Construction was always an industry known for the scale and complexity of its projects which often include a vast number of different activities and participants working together to achieve incredible results. The more of these factors you throw into the equation the harder it becomes to create a functional chain of tasks and obligations that will keep the project within the original scope.

Let’s take a look at how this growing issue can be successfully mitigated. These are the seven tips that will help you to successfully deliver construction projects on time and on budget.

Create functional workflow maps

Creating a comprehensive workflow map of the entire undertaking you will later use to break down more specific workflows should be a starting point of any well-managed project. One of the main reasons behind resource misallocation and workforce mismanagement lies exactly in the lack of understanding of how these different factors move the project forward as a whole and who should be doing what at any given time. Of course, this workflow should be reviewed and if necessary updated on a daily basis.

Use the benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Essentially, BIM is a digital representation of the building under construction that contains information relevant for the building’s entire life cycle – from construction, through the simulated passage of time all the way to demolition. What this incredibly useful asset does is to give all the involved parties – ranging from construction workers to interior designers – a common and accessible tool they can use to corroborate ideas and improve project-wide communication. Another great thing is that the BIM models can always be expended with an indefinite number of new dimensions like sustainability and safety.

Utilize streamlined building systems

If we take a look at the construction industry over the last couple of years we will see a growing interest in prefabricated, modular buildings. Since prefabricated materials are already prepared in optimal factory conditions, putting them together on-site eliminates a lot of unknowns out of the equation and drastically streamlines the construction process. If you find precast elements too constraining, you can alternatively resort to reliable quick set concrete which hardens very quickly and offers benefits close to prefabrication. Either way, your goal is to cut the work in the open, uncontrollable environment as much as possible.

Rely on data to guide you through

Some project managers are under the impression that the process of data harvesting stops when the plans are set and the building goes under construction. That is a huge mistake. It is at the moment where the shovels start working that you need to maintain an undisrupted flow of reports, information, and updates from the worksite to the office and vice versa. Delving into this sea of Big Data will allow you to notice growing productivity gaps and other potentially disruptive developments and cut them before they start making roots.

Find a reliable project manager

The efficiency of one project depends on many things. The person making all the vital calls has to be one of the most important factors in this chain of dependencies. Without capable, experienced and reliable leadership all other aspects of the construction projects are open to failure. That is why you should strongly consider hiring a third-party company that provides professional project management services. Your investment in this area will be rewarded with streamlined workflow, professional representation, and reliable superintendence and supervision services.

Pay more attention to the workforce

Tools are only as efficient as the people that use them. That is why you should pay much stronger attention to the workforce and enforce the comprehensive policy that will maximize the workers’ potential. This policy should cover all the relevant issues ranging from employee training to shift rotations, monetary incentives, communication channels, and workplace accountability. Only the workforce that is properly trained and motivated will be able to bring even the most demanding projects into existence without any delays.

Schedule everything you can in advance

To put it simply, scheduling contractors and other third-party services as far as a couple of months in advance will remove a lot of stress off your shoulders and allow you to observe your plans enveloping with only the necessary adjustments when the actual construction works finally start. The time after the booking can be well-spent for shared analyses, workflow fine-tuning, and what’s probably the most important, establishing open communication channels between the various parties that are going to work on the project.

Set up contingencies

Of course, no matter how detailed and carefully crafted your plans might be, you need to take into account that every plan in the world is fallible. That is why, while you are devising a general project workflow, you should also come up with functional solutions to various crisis situations that may occur along the way. Keep in mind that these contingencies shouldn’t cover only the natural disasters or shortage of materials that can physically bring worksite to a halt. They should also address the issues that may affect the workforce and damage their productivity.

We hope these seven tips should help you to keep your future construction project under control and on schedule. Of course, you have to realize that no matter how contingencies set up there is always something that will escape your control. This is the harsh fact of the industry we just have to accept and live with. Still, even if problems can’t completely be banished from the worksites, they can be anticipated and properly managed. The ability to do so separates the successful project managers from those who don’t truly have a place in this business.