If you’re not already doing some form of these best practices for construction projects, you’re not fulfilling your full potential. Construction projects have a habit of growing in cost, schedule, and complexity with each passing phase. More time, resources, and solutions are not always available for construction teams. By following best practices, you stand your best chance at meeting the demands of any construction project.
Here are the 14 best practices for construction projects:
Use Digital Documents
Do not waste time printing documents for signatures, presentations, and approvals. Use digital documents, which can be stored on a cloud server, accessed from anywhere, and easily referenced. There is no scouring stacks of papers or searching through file cabinets for a document. When they are digital, documents can be far more efficiently handled and managed.
Ensure There’s Clear Communication
Communication is key as you progress through a construction project. Keep up-to-date with project updates and collaboration. Follow through with regular team meetings to keep all workers and stakeholders aligned. Streamline discussions wherever you can to ensure a regular mix of perspectives is shared.
Set a Realistic Budget
Trying to complete a construction project under budget can be a tough duty. Start with the most realistic budget possible. Typically, this is arrived at after a cost analysis of materials, labour, and contingencies. Regularly monitor costs to prevent overruns. Automate cost tracking and reporting and ensure you have some wiggle room for when expenses rise.
Perform Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are key to construction project planning. Identify potential risks, such as safety hazards or possible supply chain disruptions. Create a risk mitigation plan for each risk. Track risk management strategies and their performance using construction software.
Assign a Project a Firm and Realistic Deadline
Break down a construction project into milestones. Provide deadlines for each phase. Assign a realistic deadline to the entire project while realizing that there could be potential delays, such as weather not cooperating or supply chain disruptions. Be ready to act should these occur and accommodate the possibility of them being added to your schedule.
Hire the Most Qualified Contractors and Subcontractors
Hire the best contractors and subcontractors available to you based on their experience, qualifications, and references. Vet anyone you allow to work on your construction project. Set clear expectations and contractual obligations for each subcontractor. Do not hesitate to hire an alternate contractor if those expectations are not fulfilled.
Ensure Workers Are Safety-Trained
Prioritize safety on the job site. Conduct regular safety training for any contractor or subcontractor on-site. Enforce safety protocols. Ensure every worker is wearing their PPE properly. Maintain signage that indicates the hazards at play. If there are safety incidents, log them properly and maintain compliance.
Have a Highly Skilled HR Stakeholder
The workforce on a construction site must be managed and motivated. Your HR is key to ensuring the right workers are found and hired. They can also help arrange to automate time collection, payroll, employee onboarding, compliance documentation, and other aspects of construction HR.
Implement Quality Control
Quality control for materials and artistry should be set in advance and kept to a high standard. Perform regular quality control checks to ensure project specifications are being met. Document all quality checks and quality control-related activities.
Move to Cloud-Based Construction Software
Cloud-based construction management software facilitates real-time collaboration with stakeholders. Users can access real-time data and see progress in workflows. They can take informed action on projects while boosting profits and reducing risks. There is so much one can do with construction management software that it should be an essential hub for work.
Keep Stakeholders Thoroughly Informed of Progress
You cannot deliver enough updates on construction projects for an investor or management-level stakeholder. Send them automated reports. Advise them on updates and progress on scope, budget, and timeline. Ensure stakeholders understand where a project is and how services are delivered. Document and track progress, always keeping your partners in the loop.
Consolidate Your Construction Project Software
Limit the software you use to streamline your construction project’s workflow. Consolidate as much as possible to ensure you aren’t logging into too many programs and apps to oversee it. Connect data and workflows wherever possible.
Implement Prefabrication Building Components
Prefabrication, or modular building, creates supporting structural pieces at an off-site facility and then transports the finished piece to the main location. This could be a wall, electrical system, mechanical system, or something similar. This facilitates better quality control and makes the construction project easier to execute.
Make the Most of Construction Data Analytics
Advanced analytics from construction data can provide many real-time insights, allowing you to segment, analyze, and see budgets and progress. Don’t take these analytics lightly. Use them to set benchmarks, implement better strategies, and provide more accurate forecasts on construction project completion.
