayers are now charging obscene amounts for their work. While you can’t do much about labor costs, you can try to increase the productivity of each person on the payroll.
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Timeliness
Finishing a project on time is one of the most important things for clients and other stakeholders. This is why companies are putting emphasis on using software to create efficient project management workflows. By creating realistic timelines and sticking to schedules, you can deliver the projects on time, boosting your reputation and trust among clients.
6 Tricks for Enhancing Project Efficiency
By improving your planning and execution, you can significantly improve your construction project outcomes. Here are a few tactics experienced project managers frequently use:
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Take Your Time Planning
Most construction errors and delays are made even before the project starts. Rushed planning and poor estimates are the main reasons for bottlenecks and loss of money. Take your time planning a project so you can make the closest possible estimate of material, equipment, and workforce needs.
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Invest in Training
Construction companies often hire field workers on a per-project basis. This allows them to avoid the massive expenses that come with permanently hired staff. Unfortunately, this also means you sometimes have to rush onboarding and hire beginners.
Although inexperienced workers don’t have the same level of expertise, they make it up by commanding lower wages. If you want to get as much value as possible from these employees, we suggest you invest in additional education. Training can also be important for veterans who haven’t had a chance to work with certain machines.
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Ensure Smooth Communication
Construction sites can get quite hectic. You have lots of specialists working on different tasks, each responsible for a certain part of the project. Although each one of them has his own duties, they often have to coordinate with other workers. Communication software enhances productivity across the board, eliminates idling, and improves project quality.
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Streamline Equipment Maintenance
Like in any other business, you’d want to maximize the life expectancy of every construction machine. Regular maintenance ensures that your equipment lasts longer, but it also prevents delays caused by sudden malfunctions. Nowadays, businesses use artificial intelligence to schedule maintenance and monitor the state of different machines.
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Introduce Technology
Companies use high-tech solutions to improve different processes. For example, they use project management software to create timeliness and financial software for budget estimates. Ideally, you should be looking for programs that can integrate with each other, providing you with a comprehensive, robust platform for all your construction needs.
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Improve Job Safety
Job site incidents are one of the main reasons behind construction delays. The last thing you need is to lose a highly skilled worker, especially given how difficult it is to find experienced employees. Furthermore, not having proper safety policies can lead to massive litigation costs for your business.
Although we can’t fully eliminate these risks, we can do our best to mitigate them. For example, you can use software with facial and gear recognition to determine if an employee is wearing the necessary equipment. You can also rely on geofencing to prevent your employees from entering dangerous zones.
Conclusion
If you want to improve construction project results, you must be proactive. You have to be on the lookout for better, more sophisticated software that will help you streamline daily tasks. You also need to invest in training and top-tier equipment to make life easier for your workers.
