Top 5 Construction Management Challenges and How to Overcome Them
The construction industry is filled with challenges. From compliance issues to communication breakdowns, principal contractors face many obstacles which can lead to delays, increased costs, and safety risks. Choosing the right tools and strategies, can significantly help builders effectively manage and navigate such challenges.
Here are our top five construction management challenges and how to overcome them:
1. Contractor Compliance and Safety Management
Compliance with safety regulations is critical in construction, particularly when managing large worksites with many subcontractors. Failure to adhere to safety standards can result in accidents, legal penalties, and reputational damage. Managing compliance manually can be overwhelming, especially when using disjointed systems, like manually emailing insurances, using paper-based inductions, and keeping contact info in a spreadsheet.
Digital solutions like SiteBook simplify safety management by centralising contractor and safety management into a single system. This includes collecting & reviewing licence & insurance information, SWMS (Safe Work Method Statements), and worker cards & tickets. Requesting the information digitally means easy access from any device, exportable data, and also ensures that documentation is always up-to-date.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication is essential for project success. Miscommunication between the office and the site can lead to errors, delays, and long defect lists.
Using a cloud-based digital platform means that updates made anywhere in the system are available as soon as they’re made. This greatly helps communication between the site and office by providing a single source of truth for all project information.
SiteBook offers real-time updates to Plans & Specs and all other document revisions, a project diary with notes and photos, a daily noticeboard for site workers, and a live project schedule for keeping everyone up to date.
3. Project Scheduling and Management
Managing multiple tasks, resources, and deadlines can be challenging, especially when managing multiple suppliers and subcontractors across multiple sites. Traditional methods of scheduling, like spreadsheets and email calendars often lead to information conflicts and are slow to update.
Digital project management tools offer features like Gantt charts and automated notifications that streamline scheduling and resource allocation. With SiteBook, project managers can create detailed schedules, assign tasks, and monitor progress updates in real-time, ensuring that projects stay on track and within budget.
4. Site Attendance and Induction
Keeping track of who is on-site and ensuring that all workers have completed a site induction is crucial for staying safety compliant. Manual attendance tracking can be inaccurate and time-consuming, with paper sheets often being lost, or the folders taking up shelf-space in the office.
Using an online QR-code-based attendance system allows workers to check in and complete inductions using their mobile devices. This not only saves time but also ensures that site managers looking after multiple projects can check live attendance & induction records from anywhere using their mobile device.
5. Document and Photo Management
Managing project documents, plans, and photos can be chaotic, especially when using multiple tools or platforms. Important documents can get lost or be slow to update, leading to errors and delays.
SiteBook offers a centralised, cloud-based document control for all project documents and photos. This ensures that all files are organised, easily accessible, and always up-to-date. Revisions to Plans & Specs are made instantly, superseding and hiding the old document. This ensures that workers and contractors only have access to the latest information.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the construction industry faces several challenges that can impact project success. However, with the right digital tools, these challenges can be effectively managed. SiteBook offers comprehensive solutions that address compliance and safety management, improve communication and collaboration, streamline project scheduling, enhance site attendance and induction processes, and organise document and photo management. By adopting these tools, construction companies can overcome these challenges and ensure that their projects are completed efficiently, safely, and within budget.
