The residential construction industry is currently experiencing an exponential boom, and a lack of skilled trade professionals means an overabundance of jobs. Among the fastest-growing and most-needed positions in new home construction include electricians, glass installation and repair technicians, masons, plumbers, roofers, and project managers.
While there is a high demand for these positions, demand alone won’t help your construction team continue to land jobs. To make a positive impression on builders and increase credibility within the industry, brush up on the following six best practices in construction project management.
How to Manage Builders’ Expectations
Builders expect three things from construction projects: The requested job completed efficiently, within budget and on time. Effortlessly check off all three all while showcasing your professionalism and expertise by:
Managing Expectations – Sometimes in construction expectations can become unrealistic, and timelines drag on. Avoid this by clearly defining and communicating expectations with the builder and your employees to help stay within budget and on track.
Building the Right Team – Homebuilding projects reach the highest levels of success when each member of the team is utilized for expertise in their field. A project manager who knows the capabilities of each of their contractors can assign teams correctly so that the entire process is more efficient.
Documenting the Details – Notating details of your construction projects is vital in case the builder has any issues or questions with your work. This means that not only you as the project manager but also your contractors need to maintain detailed notes for every aspect of the construction project. While the number of notes quickly adds up, recent advancements in project management software simplify the notetaking process, which allows you to easily track, manage, and record information about every aspect of the home building process and control how data is collected, stored, and distributed.
Anticipating Project Issues – Effective project managers and the contractors who work for them are accustomed to expecting the unexpected. The most successful managers are so detailed in their scheduling and task progression that they can address issues before they arise.
Communicating Quickly and Effectively – The world of constant communication is particularly crucial for construction management. Any delay in receiving confirmation or details on projects can easily push timelines. With project management software available, creating or confirming schedule updates, documenting hours and materials used, and any information related to the job can easily be done within seconds on your phone.
Taking Advantage of Technological Resources – Technological advances in the digital age have changed many of the processes and methods for the management of new home construction. Project management software integrates information related to past, present, and future work of personnel, materials and budget details. Plus, potential setbacks can be addressed in real-time to avoid added costs and time.
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