It is impossible to avoid challenges if you are a businessman. And it does not matter which niche or industry area you make a specialty out of. Many entrepreneurs face various issues when it comes to the construction sector as well. One of the sharpest questions that arise today is risk-free and efficient management.
That is why managing construction projects remains among the most complicated tasks for present-day contractors, subcontractors, and other building agents in the local markets. The most helpful and one-fits-all tip is to use specific digital tools for maximum automation of the processes required by your workflows. For example, building estimator software will come in handy for improvements in management in the context of pre-construction arrangements (estimating, costing, reporting, etc.).
When it comes to poor managing of tasks and processes in building, one of the most dangerous issues can appear finally – over-budgeting and delays. According to the latest research presented by McKinsey’s analytical center, about 97% of construction projects do not meet planned budgets. And about 78% of today’s projects face delays, missed deadlines, and prolongations of terms.
How to Improve Your Project Management in Construction?
First, you need to take a closer look at the most common challenges and helpful recommendations for solving these issues. This way you will be able to tailor your strategies according to all the weak spots detected. Only imagine that all the problems can be solved easily at the very beginning of this or that construction phase.
Even if we speak about the starting point of the project with the pre-construction phase, it is better to pay attention to automation and digitization properties in the context of budget planning (including estimates and costing backgrounds). That is why the implementation of the best-matching project bidding software to the existing system is a top-priority task for most contractors.
Additionally, there are other five challenges that are widespread for builders in the 21st century including individual specialists like subs who perform small-size projects and giant firms of skillful contractors who specialize in large-scale orders throughout the world.
Top 5 Challenges Most Contractors Face Concerning Construction Management
It is impossible to mention all the weak spots that annoy contractors and bring other serious problems after this or that challenge takes place. But we are going to take a closer look at the most common problems in the context of construction management:
- Setting the goals – you can dream about great achievements but if they are unreal, nothing is going to happen. Have clear goals that you can reach with the help of your efforts including money, time, and activities. Be practical and realistic in your desires and expectations.
If you would like to reach your sacred goals faster, be ready to speed up your processes and invest more in improvements, optimizations, etc. Plus, digitization might help when it comes to risk management. For example, planning systems and software based on the critical path method can come in handy.
- Communication & interactions – poor collaboration experiences mean failed tasks of project managers and specialists of risk management in construction. Be ready to ask your teammates five critically important questions (What, Why, Where, When, Who). Collect as many insights as you can. Try to have a clear idea of any interaction with stakeholders.
Digitization of communication flows is a thing when it comes to messengers, digital tools for dialogs, and spreadsheet processing (cloud-based programs for document sharing, commenting, and editing). There is special-purpose digital project document management software with all-in-one solutions for paperless collaborations and remote-friendly operations.
- Budgeting issues – overruns and any problems with budget planning are usually caused by overestimating or underestimating. That is why it is reasonable to think of specific software for automated estimating, costing, and bidding.
It is worth noting that today’s AI algorithms and digital-friendly solutions presented in the management programs can help with both internal and external factors that have a direct impact on your budgeting woes (including changing the project in scope, ignorance of estimates by stakeholders, rebuilding costs, price escalations, and many more).
- Scheduling troubles – if you cannot plan your time according to these and those stages, you are likely to have issues with scheduling. But it is possible to do away with poor planning of your time and deadline maps.
To cope with unrealistic resource projections can be solved with the help of digital tools. Use software with time management algorithms that can offer win-win proportions and efficient timing tips while taking into account both physical and non-physical aspects.
- Ever-changing specifications – remember that scope creep and other unpleasant surprises can take place. This is about your uncontrollable processes in construction management. For this purpose, it is better to create efficient backup plans to restore progress and be ready for the ever-changing environments.
To sum up, being digital is a good idea for present-day businessmen in the construction sector. Paperless workflows, automated operations, digital-friendly reporting, and budget planning are required for your great performance on the market. Most challenges can be prevented or solved in the initial stage. That is why be ready for optimizations through being-digital approaches right here and now.
