Setting New Year’s Resolutions are a common practice…but actually following through with them are not. The same holds true for organizational goals. This week, construction firms all over the state are excitedly envisioning all they might accomplish this year. But once those projects get underway, it’s easy to stray off-course. To help your organization have a successful 2022, we’re sharing three tactics that will help you stick to – and reach – the goals you set.
Identify Milestones to Meet
Chances are, you have already been awarded a new project to be completed this year. If you’re like most construction companies, you’ve jumped right in without much thought to how they will get the project done. We’ll admit, big-picture planning is exciting. But it’s the smaller steps that make that vision become a reality.
Before you get too far ahead of yourself, begin by outlining each project’s basic needs such as:
- What materials and equipment need to be sourced to get this project done?
- Who do you need to hire to complete the work?
Moving forward without tangible targets like the above set in place will not only cause delays, it will also cut into your bottom-line. Any time you’re tempted to jump ahead, remind yourself of the saying, “haste makes waste.”
Stay On-Track with your Schedule
Once you have clear milestones in place, your next step is to outline a schedule with digestible daily tasks. We recommend setting a time for key decision-makers, which could be the project superintendent and foreman, to come together to draft a plan for each week. There are many ways to keep your crew on the same page. Consider:
- A flip chart that can guide the project week by week, one page at a time.
- A large white board that keeps the full calendar of tasks top of mind.
- A digital file that is easily shareable and editable.
No matter how you communicate the schedule, it’s important to clearly lay out every task and specific scope of work for each team member. Some things you’ll want to call out include:
- Specific selections that must be made to keep the project on-track.
- Key dates when approvals, permits or inspections must be submitted.
- Any and all contractual deadlines that the client expects to be met.
The trick is to always be thinking ahead. This isn’t a one-time exercise. Those same decision-makers will need to meet regularly to update the schedule according to the project progress. A good rule of thumb is updating the master schedule every two to four weeks.
Keep Budget in Mind
Equally as important as setting the project schedule is establishing the project budget. Once you’ve agreed to the overall working budget, you’ll need to create processes that ensure you’re staying within the budget, not exceeding it. Stay up to date on:
- Weekly hours worked for every team member.
- Total equipment and material total costs.
We recommend monitoring costs like these with ongoing assessment of the cost to date.
As you get settled back into routine after the holiday, avoid the urge of falling back into your old ways of working. Now is the time to establish strong working habits for yourself and your organization. Embrace this time when you still feel energized and inspired to make 2022 successful.
