Construction site management is a blend of art and science. There are hard specs and codes to follow, but there’s also the workers’ craft and countless individual judgment calls that need to be made in real time.
Providing the right balance of technical knowledge and leadership can be tricky, but it's what sets great managers apart. Effective site managers help workers complete tasks efficiently. And when the crew is productive, the project will be on time and under budget.
To develop your management skills and find the right blend for your crew, you’ll need to be familiar with the core principles of construction site management: planning, safety, equipment, and environmental considerations.
Planning for Success
We’ve all heard the advice about “prior proper planning.” But management guides don’t often get into the nuts and bolts of what planning actually looks like.
The preplanning process is all about taking steps to manage risks, putting project goals front and center, and providing clear direction for everything that happens on-site. This includes communication — ensuring front-line workers aren’t left wondering what to do or when to do it.
The site manager should be able to articulate those same concepts on the construction site. Exactly how this happens is up to you, but consider using a task board, job folder, or some other way to literally put the goals and concerns in your workers' hands. On-site managers can also take into account the site's unique aspects, such as an unexpectedly steep slope, to adjust existing plans and adapt to the unexpected.
Modern resources like building information modeling (BIM) allow more in-depth preplanning than in years past. They offer precise takeoffs to reduce excess site inventory and clash detection to prevent different trades from fighting over installation pathways. While something as simple as a pen and paper Gantt chart can ensure work is done in the proper sequence, digital document management can help you adapt on the fly — so when setbacks occur, they don’t lead to long delays.
Ensuring Safety on Construction Sites
The last time you were on a flight, how much attention did you actually pay to the attendant giving the safety speech? The problem with those speeches is that they're all the same. If you’ve ever heard attendants give a speech that was out of the ordinary, your ears probably perked right up. The flight crew’s safety plan hadn’t changed, but the delivery was fresh.
On a construction site, if you alternate the delivery method (using a speech, handout, or whatever you prefer), workers will pay more attention.
Safety culture begins at the leadership level and has to be reinforced consistently. Of course, safety protocols and regulations vary from job to job. But if you make an overall safety plan for your company, you can tweak it with specific details for each project as needed. (Construction safety software can simplify this process.)
Once you have a plan, don't forget to inspect the site to make sure those safety measures are respected. Without follow-up, you can hold safety discussions daily, and still find workers skipping safety precautions. This could be something as simple as not wearing PPE or as dramatic as hanging on the outside of a cherry picker.
One area that’s too often neglected is site layout. Remember, effective workflows are safe workflows. Lay out your site for safe traffic flows by avoiding blind spots and allowing easy access to materials, tools, and work areas.
And that brings us to our next point: site equipment and material inventory.
Managing Equipment and Materials
We’ve already touched on the importance of managing equipment safely. But it’s also important to plan out your inventory management, equipment storage, and maintenance.
Strategic materials management involves finding the best prices and simplifying the ordering process while balancing storage and timing needs. If materials show up too soon, you’ll have nowhere to store them. If they show up too late, your schedule can get blown out of the water.
To carefully track materials and deliveries, use a single source. Losing track of a delivery can mean massive headaches, and you don’t want to spend precious time jumping between apps or flipping through paperwork as you coordinate deliveries. (This is called Gray Work, and it’s an unbelievable time drain for contractors.)
Getting the materials on-site is only the start of the process. Train your workers in efficient equipment and material handling, and you'll help maintain inventory condition. Store materials according to your site plan and workflow to keep your workers safe and your job efficient. Move items as few times as possible. If you stack drywall sheets on top of the framing lumber, you’re going to have irritated framers and drywall dumped on the ground.
Large amounts of material or high-value items can be a theft risk. Take security precautions like installing fencing, access control, and alarm systems, and talk to your insurance agent to ensure any jobsite losses will be covered. It may not be worth filing a claim if some plywood sprouts legs and walks off a construction site. But if you show up to work and find the site has been wiped out overnight, you’ll be glad you took precautions.
Environmental Considerations
Construction site management is essential for your individual job, but it also benefits the greater community. Management should monitor environmental compliance and sustainability goals, including minimizing waste and using sustainable building methods.
All of that may sound like a lot of work, but green building practices can actually boost your bottom line.
For example, off-site assembly of some materials can reduce waste and shorten timelines while making it easier to work around space constraints. It’s especially useful for materials that have fine finishes, as you won’t have to worry about getting construction site dust and debris in the finish.
Reducing waste is another example of helping the environment while keeping your material and labor cost low. The trick is to lean on the full team, including subcontractors. Most field workers don’t like to see materials wasted, and no one wants to redo work because it doesn’t meet environmental compliance. Communicate your goals and what everyone needs to do to meet them, and most workers will rise to the challenge.
Optimizing Your Project Workflow
It'd be nice if good site management could be broken down to a couple of checklists. But every jobsite is different, and requires a slightly different balance between the science and art of managing workers.
Find the right balance for your project by going back to the four pillars we discussed: careful planning, attention to safety protocols, strategic use of equipment and materials, and working within environmental considerations. Efficient management can make a dramatic impact on the job’s schedule, budget, and safety. This sets the stage for a successful project today, and more opportunities in the future.
