How to Improve Productivity on a Construction Site
Because labor, material, and equipment costs are essentially the same in any given area, gaining a competitive advantage in the construction industry is increasingly difficult. It means that one of the only ways to increase profit margins is to ramp up production. However, if this isn’t done responsibly, it could have a drastically negative impact on quality control.
Run a Processes Audit
The first step to improving your company’s productivity without diminishing results is to break down each element of your workflow. Run a process audit so that you can better understand each sector of your business. From this, you be able to learn which components are the cause of delays and then work out whether or not fixing them is worth the ROI. Commissioning a study like this will mean that you can better prioritize which areas can be improved rather than wasting resources on unrealistic expectations.
Upgrade to New Equipment
Next, consider the importance of the heavy machinery you use on a day-to-day basis. This equipment is often expensive and, to help offset some of the initial cost, many businesses opt for older models or previously used units. While this is understandable from a financial perspective, it doesn’t take into account the potential gains that more modern equipment could offer. Remember, even the most experienced tradesmen can’t complete a task without the right tools and it’s no different on a construction site. While feature-strapped equipment might be cheap, it can also drastically limit the results of your workforce.
Invest in Staff Training
Similarly, your employees represent one of your most valuable assets. After all, nobody knows the job better than they do. That doesn’t mean that even experienced members of the team can’t learn something new though. Staff training courses can help to improve your employee’s strengths and weaknesses to help create a more balanced and capable workforce. There are a wide range of different courses relevant to people working in this industry, and even a short-term program could have a significant effect on your future projects.
Plan Ahead of Time
Finally, recent studies show that the typical construction site is often highly unproductive. In fact, for the average worker, around half of their time on the job is spent waiting around. It’s important to understand that this isn’t the result of unprofessionalism, but instead a failure from those higher in command to properly relay instructions back to the team. A project manager needs to outline every step of the process far ahead of time, with adverse weather, equipment failure, and any other unforeseen circumstances all taken into account.
While the limitations in differentiating your construction business may seem frustrating, you could also see it as a positive. Rather than getting caught up in an endless game of trying to undercut your competitors, you’re instead able to focus on improve your craft and letting the results speak for themselves.
