Managing a construction company is always going to be a multi-faceted challenge that involves the allocation, supervision, and optimisation of assets and human resources. In order to complete a typical construction project, many individuals and teams must work together to perform complex and potentially dangerous on-site tasks. Refining the procedures and policies that govern each area of operation within a project will allow your construction company to achieve heightened productivity and profitability. To help you understand which areas of a construction business are the most crucial to work on, we’ve compiled the following list of 8 aspects that every construction company should strive to optimise:
1. Efficiency
Optimising efficiency means using less energy, materials, labour and time, while still getting the same amount (or more) done. A good example of a very specific step that can be taken to optimise efficiency would be taking an IPAF course. This would be helpful if your construction company deals with elevated or aerial work platforms that provide powered access (i.e. via a mechanical lift), where it would be best to become familiar with the rules, recommendations, and guidelines set forth by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). By ensuring that your vertical operators are well-trained in using lifts and elevated work platforms, you can achieve optimal on-site efficiency. To help improve efficiency, it might be worth looking at these IPAF courses listed on findcourses.co.uk. Their site can also help you find many different courses that will assist in your goal of optimising efficiency. Taking steps like this across the board will ensure that each of your equipment operators are saving the most time and energy.
2. Safety
Now that you’ve made sure you’re not wasting any power or money within your individual processes, it’s time to protect yourself against any potential liabilities or risks. Now, most construction company owners will already have insurance, permits, licensing, and the other basic requirements to legally complete a project, but there are many other concerned to become familiar with. For starters, you’ll want to study HSE guidelines. Taking a course in construction site safety would also be highly beneficial in helping you reduce the time it takes to carry out such due diligence.
3. Productivity & Punctuality
Any construction company that employs workers who are unproductive or lazy, will not be very constructive. Optimising productivity requires ongoing training, management, and monitoring to ensure your employees are well-equipped with the knowledge and resources needed to carry out their shift duties at peak performance. Productivity is generally measured by the amount of total work that an employee is able to perform within a shift or within a set period of time. Punctuality also plays a role. However, if you have an employee who shows up late but then proceeds to work twice as fast as their co-workers and complete twice as much work, then they’d still be the most productive employee. In an ideal scenario, you can have your employees reaching a nice balance of both punctuality and productivity.
4. Profitability
The amount your company spends on materials, labour, fuel, and other overhead expenditures will directly determine how much profit you’ll be making in each project. ‘Refining your budgets and looking for ways to cut costs without cutting corners’ is the name of the game. Somewhere between the cheapest possible route and the most expensive one there sits a happy medium where peak profitability is achieved without sacrificing quality or performance. Proficiency is a closely related trait that should be instilled in every member of your workforce, as that will help to improve profitability through the avoidance of mishaps and the maximisation of productivity. Alternatively, you can increase profits by simply landing more projects/clients and hiring more labourers to facilitate the new jobs.
5. Expansion
The art of scaling up can be even more fragile in the construction industry, where there are plenty of logistical hurdles that could stand in the way of your expansion. Still, it’s always worthwhile to expand your business reach by targeting new regions or industries and widening the catalogue of services that you provide. Every company can eventually be scaled up into a multi-state or even international enterprise – it’s just a matter of studying the principles of corporate expansion and applying them to your construction company’s business model. However, it is important to realise that expanding is not always the smartest move. Before you overwhelm your staff with tasks that they can’t handle, it’s best to make sure you’ve adequately handled all of the other aspects on this list to the extent that you’re confident in your company’s ability to take on much more work than it currently has.
6. Organisation & Quality
Having a sloppy and disorganised work site can lead to liabilities due to an increased risk of injury or property damage. Likewise, poor organisation can also be directly related to a lower quality of finishing work, which could lead to dissatisfied clients, negative reviews, and ultimately, a damaged business reputation. Site supervisors and managers should be trained in workplace organisation and should enforce a set of fundamental policies that govern the way work areas are kept, cleaned, and maintained. Enhanced organisation will also lead to easier access to tools and equipment, so this aspect ties together with your goals to improve productivity and workplace safety as well.
7. Marketing & Branding
Once you’ve taken care of all of the concerns above, and your construction company is operating like a well-oiled machine, it’s time start cranking up the volume on your marketing and advertising efforts. Creating brand awareness for your company will generate additional leads, clients, and projects. This final step will set your company up to achieve optimal gains in aspects #3, #4, and #5 listed above – productivity, profitability, and expansion. Even small steps like investing in a custom logo and slogans for your work vehicles can have a significant impact on improving public perception of your brand.
8. Reputation
How many positive reviews does your company have online? Is your brand well-known locally? Working on the public reputation of your company will help to sway potential clients in favour of dealing with you instead of the competition. Getting your initial online feedback can be difficult, but once you’ve gotten past the first 5-10 positive reviews, you’ll start to notice an increase in interest, enquiries, and engagement on your website and social media pages. The bottom line is, you need to take steps to establish your brand as an authoritative presence in your region’s construction industry, as opposed to yet another contractor with a team of labourers. Reputation is everything in the construction industry because you’ll need an extensive portfolio and spotless online profiles to land some of the premium projects that will have you working with higher-paying clients.
Why Fix It If It Isn’t Broken?
As the owner or manager of a construction company, you should know that many construction projects aren’t related to repairs; sometimes a renovation or an upgrade is required. That is essentially what you’re doing for your company by methodically optimising all of the aspects listed above. You may already be getting plenty of business and have more work than you can handle, but scaling up is definitely an indicator that you’re stepping up the level of success, prestige, and wealth that your company is capable of generating.
