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Overview
The construction sector continues to thrive as the need for infrastructure, residential and non-residential structures is fuelled by a growing population and urbanization. Despite accounting for 13% of world GDP (gross domestic product), the sector's productivity growth is modest. Productivity has increased at a 1% yearly pace for the past two decades. Due to low productivity, the industry encounters project delays, which cause financial issues and workflow disruptions. The following are some of the construction industry's productivity issues:
Technology and automation tools are being implemented slowly.
Ineffective workforce communication and collaboration
Ineffective time management
A scarcity of skilled workers
Improved construction labour productivity necessitates significant changes in industry legislation, research and design techniques, workforce management, and on-site management tactics. Construction firms may increase productivity by implementing the following principles into their operations.
1. Make Use of Digital Technology
The project design process takes a long time to complete. To save time on project design, most firms build standard design libraries for repeated construction aspects. Companies can monitor and store critical site information like Daily Progress, labour reports, Quantity Assurance, and assess the long-term viability of new building materials using digital solutions like ProCost.
Using manual instruments to complete these activities is inconvenient and can obstruct operational openness. Companies may enhance workforce management by utilising technology to provide automated solutions for multi-location Field Productivity and Project Management. It improves labour planning to avoid personnel shortages by creating transparency and allowing the organization to track production in real-time. It also promotes proper dispensation of information.
2. Train Your Employees Frequently
Despite the fact that the construction industry is growing steadily, competent employees are in limited supply. As a result, businesses must seek out anyone who is interested in construction work and provide them with on-the-job training. Owners of businesses must provide adequate financial pay to their talented employees. Companies must retain a steady workforce in addition to pursuing cost-effective operations.
Apprenticeship programs can help businesses recruit younger employees. These types of programs guarantee that the workforce's abilities are up to date and suit the demands of the company. Apprentices learn the ropes of a profession by working on several construction projects, giving them a broad range of abilities. The apprentice team eventually covers unfilled roles or replaces the aging staff, ensuring the business's operations remain uninterrupted.
As more technology solutions enter the construction industry, company owners must ensure that their employees have a basic understanding of IT. The firm uses cloud technology to host these solutions and distributes them to employees via mobile devices or laptops. The organization explains how to use mobile applications to fill out attendance records, document daily duties, request materials/tools and interact with other team members during training.
Training is necessary for enforcing a safety culture and communicating any changes in safety requirements. Companies may increase productivity by teaching their employees about safety and how to use new technology equipment. This Includes:
Reducing the number of safety accidents
Ensuring that employees do the appropriate task at the right time
Providing mobile devices with quick access to crucial project information.
3. Streamline the implementation process on-site
Streamlining on-site implementation entails a number of lean operational approaches, including the following:
Reduce the number of activities that are superfluous.
Eliminate downtime
Make the most of building resources – keep construction waste to a minimum.
Increased construction equipment usage – Equipment availability and timely maintenance
Avoid unplanned downtime – unscheduled time off from work
Companies must mix technology and create a progressive mindset among employees to successfully simplify site operations. They must comprehend the significance of completing work within the specified time frames. The organization should create and enforce safety and construction standards, keep track of employee discipline, and keep processes efficient.
The organization must have a sound logistics and supply chain strategy. It reduces construction schedule disruptions and prevents resource misallocation or misuse. Every team member gets aware of the project's workflow procedure and productivity enhancement methods with good preparation.
4. Maintain open lines of communication
In order to solve productivity issues, adequate communication between different levels of the workforce is required. At every project step, every team member, from architects to on-site construction workers, must-read from the same page. Any on-site restrictions and issues impacting site construction employees must be communicated to senior management. The implementation teams, on the other hand, demand regular reports on policy changes and project variations.
Project variances, which are a primary cause of rework, can be caused by minor communication failures. It is easier for personnel from various professions to cooperate when organizations build clear communication channels like ProCost. They can detect process bottlenecks and develop strategies to eliminate them through mutual collaboration. With the advancement of technology, the organization now uses mobile-based applications to disseminate newsletters, reviews, and instructive articles.
Summing Up
Business owners must endeavour to improve their workforce's efficiency while the construction sector changes to market conditions. Companies must modernise their operational standards, meet personnel skill expectations, and use technology solutions to the greatest extent feasible. Investing in the appropriate technology ensures worker visibility and supports project management methods in order to help organizations achieve more profitability.
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