4 Tips to Better Organise Your Construction Projects

We are now half a month into 2022, and by now, many of us have made some new year's resolutions. Although many people see these resolutions as unnecessary pressure and unrealistic goals, in terms of your business, it's good to set clear and measurable goals that will keep you motivated and help you grow your business!

I'm sure that for many, "keeping projects on a schedule and within a budget" is high on your resolutions list. Or maybe, you would just like to be less stressed by your job?
Everything is doable, but there is one thing you can't skip if you want to achieve your project-related goals. You need to step up your organisation game!

If you are wondering where to start - we are here to help. We’re about to give you 4 construction project organisation tips to make your work faster, more efficient and less stressful!

• 01

  Planning is key!
  
  It may seem obvious, but you cannot underestimate the importance of solid and thorough planning. Even if you feel like the clock is ticking, and you should jump right into work and organise on the go - trust me, devoting the time to really understand the scope and character of work and creating a roadmap for project execution is a lifesaver. In addition, it is crucial to consider all of your resources, including materials, workforce and equipment necessary to accomplish specific tasks.
  
  When your plan is ready, it is time to schedule work and allocate your resources accordingly, so that the process operates smoothly and most efficiently. Make sure to collaborate with your team and to check in with your subcontractors and suppliers to ensure you set realistic timelines for each stage of the project (check out how we make it easy with Supplier Management and Specialist Contractor Management).

  The top things your plan should include are:

  • Project objectives

  • Budget

  • Project timeline

  • Team members’ responsibilities

  • Project schedule

  How can Archdesk help?
  Our Programme of Works solution lets you plan out your whole process in the software and manage scheduled tasks, resources, responsibilities and more, while the project is running, and inevitably some disruptions pop up. This way, you and your team always know what you should be doing and what the dependencies between tasks are. In addition, the available Gantt chart view lets you see your project's outlook, ensuring optimisation of resources, time, and costs.
  
  Pair it up with the Scheduling solution, and never again worry about asset double-booking or unnecessary delays caused by mismanagement! Our scheduler gives you an instant insight into your resource planning and supports you in maximising their time by noticing the gaps and easily making adjustments. Use the calendar view to see the whole project schedule to make sure you make the most of the given time frame.

• 02

  Establish workflows and automate what you can
  
  Do you know that feeling when you have to remember about so many little things that you feel like they start slipping your mind? I bet at least some of those things are pretty repetitive in project execution - so why not automate them?
  
  Establishing transparent step-by-step workflows in your process gives you two benefits. Firstly, if you take time to plan out the procedures for different situations carefully, it gives your team and you the structure that will only increase the efficiency of your actions. There will be no confusion or chaos; everyone will know precisely the correct order of steps and the dependencies and responsibilities within the process. When you find a procedure that works for you, standardising it will also give you a better chance of holding people accountable and measuring your performance.
  
  Secondly, in the digital transformation era, many management solutions give you an option of automating some of these processes - and trust me, this will already take a lot off your shoulder. Furthermore, an automated process is far less prone to human error and, if done right, is a golden ticket to faster, more efficient and smoother operations.
  
  How can Archdesk help?
  If you are wondering how exactly you could automate your processes, let me give you an example of how our Workflow Management works! With this solution, you can map out all the processes you need, from project management, through operations and finances, to resource management. Your procedure will automatically progress once the requirement of a given step has been met. In practice, it means no chasing after a person on-site to sign a form or looking for far too long once something is approved. Everything is in the system, available to all team members who need access to a given process, and you can check its status at any time.

• 03

  Keep your data organised
  
  It is estimated that construction employees spend about 90 minutes PER DAY "looking for stuff". The stuff includes contact numbers, equipment, different teammates… but it also includes looking for the important project information, specifications, approvals or any other documentation you may need in the construction process. That's why keeping your data in order and having all documentation neatly organised - preferably in one place, is the way to go! And there is no better place for that than cloud-based software.
  Why?
  Because you can access the necessary documents from anywhere and whenever you need them. Imagine how much easier (and quicker) it would be for you and your employees to just open software on your computer or a mobile app and find all relevant information there. Instead of looking for a person to tell you where to find another person who could tell you where you should be looking… you know what I mean.
  
  How can Archdesk help?
  For starters - Archdesk is a cloud-based software that can give you access to all information you need at your fingertips. But additionally, we offer you a Document Management solution to make it even easier to stay organised. No matter how much data you have, each document can be assigned its place in a project-specific folder so that it's easily accessible by the right staff in the right department. All uploaded changes will update automatically on other web-enabled devices so that everyone is on the same page! Our solutions also give you the ability to manage access to your data so that you can rest assured it is always secure.
  
  Storing data is one thing - obtaining it, is another. And it's not always easy. Our Forms solutions can help you with this, making data sharing easier and quicker than ever, both internally and externally. You can create your own customised form that will align with your needs and add it to any stage of the process - you can also automate actions that will be triggered by form completion.
  
  If you want more tips on getting the most out of construction data, check out this article!
  → Project Management: Construction Data Analytics - Understanding & Leveraging Project's Data

• 04

  Stay on top of your daily tasks and prioritise
  
  Sometimes the most straightforward methods are the best. Everyone who has ever tried it knows that making a simple to-do list can help get the job done. Creating daily or weekly lists of all little tasks you need to do can be a lifesaver when there is a lot of pressure and it is easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of work. It is essential to set priorities in your to-do list to always know what to do next and reduce the amount of stress. Keeping a to-do list and prioritising will make it more manageable and help you stay focused.
  
  As a project manager, you are also responsible for delegating tasks and setting priorities for your team. Introducing daily huddle meetings on-site in the morning is a great way to keep everybody in the loop and ensure everyone knows what they should be doing. A daily huddle is a short fifteen to twenty-minute meeting to set priorities, discuss the task of the day and address any concerns that can arise, so that your team starts the day on the right track and you are certain that there are no doubts over what needs to be done.
  
  How can Archdesk help?
  We don't underestimate the importance of a good task list! Our To-Do's feature lets you keep track of all your tasks in the system. You can organise them according to their urgency and importance, set categories and determine how long it will take to complete them.
  And thanks to our notification system, you will never lose track of any task from your list.
  With this tool, you can also assign tasks to any team or employee and share relevant files!

Developing efficient organisation habits and methods is the key to staying on time, saving money and keeping the cortisol levels within healthy limits. Modern digital management software gives construction companies tools to, if used correctly, make their life easier! If you want to learn more about how Archdesk can help you stay organised and make your work more efficient, check out the rest of our solutions and our blog, where we share many useful tips!

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