Proper management of your crew is essential to your construction company’s bottom line. But because you can’t be everywhere at all times, you have to make sure that you hire the right people for supervisory positions.
Below are some tips for better managing your construction crew.
Collaborate
Collaboration between subcontractors, between the crew, between suppliers all takes up a huge chunk of your time and energy. Consider trying project management tools to facilitate the process and pool the information into a central location that’s accessible to all who need it.
Resource management
Are your crews fully utilizing the resources at their disposal for their intended purposes? The only way to know and track this is to have a resource inventory management system.
At any given time, you should know or be able to find out where every tool and piece of equipment is. Not only is this efficient, but it also reduces the risk of employee theft or misappropriation.
Offer careers and not just jobs
If you want to attract quality people to your crew, offer a path to a career instead of just a job. Lead by example and show your crew how to best manage a project from the ground up. Teach them new skills that they can build on and increase their own value within the company.
Insist on accountability
Ultimately, the buck stops with you, but also hold your crew accountable. When mistakes are made, ask the responsible party to own up to it. But don’t ridicule them or chastise them publicly. Then, discuss how it can best be remedied.
Keep in mind that if a situation escalates with a member of your crew, a client, supplier or sub, you should always loop in your construction law attorney so that they can be up to speed if legal action is needed.
