The construction project from beginning to the end is a complicated process that requires great project management techniques. The techniques needed will be useful in overseeing the time, cost, and quality of the project. Below are ways you can manage your construction project conveniently and effectively.
Plan your Construction Project
Right from the pre-construction up to the execution of the project and commissioning, there should be a clear plan of how the activities will flow. Involvement in different stages of the plan is very important as you will be able to know how, when, and who to handle what in the project.
Your plan should break down the project into manageable pieces, come up with a quality control plan, estimate the duration the project will take, and prepare budget estimates for resources necessary for each task ahead. As a construction manager, you will, therefore, ensure that the work is well organized and coordinated as poor planning can lead to cost overruns and delays in the project.
Have a Strong Power of Negotiation
Right from suppliers, subcontractors to team members, you should be able to negotiate on various matters concerning the project.
Getting a good contractor requires thorough research on their credentials and experience. Strong negotiation power can help you get the best prices from the best contractors and suppliers.
Decide Whether to Buy or Hire
When it comes to equipment, buying might be very expensive in some circumstances, therefore, the need to hire. Hiring has various advantages as it caters to short-time needs, saves money, provides specialty performance, and has low maintenance costs.
Are you looking for dry hire equipment for your construction project? You must consider it for first-class delivery of quality equipment at affordable rates as cost-effective tactics for your project.
Understand the Costs Involved
Understanding the costs involved in your project will give you a background on what resources to work with, therefore improving productivity.
It is requisite to be realistic when estimating costs. You should always consider the input of all stakeholders in the project and factor in not only things in your control, but also external factors that may affect the project in terms of financing and pricing.
Have Clear and Frequent Communication
Construction involves people from various backgrounds; therefore, clear and real-time communication on what needs to be done should be passed. Poor communication can cause you disagreements, mistakes, and delays that may lead to financial loss.
Automate your Construction Processes
Adopting the use of technology in your construction needs will indeed help in maintaining consistency and high quality of work. The use of technology can be in terms of:
- Centralizing document management. Projects have several documents that can be scattered all over. Having the documents in one place can save you time.
- Using Gantt charts to determine the scope of work and listing tasks.
- Tracking key construction data. You can closely monitor every data in your construction processes such as individual workers, materials and equipment usage.
Resources must be well assigned to tasks hence the need for monitoring. As you closely monitor the relevant data, you will be able to identify areas that need more time, improvement, or financial control.
Develop relevant KPIs
For you to manage a construction project effectively, you should develop relevant key performance indicators to help in identifying the difference between what has been achieved against the plan.
Some of the KPIs in construction projects include cost variance, which shows whether the estimated cost of the project is above or below the set baseline and Return on Investment that indicates the profitability of the construction project.