How to Improve Efficiency and Productivity on Construction Sites

Construction businesses of all types need to have the ability to deliver services and products in the most efficient and cost-effective way without sacrificing quality. Construction businesses also have unique considerations.

For example, the safety of equipment and worksites is essential.

So how can the efficiency in construction be improved for the best outcomes and profitability?

Whether it’s a small home renovation project or a large-scale job, the following are tips for efficiency and productivity on the job.

Use Available Technology

Labor productivity is directly impacted by improvements in technology. Productivity rates for the construction industry have lagged behind every other sector. The construction industry also spends less than 1% of its trillion-dollar revenues on information technology.

Construction businesses of all sizes need to adapt to the use and availability of modern technology.

Project management software is one example.

With the use of software, companies can track work in a simple, centralized way.

These software solutions will often include options to store important documents in one place and add plans and change orders.

There’s some evidence that using project management software can improve the productivity rates of a construction team by as much as 25%.

Mobile technology can be adopted in construction to help ensure constant connection and communication. Think about the use of tools like instant messaging apps. Then you don’t have employees who need to wait for face-to-face interaction when they have a simple question.

Communication

A primary reason for low productivity rates on jobsites is a lack of communication.

Poor communication is the enemy of productivity in any industry.

There needs to be a pathway for communication between the office and the supervisors onsite. Then, these stakeholders need to be effectively communicating with workers as well.

Research shows that 62% of general contractors believe the declines in construction labor productivity are due to a lack of communication and coordination between team members.

A report from FMI found construction professionals spend 35% of their time on things that aren’t productive, including dealing with mistakes, looking for project information, and conflict resolution.

Better communication can help with each of these issues.

When there’s constant communication at each level of a company, then all members are going to know their roles. This reduces the chances of operational errors that are otherwise avoidable.

More productive work can be done when idle waiting times are reduced too.

Record Levels of Productivity

Project managers can use time tracking and record productivity levels. They can then break down the larger elements of the construction process into individualized parts, where they can then get insight into the productivity levels on a specific basis of teams or an individual worker.

This data and insight can then be used to figure out where changes need to be made.

You need to be able to see how workers manage their time in order to pinpoint effective ways to boost the efficiency of operations.

Maximize Workflows to Reduce Downtime

With the data you begin to collect, you can start to see what your current workflows and operational processes look like and where you can make changes in these areas.

You don’t have to change everything at once. Aim for gradual improvements in your workflows.

Maintain and Service Equipment

We touched briefly on the importance of maintaining and servicing equipment, and it’s relevant to productivity and efficiency as well as safety.

Equipment fleets are your workhorses. Without your machinery, many of the necessary tasks wouldn’t get done.

Take care of what’s powering your projects.

When you have fleets that last longer and work the way they’re intended to, you reduce operating costs and eliminate potential downtime.

When you’re buying or renting new or used equipment, you need a service contract that makes sure your fleet is getting care across the lifespan.

Don’t Make Common Mistakes

Along with knowing what to do, a lot of improving productivity and efficiency also relies on having an understanding of what not to do.

First, don’t push your equipment too hard or too long.

Second, don’t overlook the importance of properly training employees in a way that’s specific to their role. Skipping employee training or doing the bare minimum is going to mean that your employees aren’t going to give you the value you need. It requires more of an investment in time and money upfront, but it’s well worth it.

Finally, don’t ignore risk management in your project planning and design. Project managers need to understand the unexpected will happen and should apply risk-mitigating strategies.