Architects, contractors, and engineers are integral to making your dream home a reality. They can also help you build your dream workspace or real estate property investment.
However, it is undeniable that making a project plan come to fruition is a monstrous task. Completing a construction project means you need to hire a great team. Plus, you must know the fundamentals of overseeing a project.
Given that, here are 9 actionable tips you need to know if you want to have a successful construction project:
Be Careful When Contracting
Apart from the construction work, an essential part of a project is the contract. So, study the written words there carefully, and define from the get-go every party’s agreement: What should the expectations be, and what are the risks that come with them?
Construction disputes can be avoided if there is a fair allocation of project risks.
Perform Continuous Planning
It will help if you start planning even long before the actual project begins.
You need to revise and develop the plan up until the project ends. Your project design, pre-construction, and procurement stage should be done with careful planning. The plan should also be ready for revision until the next phase of the project begins.
Keep in mind that unexpected things can happen on the construction site. For instance, when you’re experiencing environmental problems during the pre-construction phase, you might want to consider employing design changes. Over time, these adjustments can affect the entire plan and timeline.
Moreover, you might often need to work with stakeholders to develop plans which may lead to equipment delays and failures.
As a manager, your every move should be carefully executed and monitored, but often plans change in a construction project.
Have a Solid Business Strategy
Ideally, a construction project should be detailed and organized. This is to ensure no essential safety or legal guidelines will be overlooked.
When you first meet up with your team, you should develop a solid business strategy that allows you to detail what needs to be done and in which order. Keep in mind that the more complex your project is, the more time you’ll need to plan.
Incorporate Technology
Just like with any other process, construction projects take up a lot of paperwork.
There’s also a lot of agreements that need to be exchanged between the organization and its customers. ROIs and checklists also need to be filled out, plans must be designed, and a customer database should be maintained.
Some emails are often sent internally between departments and clients. To centralize all the essential information, you must have project management software.
This doesn’t just reduce the use of paper and loss of data, but it also improves your efficiency and saves time. By using cloud-based software, tracking your data online allows you to find the best kind of construction management.
Work with Reputable Suppliers
In every project, there are times where the budget, as well as the deadlines, will be tight. Working with reputable suppliers will allow you to keep costly delays and mistakes at a minimum.
By working with people you trust, you’re able to focus on your job as they do theirs.
Employ Smart Cost Control
Things like wages, permits, equipment, and materials required for a project are often exchanged between several financial resources and vendors.
From the initial bidding up until the closing of a project, construction managers must keep track and monitor expenses. This is imperative if the document has something to do with the initial budget.
Usually, no matter how small construction projects are, they are made up of a hundred moving parts. That’s why you’ll need software to make it easy for you to manage and control your expenses.
Your project management system allows you to estimate your project’s budget and revenue. Apart from that, you must have proper budget allocation and an accurate calculation of your bills.
Follow a Reasonable Construction Timeline
A construction project’s timeline is driven by the scope and the needs of the project. Don’t start a project due to time pressure because your project will suffer the consequences in the long run.
For example, at DMCI Homes Philippines, the timeline for completing a residential project can be different from when constructing a commercial property.
If too much time pressure is placed on a contractor, this might cause the contractor to cut corners. This could lead to poor artistry, which will eventually lead to defects in construction.
For example, the weather got worse than expected, affecting the overall lead time.
As much as possible, provide the contractor with enough time to do their job correctly. This means providing them with a reasonable time extension to finish the project.
Perform Periodic Contractor Audits
Regularly conducting contractor audits offers a useful and essential monitoring capacity.
With it, the user will assess whether the project can be finished on time or behind schedule.
Making periodic audits allows you to detect fraud. It also ensures that controls are in place. That way, you can verify if the contractor complied with government requirements to avoid litigation.
Work with Competent Professionals
As with any major construction project, it’s always vital that you work with competent professionals.
Make sure that you do your research, and look beyond their price quotation.
For instance, during the planning stage, a good architect allows you to design the property. This is possible by providing the right layout and professional plans.
An experienced designer will offer both safety and efficiency even after the project is completed.
Final Thoughts
Construction projects undergo a long process and take months or years to complete. To be successful at building, you need to employ a structured and process-oriented method. That way, you will know what steps you need to implement.
Every project needs the right business strategy to succeed. At the same time, you should have a contingency plan to reduce these changes’ negative impacts. Good luck!
This is a guest post from DMCI Homes.
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