Last Updated on July 5, 2023 by Showrooms Online
Insights into Construction Productivity
Insights into construction productivity are generally at an industry level that offers little actionable advice for an individual residential construction firm.
In the residential segment of the industry, the firms are largely small and can only react to major issues such as chronic labour shortages and supply chain price increases and shortages.
The clear solution, for residential contractors, is to focus on things that you can control and work toward doing them better.
All Images by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Project Management is the Key
Excellence in Project Management is essential to completing projects on time and on budget while realizing a good profit. Project Management is also in the control of any business big or small. The key is to prepare a schedule in enough detail that you can actually measure the progress and update the plan as the project evolves. The same applies to having a cost control process that is detailed enough to avoid surprises. The process of preparing and updating the cost control plan and the time plan is as valuable as the plan itself . The revisions to the plans will be more accurate than the originals since a lot more data is becoming available. Also, the update is at a point in time when there is still time to fix a problem or avoid it. At a minimum, not all problems are avoidable but none should come as complete surprises.
Project Management for Home Renovations
Lean Construction
Implementing lean productivity processes, similar to automobile manufacturing, is beyond the current experience and resources of the vast majority of home renovators or builders. That said, something has to be done to meet the demand for new sustainable, energy efficient and affordable housing. Current practices and the resultant productivity levels will not get us there by 2030, if ever.
The answer is to implement your lean construction system with an understanding of the complete concept and the required culture change. However, ease into it with an awareness of best continuous improvement practices. Elimination of waste, time delays and rework is the easy place to start. Just avoid making the same mistakes and the savings are 100 % to your bottom line. Be persistent and sweat the details. The total cost of little things, that never get looked at, is actually bigger than the big stuff. The big things will be obvious and will get fixed. Productivity improvements and better profits will follow.
Boosting Productivity in the Renovation Business a previous blog on Showrooms
