Construction projects include resources, workers, budget, and schedule that project managers need to consider. Whether a project is big or small, long-term or short-term, essential planning is required to ensure construction operations run as smoothly as possible and project goals are successfully met.
The latest technology boom has made it easier for many companies to streamline their project planning, and construction is no exception. Using project management software and following a five-step process in construction planning will help your project team finish projects on time and right on budget.
This article will go over the five phases of project management and how software can assist you in every step of the planning process.
Construction planning is the process used to jot down the required data or information to execute a construction project, from design to building completion.
The planning phase mainly consists of identifying project activities, designing construction schedules, and forming your team structure, i.e., the presence of contractors and subcontractors. Your project plan will also help you create worker schedules and allocate the necessary resources to each employee or contractor.
Several steps go into construction project planning. We’ll cover their basics in the next section.
As with every project, it’s crucial for a construction project manager to monitor the project plan and ensure that resources, budgets, and stakeholder activities are checked.
Project managers each have a unique planning process, integrating software and using specific documents can provide much-needed help in every planning stage.
So what are the five steps in construction project management planning?
A project initiation document or P.I.D. describes the number of workers needed, such as contractors and subcontractors, the required materials for the design and building plans, and the project’s total cost estimate, including labor, materials, fees, and equipment.
The P.I.D. will help you outline all the resources you need to start working on your building project. At this stage, you can use a project management tool to build a work breakdown structure that outlines all your project’s deliverables and breaks them down into smaller manageable tasks. Creating a Gantt chart helps you illustrate your project schedule and view your project timeline accurately.
After creating your P.I.D., it’s time to set more specific goals that are S.M.A.R.T. and C.L.E.A.R.
What is meant by S.M.A.R.T. goals?
Now let’s elaborate on C.L.E.A.R. goals.
After you finish laying down the main bricks of your construction plan, it’s essential to go over it with your team. There may be issues with the schedule that might need some slight adjustments. Or they might be tasks that are overlapping and need your team’s input.
Streamlining your communication is one of the crucial steps to take when executing your project. MobiClock’s built-in chat feature, for instance, can help in facilitating worker communication in real-time.
To monitor the performance of a project, most managers use key performance indicators (KPIs)
The Top 3 crucial KPIs to consider are:
1. First, your project objectives, i.e., is your project on time and within the set budget?).
2. Second, your project performance, i.e., are there any problems you’re facing achieving your goals?). Common problems most managers face include equipment failure, human error, unstable weather, and supplier issues. This can lead to setbacks and longer completion times.
3. Third, the quality of your project, i.e., is attaining milestones affecting the overall project quality?).
Many construction software options offer tracking tools, such as equipment and team tracking tools. G.P.S. tracking tools and Geofence can help you monitor your construction crew and provide accurate location data.
If you think planning stops after completing your project, think again. You need to keep track of your project results and evaluate outcomes. Prior to jumping on another opportunity, you have to go over your project and see how you can achieve more next time.
The lessons you learned, the obstacles you faced, and the decisions you made during your current project will be useful when working on your next project.
A clearly-defined construction project plan makes you better equipped to conduct future projects. You’ll know what tasks should be of top priority and what shouldn’t take a lot of your time.
Remember to brainstorm with your team to get ideas about what you could’ve done better while taking extensive notes. Your stakeholders are an essential part of the project, and their insights can be invaluable.
When closing your project, create a final project budget to compare it with the original budget. Then, draft a project report to share with your key stakeholders.
A project manager in construction must be able to work with a diverse group of people, from architects and engineers to contractors and subcontractors.
They need experience managing projects from start to finish, as well as the ability to create budgets, manage cash flow for their company’s projects, maintain customer satisfaction by maintaining open communications throughout the process.
To learn more about what it takes to be a successful project manager in the construction industry read our blog post “Must-Have Skills for Construction Project Manager”.
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