11 Ways To Improve Productivity On Your Construction Project

Completing a construction project on time can be tricky. It doesn’t take much to throw off your timeline! Bad weather, limited crew members, and impatient property managers can make efficient and productive work difficult.

However, despite these inevitable obstacles, there are a few things you can do to make sure your project stays productive every step of the way.

Follow along below to discover 11 ways to improve productivity on your construction site.

1. Communicate Clearly

Any project will suffer without proper communication. After all, no one will know what to do and when to do it without solid communication.

Always communicate goals, updates and changes with your crew and with your suppliers. You don’t want any of your crew members or project suppliers to be in the dark, so be sure to involve them with any changes to deadlines or project updates.

When your team has strong communication skills, the project will be much easier to complete on time—and your team will work better as a whole!

2. Educate Your Team

Jobsite injuries can cause a lot of problems for your project—productivity being one of them. However, most injuries can be avoided with adequate training.

Before starting a project, make sure everyone on your crew is trained properly. If not, this could result in unqualified team members delaying your project.

These levels of training are worth it, and will help your project stay productive and (hopefully) injury-free.

3. Listen To Feedback

Part of having open lines of communication with your team is giving an opportunity for much-needed feedback. Your crew members are the ones executing the project, so listen to their opinions about what works and what doesn’t.

If they think a goal seems unrealistic, or they need new tools and equipment, don’t dismiss it. Instead, talk with your team to see if this is a shared opinion to determine what steps need to be taken next.

Listening to your team will build trust, allowing you to further improve your team’s overall productivity.

4. Set Reachable Goals

Improve your productivity by setting goals for the day, for the week, for the month, and so on. Communicate these goals daily with your crew so they know what is expected of them. If something seems unreasonable, discuss it quickly and determine a goal that works best for the team.

Remember to always plan goals that are realistic, relevant and timely.

5. Plan A Course Of Action

What do you need to get the project done, and get it done well? Make a plan before the start of the project to determine how big of a team you need, what materials are needed, what your goals should be, etc.

Think through the logistics and timeline of the project and plan a course of action. This will help you, the property owner and your team get an idea of what is needed to complete the project.

6. Check Inventory

To improve productivity, check your materials frequently. If you don’t have the materials required to complete your tasks, the project will likely be delayed for a few days or longer.

We recommend checking your inventory at least weekly to make sure you have enough materials to last through the week. If the crew notices materials are lacking, handle it quickly to stay on task.

Double check your current inventory against the number of materials needed in your initial plan. If these numbers continuously match up, your team should remain on-time and productive.

7. Reward Your Team

Your crew deserves rewards for their hard work every now and then! Give incentives for hitting goals, such as catered lunch, drinks after work, or whatever you can think of. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it.

It’s important to remind your team that their work isn’t going unnoticed. By rewarding them for their hard work, you will encourage them to keep hitting goals and moving forward. These rewards can be simple and can make a huge difference in productivity.

8. Delegate Tasks

Get to know your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Cater to their strengths by delegating tasks that they can manage and excel in. This will remind them that you’re paying attention while growing their leadership and time management skills—both of which are vital for a productive construction site.

Likewise, make sure your employees and partners in management positions are fit for the project. More often than not, these will be the people communicating between you and your crew. You need to be sure they understand the goals that need to be hit, how to hit them, and how to communicate it to your team.

If you notice a disconnect between management and your team, check it out and see where the problem is coming from. If your team doesn’t respect management, or your management officers aren’t doing their job correctly, it could lead to issues with productivity. To stay on track, nip these issues before they grow into larger problems.

9. Practice Safe Techniques

As we mentioned earlier, safety plays a huge role in productivity. While it’s impossible to prevent all work-related injuries, you need to be sure your team is following the safety guidelines on the construction site.

Invest some extra time and money into safety training and make sure each project member attends. The goal is to remain productive and keep injury levels as low as possible, so don’t take these safety measures for granted!

10. Work With The End Goal In Mind

When communicating with your team, make sure you are all working together with the end goal in mind. Take the time to assess every step in the process. Are these goals allowing your crew to hit the end goal? If not, reevaluate.

Sometimes it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and start working on other ideas within the project. However, always remember what your end goal is. If these ideas help you get there sooner, great! If not, go back to the drawing board and create new ideas to improve productivity and work towards your final goal.

11. Choose The Right Suppliers

This is one of the most important steps to improve productivity. You need to be sure that your suppliers are on-board and on-target with your project.

If your supplies don’t have similar goals and values, there’s a chance they won’t be the right fit for your project. You should be able to trust that your suppliers will make an effort to complete the project on time and not delay your team.

Even Your Suppliers Can Affect Overall Productivity On Your Site

Here at Concrete Supply Co., we know how important it is to choose the right supplier. You need a team you can trust to join your project and maintain productivity with you—our team can do that and more!

No matter the project, we can help. We promise to value your employees, community, industry, and your timeline. We want to be an extension of your team by working together towards your individual goals.

Want to learn more about us? Reach out to us today to see how we can be a benefit to your current or future projects. We can’t wait to hear from you!

For more information about how to pick the right suppliers, download our Guide To Pre-Qualifying Suppliers!