There are a number of things you can do to make sure your construction project goes as smoothly as possible. Whether it means ensuring a proper budgeting procedure is followed, that communications are up to scratch, or that you plan ahead in terms of the various lifting equipment you might need, it’s well worth spending time to carefully prepare for any upcoming projects. However, you firstly need to understand what a smooth construction project actually looks like.
What is a Smooth Construction Project?
It’s crucial that construction projects run smoothly for a variety of overarching reasons, including safety, cost-effectiveness, quality and time efficiency. Whilst there are a number of tips to help your construction project run smoother, it’s important to first have an idea of what a smooth construction project will look like over its five key stages, which are:
- Initiation and Conception
- Planning and Definition
- Execution and Launch
- Performance and Monitoring
- Close and Completion.
The first thing to do is to plan effectively. This means having realistic budgeting and surveying the terrain you’re building on, as well as the materials and equipment you want to use. Then it’s important to communicate effectively throughout the execution of your plans as this increases the overall safety of the site and ensures tasks are completed to a good standard. It’s also important to make sure you try to get the job done within the time frame originally laid out in the plans. Lastly, it’s also a good idea to make sure you clear up very well after the project has been completed, both for site safety and customer satisfaction.
Making sure your project runs smoothly is beneficial for a number of reasons. It’ll mean there are fewer accidents on-site which can result in insurance claims and costly lawsuits as well as delays. It’ll also make sure that tasks can be completed on time as you’ll have all the required materials and equipment ready. Not only this, but it’ll also result in better reviews and testimonials because you’ll be more likely to get the job done on time and within the specified budget.
1. Quality Surveying
Another important part of the construction process is to survey the site as well as the materials and equipment that will be used. Setting out clear markers and reference points will mitigate future mistakes and making sure materials are of adequate quality will reduce the likelihood that there are structural flaws after the structure is built. Plus, choosing the most appropriate equipment for particular tasks will improve both safety and efficiency.
For example, a Quantity Takeoff should be made before construction takes palace. This involves making a 3D model of the planned structure that assesses whether the right amount of materials have been ordered and delivered. Creating this model allows you to tweak variables and test other materials, equipment and ways of constructing the proposed building. This improves efficiency and safety and should be a priority for all construction sites as it helps to clearly outline potential alternatives. For example, it could be a lot more efficient for you to use a winch company like Atlas to hire a hoist rather than moving large quantities around the site manually.
It’s also important to constantly survey the site, materials and equipment whilst the construction is underway. This means that acute observation is a key skill required for effective construction site management. The ability to spot a potential issue ahead of time can save eyewatering amounts of money and otherwise wasted time, and will likely prevent employees from getting injured in the long run.
2. Budget, Budget, Budget!
Having a decent Quantity Takeoff survey will help you to further refine your budget. All projects have an initial budget but this is usually defined more clearly when a variety of factors are clarified. These include the materials that will be used, the various construction methods, or the equipment that needs to be hired, whether it be a skip or some lifting gear like a portable winch.
Project costs are usually split into three stages that get clearer and more detailed from one stage to the next:
- Rough Order-of-Magnitude Estimate: This estimate gives a rough idea of how much the project would cost and it’s made using a general sense of the work and processes involved without any detailed data. It often reflects what somebody wants to spend rather than a reflection of how much it’s likely to cost. Hence, the final sum will likely be higher due to unforeseen costs and the additional minutiae involved.
- Detailed Budget Estimate: This stage outlines an itemisation of the costs involved with each project activity which makes it a much more accurate reflection of the final cost of the construction project. For example, it’ll include the costs associated with using specific materials and hiring specific machines like hoisting equipment.
- Completed Project Budget: This is the final stage of the budgeting process which must be approved by all the essential stakeholders involved in the construction project.
3. Lifting Equipment Hire and Purchase
A great way to prepare for a smooth construction project is to consider whether any of the equipment you require should be bought or hired. A very common piece of equipment that’s often required for construction projects is some form of lifting gear, like a portable winch or hoist. They’re a huge benefit to construction sites as they can be moved around and used to transport heavy loads and large quantities of materials around the site.
However, they’re a particularly expensive piece of equipment to buy brand new which will drive your budget up. Especially if you only need hoisting equipment for this particular construction project, buying new can be an unwise economic decision. Thankfully, here at Atlas, we’re proud to be a winch company with a huge range of solutions available. We can hire out our hoists and winches and you can also buy them refurbished and second hand. Our aim is to help your operations run as smoothly as possible and lifting equipment hire is a particularly effective way of doing this, especially given our outstanding expertise and focus on customer satisfaction.
However, our services aren’t only limited to hiring and buying hoists and winches. As an experienced and qualified winch company, our services also include testing and refurbishment to make sure your lifting gear is working on top form. Not only this but we can also train your employees how to use the various models we stock and this means you won’t also need to hire out a specialist engineer to use the hoisting equipment.
4. Improve Communications
A key way to make sure your construction project runs smoothly is to be on top of communications at all times. Communications are crucial at every stage of a construction project. For instance, it’s just as important to make sure all stakeholders are happy with the budget as it is to make sure that supervisors and managers understand exactly what sub-projects need doing and the tasks associated with completing them.
One thing you could do is implement some form of digital central management system where various tasks can be laid out for everybody to see, ensuring everyone is on the same page. This way, updates and task statuses can be distributed instantly to the whole construction team. Another piece of technology that could be embraced are radios as they’ll allow instant communication with other team members regardless of where they are on site. This is particularly important if key pieces of machinery like lifting gear, need to be shared across various teams and departments.
Communication is also important once the project has been completed. It’s crucial to be open with the client as to how the project went, and to provide them with any essential physical information such as as-built documentation.
Whether it’s budgeting properly or ensuring communications are as effective as possible, these four tips will help your construction project run more smoothly! The key takeaway is that careful preparation based on your specific requirements is the key to success.
Here at Atlas Winch Hire & Hoist Services, we provide a broad range of services for our clients. Whether it’s that you need a particular type of air winch or hydraulic hoist, or whether you need mooring equipment and deck equipment, we’ll have a solution for your requirements. All you need to do is get in touch with us by calling 01371 859 555 today!
