When it comes to construction, fieldwork has always been a challenge. It is very rare for a construction project to finish in time because of the several challenges it faces in the field. According to a study conducted by McKinsey Global Institute, around 60% of the big construction projects exceed their deadline. And it does not only cost you time, but it costs you a lot of money as well. The same studies show that the projects that exceed the time limit are likely to go 70% over budget, which is a lot. So if you don’t want to spend extra time on your construction projects and want to save money, then you will have to improve the fieldwork productivity of your workers, managers, and technicians. In this article, I have mentioned a few tips that will help you improve fieldwork productivity; let’s have a look:
Communicate Effectively
There is nothing that can improve productivity, like effective communication. If the worker or technician in the field have no idea what is going on, then how are they going to get it done? That is why you need to communicate everything clearly to your team. You need to define goals and objectives, so everyone would know what they are working towards and how they are going to get there. During the construction process, make sure to send out regular emails and updates to all the employees so they stay aware of what is going on and can work accordingly.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
When technology is out there, why not use it? There are a lot of apps and platforms out there that help you improve the productivity of your field workers by making certain tasks easy and more accessible to them. For example, using the mobile forms app allows your field worker to fill necessary forms online on the phone and dispatch them. It also allows them to make sketches on photos, automate calculations, contextual mobile searching, and access and edit project-related data. And this is not the only app that you can find to improve productivity; there are tons of apps that allow you to streamline other processes as well and can help you improve your team’s productivity dramatically.
Set SMART Goals
If you are trying to speed up things by setting difficult goals, then you are not doing the project any favors. The more unrealistic the goal is, the more time it will take. That is why it is advised that you set realistic and small goals that can be achieved on time. The best way of doing that is to set goals for every day. This helps you move up step by step and without missing anything. When you set small goals, you are also keeping your field workers motivated. They will know they have a new ladder to climb every day, and this will keep them engaged. Setting a big goal spanning over weeks demotivates the workers.
Hire Skilled Managers
The productivity of a construction site does not depend on the contractor and the workers alone, but it depends highly on the managers as well. The construction force is usually divided into groups led by managers, and the more productive a manager is, the more productive its team will be. You need to hire managers that know how to motivate the workers and get them to do the job as soon as possible. A good manager is also a good leader, and that is the quality you should look for in your managers. They are also the bridge between the workers and the upper management, so you must hire the right people for the job.
