How To Effectively Track Your Construction Project

Projects can be chaotic. Any experienced contractor has managed a project that felt more like trying to manage an uncaged zoo than a construction site; anything from resource constraints, scheduling issues and missed deadlines can all add to the chaos of a jobsite. However, avoiding these nightmares is easier than you think; here are some tips on what to keep track of in order for your project to go according to schedule.

Saves Time

No matter the size of the job, establishing a project timeline for all involved parties to follow is paramount to the completion of the project. Following the project timeline can be difficult, as unexpected things always pop up (delays, change orders, issues with permits), but it at least gives everybody an idea of what needs to be done day to day. Dividing the project into chunks (also known as “sprints”) is a great way to tackle objectives, and makes the management of the project simple to follow. Rather than focusing on the project as a whole, breaking it up into sprints makes following the timeline more manageable and less stressful for all parties involved. Pillar’s project management section allows for the creation of a project timeline to be followed by you, your clients and your subs; everything from payment schedules to selection and orders deadlines are all easy to track through our calendar and tasks bar.

Reduces Cost

Projects often go over budget for various reasons– setbacks, unavailable materials, etc. Although the homeowner is responsible for the costs, changes in costs can be a shock to homeowners, delaying your work and causing you to spend more time on a project than necessary. Who wants that? Keeping the client as involved as possible on the project can help avoid delays and save on cost, especially when they know exactly when they need to make their selections so orders can be placed on time. A lack of organization and communication are what cause the majority of increased costs on projects– finding ways to improve those are the most effective ways to save on cost.

Improves Safety

Safety on site is heavily regulated, we all know OSHA is just waiting for a reason to come in and ruin the fun. Regardless, any accident on site can result in significant fines, and even heavier damage to your reputation. Conducting frequent safety sessions is a great way to mitigate these possibilities, as well as running compliance audits. Here are some more consequences of the lack of safety in construction, and how to improve it on your sites.

Makes Projects More Sustainable 

Sustainability is more than just a trend, it is the future of all industries, especially in construction. Finding new, environmentally friendly materials are appealing to clients, as it makes them feel better about their project. Being able to repurpose material during a remodel is a great way to advertise yourself to environmentally conscious clients. Working with high levels of efficiency is a great way to market yourself as a sustainable contractor as well. Minimizing change orders reduces the amount of shipments being placed for the project, and less shipments means less trucks, boats and planes traveling to deliver these materials, which we know are the enemies of sustainability. Being able to explain to future clients how you can minimize the impact on the environment through effective management not only makes your clients feel good about themself, but makes you look even better, and will generate more leads and referrals down the line. Check out our article on sustainability and construction to learn more ways on how to remodel sustainably.

Increases Project Quality

Quality of your projects is how your firm is evaluated. Deviating away from your clients standards is how you lose leads and referrals, which enough of these can lead to the demise of a company. Keeping the client as involved as possible on their project is a great way to minimize the chance of this happening– that’s why Pillar focuses so heavily on client coordination and communication. It’s their project, you’re building it, and the more they communicate their vision to you, the easier it is for you to adhere to their vision. Your work is high quality, you’re a master of your craft, we want to make sure that the work speaks for itself, all the while keeping your clients satisfied. 

How Pillar Can Help

We’re not your average project management software– after interviewing hundreds of contractors, we found that most of the headaches on site boiled down to one culprit; client communication. This is why we built Pillar with the vision of increasing communication between contractors and their clients, accomplishing it through various features such as selections, tasks, order management, payment management and many others. Find out how easy client coordination can be, come visit us at our website.