3 Ways To Build A Successful Construction Project Management Strategy

Editorial Team

Ways To Build A Successful Construction Project Management Strategy

Construction projects are some of the most complicated to manage. You’re dealing with a possibly big team, you’re needed both on and offsite, and your attention to detail has to be impeccable, or everything comes tumbling down.

If you’re a construction project manager, this probably isn’t news. You likely have experience on experience of how straining it can all be to run a construction project. What if your next project could be seamless and successful? What would you need to invest in as the project lead?

1. Planning

Start strong, and the perfect starting place is your planning. You need to have a map of each step that your team will take to fulfill each of the project’s requirements. This makes sure you’re not haphazardly approaching tasks but doing things in a way that maximizes efficiency.

You should aim to establish the goals of your project as clearly as you can, define your deliverables, then establish the milestones that will mark your progress when you start working on the project.

How much equipment and labor will you need to deliver on your project goals? Note your requirements in these areas then make sure all your equipment is lined up, and your subcontractors are coordinated. If you’re installing concrete finishes to your structure, make sure that you use a service specializing in it, like Concrete Project Management. Using a specialized service makes sure you get the best outcomes in that given area and higher client satisfaction.

Now that the top fundamentals are in place, how will you ensure safety in your workplace? Nothing can derail your construction project’s progress more than a huge workplace accident, plus to get the best subcontractors, you need to ensure their safety. You will also need to create a communication and response plan at this stage.

You want to foresee potential risks or problem areas and plan how to handle them to decrease your downtime during the project.

2. Communication

Many project managers hear this piece of advice so much they have slowly started to ignore it. But it remains one of the key pillars of a successful project. Delays, misunderstandings, and other project issues can be traced down to poor communication plans.

Good communication doesn’t just happen; it’s the result of a carefully laid out plan. Have a plan in place for how you will handle communication within your project. Identify the essential documents that communicate instructions relating to the project goals. Key documents might include drawings, change order forms, specifications, and requests for information (RFIs). Progress and closure reports also fit into the list of key project documents.

Ensure that you open up proper channels to ensure that all your key documents are accessible to everyone. Any changes made to these documents need to be authorized and updated to the original documents so that everyone uses the same template when working.

If you’ve hired a concrete management company to handle your concrete finishes, then you’ll need to make sure nothing is standing between your team’s main points of contact and them so that your project’s flow isn’t slowed down. Ensure information about who to contact concerning what is handy, then ensure that those people are available to respond to concerns as expediently as they can. 

3. Tracking

Because you planned well, there will not likely be any major problems that will crop up (unless they couldn’t have been foreseen). Keep your eye on the details. It’s the minor issues more than the big ones that could potentially slow the progress of your project.

Ensure that you combine your team’s efforts and some software help track and inspect all aspects of your construction project. Analyze everything daily and look out for any signs of deviating from the budget, schedule, and imminent risks, among other things.

If it’s a scheduling problem, you need to dig deep and find out what could be the issue. Is it that your workforce isn’t adequate given the project’s expansive scope? If so, this points to a miscalculation on your part from the beginning, which can happen. But the benefit of micro-tracking is that you see this early on, as soon as or even before you miss the first and smallest milestone. As soon as you figure out the issue, you may revise your plan and fix the root issue. 

Conclusion

Managing construction projects is a task that requires skill and concentration. Losing track of any aspect of the project may result in lost capital by the millions. Following these tips can help build a winning project management strategy.