Project management’s primary goal is to maximize the probability of producing a successful project in all its stages. However, the likelihood of project failure is considerable, especially where budgets and timelines are tight. The only way to escape failure is to follow an innovative strategy throughout the planning and construction processes. One simple but effective change you can make is to find the best matched technological solution in the market that will assist you in your work. Unfortunately, even with the recent increasing popularity of construction software, some challenges still hinder construction companies. The central challenge for these firms is to gain the required knowledge and correct information from the technological market to be able to choose the software they need. The 2015 global construction project owners’ survey found that only 50% of 100 construction firms surveyed are using project management software, a number that should be much higher.
As a construction manager, you may face a problem in tracking all your project defects and scheduling their completion, but you don’t know if there’s a tool in the market that can help. Once you start using PlanRadar, you will find yourself capturing defects with one click, documenting evidence and scheduling a task with no effort at all: problem solved. Every construction firm should have an employee who is responsible for searching the market for the essential tools which the company needs. When you have the correct tools in place you can stop worrying about being left behind as construction goes digital. Instead, you will create and maintain an updated workplace leaving behind older methods of management that are no longer working effectively.
Project management in the construction industry – An innovative framework
Pausing to review your team’s practices and make changes is not an easy undertaking because they are surrounded by many pressurized and time-sensitive tasks all day. Nevertheless, a research paper titled Assessing Innovation Practices in Project Management studied the case of construction projects, innovative methods and how to implement them. The research established a guidance framework which shows that it can be easy and cheap for project managers to encourage innovation and that it can result in maximized efficiency and productivity. The author divided the strategy into four primary sectors, strategic management, stakeholder’s management, internal innovative work environment and external innovative work environment. The most important practices for enabling innovation are as follows:
Strategic management
- Establishing a vision that embraces innovation.
- Establishing smart objectives.
- Formulating strategies.
- Conducting an internal audit of “Strength & Weakness”
- Conducting an external audit of “Opportunities & Threats”
Stakeholder’s management
- Identifying stakeholders.
- Exploring stakeholders’ needs and constraints relating to projects.
- Analysing conflicts among stakeholders.
- Ensuring effective communication between stakeholders.
- Evaluating the stakeholders’ satisfaction.
- Involving stakeholders in decision-making.
- Keeping and promoting an ongoing relationship with stakeholders.
Internal innovative work environment
- Employee motivation and job satisfaction.
- Provide appropriate internal conditions for workers in terms of ventilation, lighting, services, tools, etc.
- Provide an innovative culture within the organization.
- Dynamic, open-minded and supportive top management.
- Provide rewards and recognition for creative work.
- Ensure that workloads are managed so staff have sufficient time to pursue innovation.
- Provide training for employees.
External innovative work environment
- Responding to changes in customer needs.
- Use of new technology.
- Dealing with social and environmental variables.
- Dealing with the economic and political variables.
- Collaborate and communicate with competitors.
- Collaborate and communicate with suppliers.
- Reacting to market changes and competitors.
If you follow this framework while working on any project, you will be amazed by the results. Without knowing and following the steps required for success you’ll struggle to get the results you want and the same rule can be applied in project management. Building on the above statements, we’ve collected key principles of construction project management for working with a guided sequence of work.
3 Primary principles of construction management
Construction management work is full of various responsibilities. Did you know that the construction management associations of America have stated that project managers in construction project work can be tasked with more than 120 responsibilities? The trick to managing this endless list of tasks is to implement a strategy that embraces the main principles of construction management and to work with the right Software for Construction. This will ensure that each member of the project meets their targets. Follow the three primary principles to formulate your project plan now.
Choose a platform for communication: Make sure you are in contact with every stakeholder, supplier and contractor in the project. One of the best ways is to use a project management software that allows you to send and receive any data within your project team. PlanRadar provides this feature by letting you instantly contact any project member using in-app notifications. Discover this feature and more by trying the software for 30 days free of charge now.
Make a continuous risk analysis plan: There will always be unexpected risks and challenges in any project. You should be prepared to face these challenges as they arise and take into account any anticipated events or defects by preparing a backup plan. This way, you will minimize the risks and alleviate stress worrying about upcoming defects.
Enhance your work monitoring systems: No matter the size of the project, monitoring and tracking your progress is a must. The good news is that you don’t have to do it manually anymore. Today you can use a computerized system for remote monitoring on-site and software like PlanRadar to assist the project manager following up on developments and defects. Construction software gives you the chance of not only documenting with traditional methods, but also attaching images or voice memos using PlanRadar’s software.
Construction management concept – Simplicity is the key solution
Each project is made up of unique situations and conditions, yet there are fundamental concepts that can be used across the board to enhance efficiency. These solutions involve the choice of technology, clear definition of tasks, identifying the positive and negative relationships between project members, accurate estimation of the required resources and effective scheduling. Following these concepts will lead you to a clear construction plan, which will lead to a successful project. It’s a critical task and needs a lot of effort to be coordinated, but the easiest way to make changes is to keep them as simple as you can.
For example, if you wanted to install a new environmental system in your facility which is still under construction, you start by following the previously mentioned concepts. First, choose a specialist to perform the calculations and design the system needed. Second, identify the specialist’s tasks and define their relationship with the rest of the project parties. Finally, let them design and communicate all their requirements which are to be coordinated with the supplier responsible. In this way, you have implemented a new strategy for your project, just by using straightforward and necessary steps with no obstruction or delays in the project workflow.
Best practice in construction project management you can use to enhance your productivity
Construction project management tasks are never repetitive because the project goes through different phases with different duties. But what should you do to follow a good construction management strategy besides using suitable construction software? Firstly, you have to make sure that you have correctly planned every detail in your project. Secondly, follow these small steps that can change your working efficiency:
- Before starting your work, make sure to confirm the existing scope, budget, and schedule of the project.
- Check your contracts before working and don’t start before you obtain all the necessary legal papers.
- Arrange a repeating scheduled meeting with the owner and stakeholders to share project updates with them.
- Plan and organize each step so you can save yourself time and prevent yourself from becoming too busy to respond to problems.
- Establish a competent and collaborative working team that works as one unit.
- Establish a project authority chart that shows the team hierarchy and responsibilities for each member and share it with your team.
- Emphasize that quality is the first target because poorly completed work will eventually cost you more in terms of both time and money.
- Document all your work. This will be your first tool to use in case of any disputes, litigation or claims.
Main functions of construction management – How PlanRadar assists you in each one of them
The importance of project management in the construction industry is that it controls the three main stages of a project, planning, directing and monitoring. Although these basic management functions have been developed and branched out, they are common in most construction projects. In this section, you will learn how PlanRadar can help you to succeed in each step.
Planning: The first thing PlanRadar can do for you is providing updated statistics and documents for your project so you can be assured that every work completed is fully documented. You can then take things you’ve learnt from past work with you into new projects. In terms of building plans, you can upload new versions of blueprints easily so that site teams are always working from the correct document.
Directing: To be a successful manager, you must always be connected to your team members, so that it’s easy to share tasks and give instructions. That’s precisely what PlanRadar does for you. The software provides an exceptional platform to connect you with your team and your contractors. This way, you can stay focused and on the right track.
Monitoring: Monitoring your project is no longer a difficult task with PlanRadar. The key feature of the software is “ticketing” which allows you to document any defect with full details on the digital plan of the project. It’s easy to navigate using the filters and you can attach anything you want to each ticket, including voice memos and images. Furthermore, you can immediately assign it to the responsible team member or contractor to guarantee that it is scheduled for completion at the same time as the issue is raised.
You have the chance to try PlanRadar software for 30 days free and if you have any further questions you can always contact our customer centre.
