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The construction industry is booming, with 1.293B spent in the U.S alone! This industry has no intention of slowing down any time soon. Construction project management was once an industry that was severely affected by the recession. Projects were files on tables, and no work was able to happen. However, now the construction industry is growing and growing!
Construction project management is detailed, whether you’re building a family home or offices. There is a list of tasks that your team needs to work through for the project to be completed. In addition, employee assignments must be clear and understandable.
Similar to any of the other projects, construction project management has many stages. First, you need the architecture to draw up the plans, and then you may have to wait for government approval. Once all of that has begun, the building phases can begin.
Technology is a channel for innovation for businesses today. With such complexity, pen and paper make everything that much more complicated! Construction project management software is the way forward and your tool to schedule your employees, communicate effectively, and much more. We will dive into what construction project management is and all the various elements.
Construction Project Management Overview
Construction project management is possessing the skills to manage your team. In addition, a greater understanding of how to complete a construction project. Construction projects are complex as they usually involve a completion deadline with consequences if not met.
A construction project manager’s role involves resolving issues fast. They need to think quickly and have the following skills when managing their team:
- Time management
- Leadership
- Construction workforce scheduling
- Progress with employees
- Quality control
- Delegation
- Communication with the team
- Strategy
- Safety Instructions
When a construction project takes place, the manager has all those responsibilities in their hands. If your manager is completing tasks manually, it takes an ample amount of time to get to the other jobs at hand. These include meeting with clients, budgeting, working with local government over planning permission, etc. Apps such as Connecteam let you get back to your other tasks.
Construction managers need to be people’s person, whether that’s talking to their team or government officials. Managers need the capabilities to take the project from its initial brief right through to the build. Therefore, the managers must follow the different stages to achieve excellence.
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Talking:
The manager meets with the client to hear the idea and create a building plan for them. This includes visiting the new build site and then deciding how feasible the project is. If agreed, it will then go through what is known as a business case which defines the expenditure, the end goal, and the deadline for taking on the project. Managers will need to sit down and work out the workforce and the right tools to get the project moving. Checklists need to be created that involve a lot of details regarding each part of the build.
Planning:
You’ve now decided to go ahead, so now the real work begins. Construction project management is all about setting the deadline, determining how you will get there and what resources you require, and allocating a realistic budget. Your plan should be very detailed, leaving out no details, making it clear how the goals are achievable. Furthermore, a breakdown should be created, including the price, timeline, and phases.
💡 Pro Tip:
Check out our article on how to estimate how much time a project will take so you can give your clients an accurate proposal.
Design:
You should have a site map that includes the materials, colors, and sizes of the materials for the build. If you are building a house or apartments, produce a floor plan displaying the room sizes and where the doors will be.
Commencing the project:
Now that you’re beginning the project from your plan, a good manager deals with any changes or problems that happen along the way. This is exceptionally challenging when you have your deadline looming over your head. You may need to set up further meetings with the client if you have noticed any changes which could be positive during the build. Construction project management software assists you in managing your workload and directing your team towards completion.
Reviewing your design:
Once you’ve started working, you often need to review your original drawings to see plans for future decisions on the construction. This can be effective if planning permission is accepted, or in the case that it wasn’t allowed, you will be able to make the necessary adjustments. There may be local government regulations that you need to adhere to during the build.
Monitoring performance:
To maintain your progress, it’s essential you have a way of noting everything that happened and that will occur throughout construction project management. You first need to set out key performance indicators (KPI’s) that you intended to measure. These should be for hours, the cost of the overall project, and maintaining a good standard of work. Hence, being flexible, allowing for any changes that could occur. If you are still communicating via text messages or phone calls, it’s simply inefficient in 2024! The correct construction project management software allows you to update your team in real-time.
Be the Pro in Construction Project Management
Construction manager’s tasks are complex unless you utilize the correct tools. Field employees don’t usually have access to company emails, newsletters, intranet, etc. Due to the pandemic physical meetings are far and few between. The pandemic changed the way construction workers are able to work. Construction managers had to reconfigure their plans of how many people could be on-site at any given time.
Communication
Being a project manager means you need to have good interpersonal skills. Project managers who are effective at their job direct their team with their tasks and are problem solvers. They have to know how to set the standard from day one, so employees know and understand what is expected.
For construction project management to be productive, managers have to set aside time to consider subjects that need addressing. Construction managers also have to be good listeners.
When your company isn’t digital, managers have to call all their employees for updates. Often people are missed or can’t answer, and that causes time delays.
Connecteam tip: Employees share their status right from the field via the chat feature. Employees send photos, videos and share live updates all received in real-time. With Connecteam, you add the relevant employees into smart groups. Easily send the group you wish with updates via the group chat. This saves you worrying if you missed someone.
Site Diary
When you are working with pen and paper, employees have to write down the number of materials used on the job. This could be like two tons of cement, a pallet of bricks, etc. After a long tiring day, workers then need to take those sheets of paper back to the office, which could mean hours of driving. Once the administration receives the data, only then can they begin invoicing the customer. This requires you to pay your employees extra for all the hours on the road.
Connecteam tip: Moving into the digital era means your workers send pictures of the work completed straight from the site. Workers send forms digitally with the amounts used for each material, cutting out any confusion over handwritten numbers. Drivers no longer need to drive back to the office with a click of a button administration has all the information.
There is no more time lag as the data is received instantly. Customers are able to check and sign on-site without having to wait for paperwork. Connecteam saves you time and money in the long run.
Checklists
Checklists are used either as a safety measure for when your employee arrives at the site. With pen and paper, employees need to hand those sheets into the office, which often get misplaced or end up scruffy. Checklists could also be for materials used and the quality of work completed. If the worker is fitting glass, the checklist can tell how much noise cancellation there is, glass type, glass thickness, etc. Each construction site has its pre-lists.
The amount of time it takes to drive from the site to the office is far too long for this day and age!
Connecteam tip: Digital checklists permit your workers to send the filled list faster, with the data arriving in real-time. Digitizing checklists assists managers in knowing the jobs completed for that day. These include some of the following:
- Safety checklist
- Hazard and inspection report
- Tools checklist
- Accident reports
- Employee injury forms
- Start of shift checklist
Multiple people are able to view the checklist, saving any confusion. Workers can also send pictures along with the checklist to show the before and after of their work.
Updates from the Field
Without construction project management software sending updates from the field becomes a difficult task. Managers who are calling and texting have a difficult time trying to update their teams. Workers don’t always answer, and there is no way to track who’s read your message.
Connecteam tip: Team leaders easily send updates straight from the field to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Especially during the pandemic, this has been useful as guidelines are changing daily. When employees like and comment, managers see who has interacted and who hasn’t read it yet. Managers save tons of time trying to locate their workers. Employees open the app and see the update there.
Celebrating Milestones
When the project ends, you want to celebrate the finished build, everyone is in a good mood, and all the hard work paid off. As your employees are remote and not working in the same place, celebrating wins can be difficult. You are able to reward your employees, but it might be just you and a couple of them who are on-site at the same time.
Connecteam tip: You film your customer’s reactions when they visit the site to see the completed project, or film your employee with the customer and share the video company-wide. All the employees will feel engaged and proud of their achievements.
Documents on site
When on-site, your employees have documents that they are working from. These include quality control, site map, architectural drawings, government restrictions, employee handbook, and the list goes on.
Connecteam tip: Managers upload all the materials straight onto the app so that employees don’t need to pull out the folded papers from their back pockets. This also helps new onboards as they have all the materials they need, and employees can refer to them as many times as they require.
Construction procedures
Each manager has the procedures they have created with the set rules of what is allowed and not allowed when working on site. This is to protect the employees and help them when completing their tasks. Other procedures for construction project management include following the local bylaws. Companies upload all the local rules and regulations that need to be followed straight to the app. Employees can access it from any device at any time, so there is no way they will have missed it.
Connecteam tip: You upload all your procedure documents into a knowledge base inside the app that is accessible by your employees from anywhere at any time. Creating a detailed construction quality control plan (CQCP) is the best approach for starting a holistic work guide.
Utilize Employees Expertise
Employees on-site often have to do a lot of troubleshooting, and it’s difficult when workers have to wait for their manager to answer their phone. This can happen if there is a water leak. Employees might wait hours for the instructions on how to fix the issue.
Connectream tip: You add under employee’s contact information their expertise, for example, Robert plumber. Other employees who experience a water leak know they call or message Robert via the app directory, and they will receive the assistance they need. Employees snap pictures and videos while the crisis is happening and send them to a manager or Robert for help. You can also upload videos and images into the manuals explaining how to fix leaks for future reference.
Safety on Site
Safety for construction project management is vital. With pen and paper, employees have to wait for their manager to get back to them. A situation where a hazard arises can become quite stressful.
Connecteam tip: Employees fill out reports straight from the field, and their managers respond to them in a matter of minutes. If there is a potential hazard, it could be dealt with in no time at all. Digital reporting for construction project management improves safety company-wide.
Connecteam: the No.1 Construction Employee App
The above gives a full overview of all the ways digitizing improves your business from every aspect. With the right construction project management software, you can take your safety, checklists, communication, and more to new heights.
Because of its versatility, Connecteam’s employee app is trusted by thousands of construction professionals. Connecteam offers you all the information from the field in minutes instead of hours. Construction project management can be enhanced all from one app, whether it’s desktop or mobile. Construction companies who turn to Connecteam witness better efficiency!
The Ultimate Construction Software
Connecteam’s employee software is the ideal solution for your construction company. No more time lag! Time tracking, scheduling, communication, form, reports, and much more