9 Tips to Improve Efficiency On Your Construction Site

Time is money, they say - that's why maintaining efficiency and job site productivity is so important. From the moment your business has been awarded a contract, time is of the essence. From planning and scheduling to maintaining job site safety, there are many things you can do to ensure that your progress is as quick and efficient as possible.

1. Establish Good Communication Practices

Good communication is critical for avoiding disputes with clients, ensuring that materials and labor is available when the time comes, and for improving overall efficiency on the job site. Establish good communication with major stakeholders early in the project, and maintain good communication throughout the project.

• As soon as delays begin, use the lines of communication among workers, subcontractors, suppliers and other involved parties to find out the cause.
• Use communication to resolve delays.

2. Proper Planning

As soon as the contract is signed, it's time to start establishing a construction plan. Planning starts with defining the work tasks, listing necessary materials, and determining which tools and labor will be required to complete the job. Once the plan is finished, it's time to create a construction schedule, during which estimated start and completion dates are assigned for various work tasks. There are a variety construction software options that can help with this.

• Order materials as soon as possible to keep your construction timeline moving. Supplies can be difficult to obtain - and this has been especially true in the last couple years.
• Assign labor to the job to ensure that your workforce is available for the project.
• Assess your tools to ensure that you've got the right tools and equipment for the work to begin.

If you're an experienced contractor, looking at similar jobs you've completed in the past can help you plan for the future. Learn from previous mistakes to keep the work flowing.

3. Hire Good Supervision

Job site productivity is heavily dependent upon good leadership. Unless you're able to be on the job site at all times, hire an experienced site supervisor to assist your project manager with scheduling and project planning.

The site supervisor is responsible for tracking materials, supplies, tools, labor and more. Your supervisor will also closely monitor the budget to ensure the work is being finished according to the plan. When problems arise, your site supervisor will bring issues to your attention, and mitigate them.

4. Perform Quality Work

Shoddy work can lead to problems. When one worker does something wrong, it will need to be redone later, causing delays. Teach workers to do the work right and do the work at a pace that helps them to avoid mistakes.

5. Maintain Strict Safety Standards

Your construction site can't be productive if it isn't safe. In addition to raising costs and negatively impacting morale, accidents cause delays and work stoppages. Accident investigations take time away from getting the job done.

• If you have an on-site safety professional, work with them to ensure that all workers are adhering to safety requirements and best practices.
• Create a site-specific safety plan and communicate your plan with everyone on the job site.
• Provide workers with PPE and other safety equipment. Train workers to use their PPE properly, and enforce strict requirements for using PPE whenever necessary.
• Conduct regular safety meetings with your team.

6. Ensure Equipment is Ready

Delivery of the equipment needs to occur before the work with the equipment begins, even if only a few days before. This helps ensure that your workers will have the tools they need to get the work done when the time comes. And, if work runs ahead of schedule, having the equipment on-site early can help keep work flowing.

• Keep up with equipment maintenance to ensure that it's ready to use when the time comes.
• Replace equipment as needed, to provide your workers with the best tools for the job.

7. Provide Proper Training

Train workers to perform work properly. Put an emphasis on safety, performing quality work and following best practices all the time. Providing proper training is a way to keep the workers on the job site working effectively together.

Remember that providing training is a continuous effort. Even the best-trained employees need refreshers from time to time, and newly hired employees need a lot of training to do the work properly.

8. Make Use of On-Site Technology

Now more than ever there's a plethora of technology that can help contractors streamline processes and improve job site productivity. This technology includes project management software, payroll software, scheduling and forecasting software and more. When trying to choose productivity software, start by identifying parts of your business that aren't running as smoothly as others, and then find corresponding software that can help with this.

9. Work with the Right Vendors

The best material and equipment suppliers are reliable, trustworthy, and they come through when you need them to. Finding the right vendors can help keep your business running smoothly.

When seeking a new vendor, shop around. If necessary, try multiple vendors before settling on the vendor that you'd most like to establish a business relationship with.

Get referrals from other contractors, if you're not sure which vendors are best. Interview vendors before choosing the one you like best. When you do find a vendor that can deliver on promises on time every time, maintain a good relationship with that vendor. Pay bills on time, maintain open lines of communication, and work with that vendor to maintain a positive, professional relationship.

Need a Reliable Equipment and Material Supplier? Call Bracing Systems

Bracing Systems provides a variety of services to contractors including scaffolding, masonry supplies, safety equipment and more. Check out our construction resources online or contact us today to find out more about working with us. We prioritize having professional relationships with contractors.