Many construction companies cannot pinpoint what causes lagging field production. And even after identifying the problem, many cannot apply the right solutions.
Construction companies seem to fall into three categories when it comes to pushing field productivity:
- they strictly adhere to project management guidelines;
- they allow project managers and field personnel to sort out the project management systems for each individual project; or
- they have no system in place, resulting in office and field personnel, as well as top managers, not knowing what to do when the firm acquires a project.
Construction firms should aim to be in the first category, following distinct guidelines to maximize field production and job profits for every project. But before focusing on methods to increase production, construction firms must acknowledge that many problems do not stem from the field. Rather, the main problems are derived from a lack of communication and poor business judgments within other areas of a company.
Project selection. Field managers cannot succeed when the projects acquired do not fit the experience and expertise of the crews.
Estimating. Field managers cannot overcome situations in which estimators do not perform takeoffs on key areas or estimates are based on insufficient drawings.
Pre-job planning. Field managers who are not included in internal meetings to discuss the scope of work, budgets, schedules, customer commitments and vendor deliveries do not know what to produce.
Mobilization. Field managers must prepare their own job trailers, tool boxes, tools and equipment, temporary utilities and materials—all within a limited jobsite area.
Production goals. Construction companies often do not calculate or share production goals for each project. Production goals can be based on linear feet, tons of output per month, square footage, cubic yards, truck deliveries or block units installed. Without this information, a field manager can’t gear up his crews for performance.
Coordination. When material and/or equipment deliveries are due at a jobsite, field managers must know delivery times to supervise production in case of disruptions, interferences or lack of staging areas.
Budgets. As jobs progress, companies capture solid job data to use for comparison. If the field manager is not involved with job cost discussions, he will not know the benchmarks and where the project stands with profit and production expectations.