When you’re looking to expand your construction company, there are many things to consider. It’s more than just taking on new jobs or hiring more employees. You need to continually strive to be up-to-date, ahead of the curve and plan for progress to improve your operations, which means focusing on process improvement.
While the construction industry may be vast, it’s one of the least digitised industries, which can lead to inefficiencies, cost
overruns and project delays. The good news is that through project management technologies and solutions specific to the unique needs of the construction industry, it is possible to expand and thrive in new and exciting ways. That’s why RedSky is sharing six ways to expand and improve construction projects for your construction company.
6 Ways to Grow Your Construction Company
1. Find Your Niche
There are many opportunities in the construction industry. From general contractors and engineering to architecture/design and material suppliers, the opportunities are vast. But don’t try to be a Jack of all trades. Build your construction company based on a niche that you specialise in and become known for it.
2. Be Organised
Being organised is crucial to running a smooth construction project and a successful construction company. Maintain thorough bookkeeping to make sure you stick within your budget, track production costs and time, know where all your data and documents are located and manage payroll and timesheets effectively. One of the best ways to do this is through a construction project management solution.
3. Build an Engaged Team
The success of any business is shaped greatly by its employees and teams, but possibly even more so in the construction industry. Your people are your business. When you’re trying to grow your construction company, it’s crucial that you recruit dependable, knowledgeable and skilled workers. It’s also important that you not only recruit them but are able to retain them. The happier the employee, the more likely they are to be engaged and stay with you. Building an engaged team means offering proper training and resources, encouraging teamwork, offering rewards and incentives and — most importantly — paying them on time and correctly.
4. Manage Costs Appropriately
Appropriately managing your costs means keeping expenses under control through the management of labour, material, equipment and overheads. When you’re unable to effectively manage costs, you’re negatively impacting your bottom line, which certainly won’t help you expand your construction company. With the right project management tools, including real-time dashboards as well as tools for Cost Value Reconciliation (CVR) and document management, you’re better able to manage your costs appropriately.
5. Increase Productivity Across Teams
In the construction industry, lagging productivity can make your bottom line suffer. When you increase productivity across teams, you increase productivity overall. Clear, consistent communications and streamlined processes will help. This is where collaborative project management software can help. This type of technology can help project managers automate workflows, keep track of materials and control costs throughout the lifecycle of projects while working collaboratively across teams and keeping everyone on the same page. This allows for time-saving efficiencies that can boost your bottom line and your productivity.
6. Invest in Digitalisation
Embracing technology and software solutions is vital to improving processes and enhancing productivity in the construction industry. But not all construction document management solutions are created equal. Start off by clarifying what you want your new system to help you achieve, such as doing less manual processing, eliminating double-handling, making collaboration easier, accessing all your documents from a central location, gaining a clear overview of projects, and improving version control and reducing storage costs. Research the digital solutions on the market and choose the one that best meets your needs. If you are looking for a document management and project collaboration solution designed specifically for the construction industry that helps streamline project processes, improve productivity and allow you to grow your construction projects and company, Project Connect might be a solution for you.
Benefits of Document Management and Collaboration Software for Construction Projects
Construction-specific document management and collaboration software can help take your construction company to the next level by streamlining processes and collaboration, saving time and money, and reducing risks to improve efficiency, productivity and profitability.
1. Save Time and Cost
When your projects run smoothly through real-time communication and collaboration, you save time and money. When your teams and departments are connected, your productivity increases – this reduces the chances for a slowdown in operations that negatively impact deadlines and budgets.
2. Customise Your Digital Forms
With construction management customisable forms, you can digitise pre-existing forms or create new forms. The forms can then be completed online or offline. Digital forms reduce costs related to misfiled or lost documents, regulatory breaches, and paper and common data-entry errors. When you digitise forms and documents, you make documents easier to access from one secure location. Also, digital documents and forms are safer because there is less risk of someone accessing the data without authorisation or important paperwork being lost.
3. Access Real-time Information
Access to information in real-time means speed and simplicity. Your team will always have access to the most up-to-date information anytime and anywhere, allowing for more accurate decision-making.
4. Connect Teams
The right document management and collaboration software ensure that all team players stay connected, which streamlines collaboration. Your onsite teams are connected to your office teams and the stakeholders remain in the loop as well. This creates transparency and allows for smarter decision-making, which improves productivity and your bottom line.
5. Stay Within Scope and Budget
When teams are able to collaborate easily and use real-time information, all key stakeholders are able to make smarter decisions, manage risks and reduce reworks, helping to keep projects within scope and budget. Collaborative solutions also help to ensure that your construction projects apply best practices and protocol so that you do things right the first time. No rework equals a better bottom line.
How Project Connect Can Help You Grow
RedSky’s Project Connect document management and collaboration software is the result of decades of experience in offering construction-specific software solutions. It is a secure, cloud-based platform that’s easy to use and affordable.
It allows you to connect your teams easily for streamlined collaboration through role-based dashboards, customised forms and real-time access from anywhere at any time. Improving your bottom line means increasing productivity, improving cost control and managing risks in a cost-effective, efficient way, which is what Project Connect is built for.
Find out why RedSky’s solutions are used by over 1,000 companies across the UK. Call us on +44 020 3002 8600 or connect through our contact form.
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