Make Your Construction Project More Efficient Through Empowerment
- Monday, 11 April 2016
How many times have you sat down on your desk just to see it filled with requests, or opened your e-mail inbox pouring down with new issues that need your attention? On the one hand you wish you had more people solving these problems for you, and on the other you want to make sure every decision or purchase satisfies your customers, and business goals. The truth is, micro managing your construction project will only keep you busy, but unproductive. What's more, it will take a toll on your costs. So why not make your construction project more efficient through empowerment? Building the right kind of project management framework for your firm or multiple projects will go a long way.
Empower stakeholders with the right project management framework
What happens when line workers or middle managers find a problem they could easily solve were they given the chance? Not only would your construction project save costs and time, but you would also have a motivated and efficient construction team. That said, you also need to watch for ill-informed decisions, or choices that can affect your project's general outcome. That is why it is so important to find and implement the right project management framework for your organization or team.
According to this paper published in the American Society of Civil Engineers, both outside parties (like contractors or consultants) and employees need to be involved in this framework. It only makes sense if everyone involved is in the know and follows a common working culture.
Room for innovation
Should you choose to adopt a one-way communication process, top managers, investors or clients themselves may be pushing costly initiatives. If you want to innovate, save costs or just make your construction project more efficient in any way, there must be an on-going conversation in your construction team. Line workers and middle managers may notice details and rising problems that can be solved with simple changes. The only way all stakeholders can be part of this conversation is if everyone has a voice and access to the right information. You can achieve this by implementing the right project management platform.
Establishing processes & TQM (Total Quality Management)
One of your biggest fears may be that you just don't want to open a pandora's box. How much leeway can you give stakeholders without it all turning into chaos? First, you need to establish processes to ensure that contributions are being well documented, and evaluated before being implemented. For example, if a group of construction workers finds that using certain type of tools will save time, they could write up the suggestion in your construction management platform. Then, involve their managers, or anyone in charge to talk about the idea and its potential outcome. Ideally all this can be done remotely, and in real time with the use of technology. If the issue at hand is much simpler to solve, then as Confucius would say "don't use a canon to kill a mosquito", just let them solve the issue at hand. These limits or "levels of involvement and decision making" should be established by you, and your top management team. Ultimately your framework should motivate your team, have a lean decision making process, and save you costs and other resources.