To improve construction productivity, you need to know that every minute you spend looking for a missing drill or waiting for timber to arrive is money going out of your pocket. In the high-stakes world of construction in Philadelphia, where deadlines are tight and profits are even tighter, being inefficient isn’t just a pain; it’s a death sentence for a business.
People typically think that “moving faster” means being more productive in the trades. In reality, it’s about getting rid of the things that slow you down. Your workflow is what makes the difference between a lucrative year and a break-even year. Notably, the McKinsey Global Institute reports that the construction industry could increase its value by $1.6 trillion annually if it matched the productivity growth of other sectors.
In this guide, we will go into great detail about:
We need to define the metric before we can fix the outcome. To improve construction productivity, we look at the ratio of input (labour hours, capital, and materials) to output (square footage completed, fixtures installed).
When it comes to a skilled trade professional, productivity stops because of “friction.” Essentially, friction is something that makes it hard for a worker to use a tool. This could be because the site is poorly laid out, there aren’t clear directions, or the equipment is old.
Why is this important now? There is a huge shift in the workforce in the business. As a result, as experienced workers leave, a new generation has to take on the responsibility of being efficient. When teams don’t have a disciplined way for construction project planning, they typically end up “firefighting,” which means they deal with problems instead of stopping them from happening.
Believe it or not, you can tell if you will be successful on the job the night before. Careful construction project planning is like a map for how much energy you use each day. For instance, if you get to a site and find out that the copper pipes are still at the warehouse, you’ve already lost half of your work for the day.
First and foremost, take the last 15 minutes of your workday to go over your schedule for tomorrow. Look at your stock of materials. Make sure your batteries are plugged in. This little habit prevents the “morning scramble,” which can take up the first hour of a shift.
This is a game-changer for any skilled trade professional who wants to balance physical labor with business growth.
Do the hardest, most important structural or technical work when you have the most energy.
Do the regular, repetitive installs that need steady work.
Take care of your field management tools, clean up the site, and update client logs.
Moreover, you don’t just have a hammer in the current world. To improve construction productivity at sites, digital field management tools like Fieldwire or Autodesk Build are now a must-have. These platforms let people in the office and in the field talk to each other in real time.
When every skilled trade professional on the job can see the most up-to-date blueprints on their phone, the chances of having to “rework” go way down. As a matter of fact, the most time-consuming thing in construction is rework, which is rectifying faults that should have been done right the first time.
These tools give you insights based on data. Consequently, you can make your predictions better by examining how long certain activities took on former Philly projects. Ultimately, better forecasting means more accurate bids and happier customers.
A job site that isn’t organised is a slow job site. To put it simply, you need to make the physical “flow” of work better in order to improve construction productivity.
One of the best ways to improve construction productivity is to invest in worker development. A team that understands the “why” behind the “how” works faster and safer. This is where having specialised training gives you an edge over others.
In fact, a lot of contractors in Philadelphia say that workers who come from good trade school programs are ready to work right away. The Philadelphia Technician Training Institute and other similar programs emphasise hands-on skills and managing your time well.
PTTI’s trade school graduates learn the latest methods for welding, manufacturing, and automotive technology. By doing so, when someone hires from these trade school programs, they can make sure that their team has a basic understanding of safety and efficiency, which cuts down on the time they need to spend on basic on-the-job training.
If your staff is tired, you can’t improve construction productivity. It might seem that working a lot of extra hours will help you accomplish a project faster, but it usually doesn’t. When people are tired, they make mistakes, and in turn, mistakes generate delays.
To prevent this, encourage scheduled, short breaks. Taking a 10-minute break every few hours to clear your mind maintains your energy levels steady. Also, make sure you stress safety training. An accident at one site doesn’t simply damage a worker; it can also stop work for weeks, which goes against your purpose to improve construction productivity.
To improve construction productivity starting tomorrow, simply do the following:
As your business gets bigger, your job changes from doing the work to managing it. To that end, to improve construction productivity on a large scale, you need to put money into your workers.
Specifically, employers can help their team get higher qualifications by joining trade school programs. A team that knows more is a team that makes more money, whether it’s learning new field management tools or perfecting a certain technical ability. PTTI has a number of vocational courses that enable skilled trade professionals to stay up to date with industry trends. This makes them very valuable to any construction company in Philadelphia.
You need to treat your workflow like a science if you want to get more done on the job. First, check out your current site and see where the “friction” is. Is it because you don’t do construction project planning well, or do you need field management tools?
If you want to improve your own abilities or make your staff more skilled, look into the vocational training programs in your area. For example, trade school programs like those at PTTI can provide you with the technical skills you need to take over the Philly market.
Your next step is to choose one project this week and use the 3-3-3 approach on it. Watch how your output changes. In the long run, the only way to improve construction productivity is to be consistent with these little behaviours.
Q: How can I make construction work more productive without spending a lot of money on software?
A: To start with, use paper or free applications to design your construction project. To cut down on unnecessary movement, pay attention to staging materials and the “clean as you go” rule.
Q: Are trade school programs worth the money for my current workers?
A: Yes. People who go to trade school typically learn speedier ways to do their jobs, which immediately enhances construction productivity and cuts down on the need for constant monitoring.
Q: What are the best field management tools for small groups?
A: Fieldwire and even simple shared cloud folders can help everyone stay on the same page about plans and timelines.
Q: What is the largest thing that slows down building work?
A: Doing it again and again. To make construction more productive, you need to get rid of the “do-over” by making sure everyone is on the same page and using standard checklists.
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