As a small business owner in the construction industry, organization is crucial. Not only can it help keep your job site safe, but it can also help your business grow. If you are managing multiple job sites, organization is critical to your company’s success. Below, you’ll find six things that you can do to help keep your construction company organized.
1. Map Projects Beforehand
One of the best ways to keep projects organized is to map them out ahead of time. Before starting a construction project, you and your team should not only have an idea of the project deadline but the goals you wish to achieve by completing the project as well. Furthermore, you can outline things like who needs to be included on the project as well. Having this information in place before a project begins will help streamline the construction process.
2. Go Digital
There are apps available that eliminate the need for paper blueprints. You should consider purchasing cloud storage for your construction company and provide site managers with access. This way, they can upload or download any critical documents from their mobile phone. Eliminating paper trails is one of the best ways to ensure that vital documents aren’t lost in the shuffle.
3. Manage, But Don’t Micromanage
As the owner of a company, you need to make sure that you hire trustworthy site managers. You should make an effort to manage these individuals without micromanaging them. Consider having things like weekly calls at the end of the week to discuss any progress made throughout the week and what the site manager has in store for the next week.
Micromanaging your crew could show that you don’t trust them. It could also make it very challenging for managers to perform their jobs.
4. Project Timelines
Another way to make sure that you’re organized is by having a system to keep track of project deadlines. You should not just keep track of when the expected completion of the project is. Instead, you should break down your management into smaller tasks. For instance, “installing windows” is a measurable task. Breaking your projects down into quantifiable tasks can help keep you more organized.
5. Follow Up
After you finish a project, you should debrief with your team to determine what went right and what went wrong. By learning from your mistakes and implementing changes, you’ll likely make the process significantly more manageable in the future for you and your team.
6. Use Time Clock Software
More and more construction owners have begun switching to time clock software. Time clock software allows employees to clock in and out of a job site remotely, eliminating the need for paper time sheets. No longer will owners have stacks of time sheets thrown aimlessly around the desk.
Time clock software allows both the employer and employee to view their pay sheet in real time. If there are any problems or inconsistencies, managers can correct the problem immediately. The ability to stay on top of things like this can go a long way toward project organization.