Project management is crucial to the success of a contractor. Cost overruns and missed deadlines hit your customer in their pocketbook, but they also damage your relationship with that customer and can tarnish the reputation of your business. Here are a few project management ideas to help you avoid this situation.
1. A major reason for missed targets is insufficient communication between contractor and customer during the planning stage. When this crucial step is rushed, problems are bound to happen. Take a look at your process and talk about spots where delays are possible. Discuss things like weather that could interfere with work and develop a plan for dealing with them.
2. Make sure your contract with the owner includes processes and controls for planning and implementing the project as well as for associated risks. Make sure your team is fully informed about and trained on any agreements with the owner that impact how they work.
3. Keep your schedule updated at all times. Hours spent breaking out tasks, timelines, and resources don’t mean anything if you don’t make sure you’re sticking to your plan. By tracking progress against your schedule on a regular basis, you’ll know if you’re ahead of schedule or if you’re lagging behind. Are adjustments to resources or timelines needed because a task was completed early or is taking longer than expected?
