When it comes to commercial construction, there should not be any shortcuts done just to finish the job even before the agreed schedule of completion. Even when there’s intense pressure of not finishing the construction before the deadline, contractors should still follow proper construction processes and steps. So are you doing it right?
Commercial construction is a real headache sometimes. With a deadline you’re running after, it can be challenging for you to maintain the quality of the project. However, with the proper planning, real-time strategies, and the use of technologies, the quality of your construction projects can easily be ensured.
This blog highlights several ways to help you and your team ensure and achieve the highest quality on any commercial construction project. Read further.
Why Do Contractors Deliver Poor Quality Work?
It’s worth knowing why delivering quality work in construction is declining. In fact, there are several reasons for poor quality work and that includes the following:
1. Not training the employees and failing to employ people who possessed the required skills
Some contractors employ workers because their rate is the cheapest, and in most cases, to fill a vacancy. Are you doing the same thing? Because it’s apparent that it’s a red flag. You have to make a few checks and further assessments to ensure that this person has the required skills for the job.
Nowadays, most construction companies are very lacking in training their people and mentoring new ones. A waste of money and time is the reason why they don’t exert effort that much. Moreover, contractors have the following assumptions too:
- The employees demand a pay increase due to additional skills.
- The workers will leave the company right after being trained and mentored, thinking they are employable and in demand elsewhere.
- Due to insufficient work opportunities and decreasing clients, the company thought of terminating newly trained employees.
Yes, everything delineated above can be true. There will be some employees who will leave and other workers who expect an increased salary. However, it would help if you considered what training and mentorships could do to your workers and your company. You will reap the benefits afterward because you will have more skilled workers and construction quality will improve.
2. Management lacks knowledge and skills
Pay attention to your management. Do they know what quality work is? Unfortunately, some of the managers today have inadequate skills and training. They also have developed their careers working for companies with a culture of poor quality. They’re not even aware of what acceptable quality is. Supervisors and project managers that accept poor quality shouldn’t be tolerated. Bear that in mind.
2. Failing to understand standards and specifications
Some project managers overlooked the project specifications and couldn’t even understand them. As a result, the construction team doing the work isn’t aware of the many standards and specifications that are expected. Make sure to check your project manager and determine if he complies with the necessary specifications.
3. Contractors fail to institute a proper quality assurance construction
An excellent quality assurance management typically provides the means to record and check the quality of the work. It’s also defined as a system that records defects, ensuring they’re adequately fixed and won’t repeat errors. However, the quality assurance system doesn’t take away the crew’s responsibilities to do the job correctly. It also doesn’t mean that just because something has been ‘ticked-off”, signed-off, or checked, it’s already correct.
Let your qualified people check all the work and determine if it meets the quality standards and the specifications.
4. Contractors fail to recognize and learn from their mistakes
There are many instances when contractors keep on repeating the same mistakes repeatedly in any construction project. It’s very important that you should learn from your mistakes and not just the successes you’ve achieved. Mistakes shouldn’t be repeated. It’s important for you to find out the reasons behind the errors and poor quality.
You need to develop solutions to prevent the same thing from happening again. In terms of solutions, why not become techy and innovative? In fact, there are emerging construction technologies today like Pro Crew Schedule that can help you manage your projects. Make use of the construction scheduling app now and expect continuous efficiency on your team, thus, preventing possible mistakes and any project risks.
5. Almost everyone isn’t accountable
No one admits that they were careless or that they deliver poor quality. There’s often an excuse and it’s all about being in a rush because the client needed it to be finished urgently. In most cases, they’re probably weren’t given enough resources and the right tools.
Beware of your employees who aren’t accountable. They usually deliver poor-quality work.
6. Poor communication
Your subcontractors, employees, and your suppliers should understand what is required from them and what specifications and quality standards are. There are many instances when your team doesn’t know the project goals and objectives. It was mainly because of poor communication. Hence, you need to invest in subcontractor scheduling software to improve communication between all parties involved.
Achieve Quality Work with These Strategies
Quality work doesn’t happen by chance. It’s often the result of deliberate steps and a series of decisions. Furthermore, it usually represents the cumulative effect of individual actions, all of which should be supported by a culture fully committed to continuous improvement and consistent process implementation.
1. Planning before procurement
Planning is the most critical aspect before you even start working on commercial construction projects. It’s much better to start the planning process even before you can make any procurement. Every phase of the project must undergo pre-planned. From design, measurements, pre-construction, all mentioned should be on the actual plan.
However, take note that when you start the project, planning doesn’t end there. The plans, especially for commercial construction projects, require revisions on each stage before proceeding to the next. Therefore, continuous planning is essential to make sure everything goes well accordingly.
Improve planning with Pro Crew Schedule, a cutting-edge software solution for project management for construction. Tasks like determining dependencies, creating project deliverables, setting-up deadlines can be completed instantly within no time. Check it out!
2. Project communication and engagement
Achieving quality begins with broader clarity on drawings, documents and other important files. Your construction company, in the first place, should have a formalized system that includes early enjoyment with every team, as well as upfront. Having this system will ensure that elevated specification requirements are well-understood and discussed so well. Constant onboarding practices for new hires are seen to be critical, but keeping your crews is as vital. It involves ongoing effort.
Moreover, your company has to remain diligent with project-specific process training and annual training. The employees have to fully understand their responsibilities and roles, including particular guidelines on how tasks relate to project activities and the scope of the work. It’s only when your employees fully understand what is expected and how their role interacts and supports other positions.
It’s your job to orient them to achieve a focused momentum when they cooperate and collaborate.
3. Review Processes
Know that any implemented processes and scheduled assessments, like materials management, construction work, document control, quality assurance construction, verify that some methods are functioning as intended. You need to focus also on these areas. In addition to such focused assessments, the assigned crew member of your choice must conduct broad assessments of the newly implemented processes as they significantly relate to the applicable scope.
These assessments have to determine programmatic non-compliance and process effectiveness against critical processes, best practices and even technical requirements. It’s also crucial to track and monitor any leading indicators, like audit compliance and compliance training.
Once you’re implement all of that, they will serve as your vehicle for course-correcting.
4. Look for reliable suppliers
In this type of business, you must work with a reliable supplier. Quality construction can be achieved using quality materials. It’s your job to find a reliable supplier. It’s not common knowledge that all suppliers of these materials can also not supply to their clients, especially in a specific commercial project. These materials are sometimes unavailable.
Even a reputable supplier in the industry cannot provide specific construction materials that a contractor needs. Obviously, it’s a huge problem. But you have to look for this supplier anyway. While searching, make sure to choose a reliable supplier that can provide you with high-quality construction materials that fit your project and can immediately deliver on time.
5. Implement Construction Scheduling Software
Everyone and everything has to get improved and evolve. Even your company isn’t exempted. Your construction company must continue evolving now and over the years. While the roll-out of new advancements and construction techs may depict a challenge, such technologies offer many ways of improving your company’s routines and systems.
For instance, while working on big construction projects, juggling different things can be a struggle for you. There are tons of moving parts and ongoing transactions. But if you deploy construction tech like Pro Crew Schedule, you will stay organized at work whilst planning, monitoring and executing projects simultaneously.
Only the best project management software can help you ensure these commercial construction projects will be successful. And quality of work isn’t compromise or put at risk as well! If you’re looking for a simple yet intuitive software tool for your construction projects, choose Pro Crew Schedule and take it for a spin!
You can get started with a 30-day FREE trial!
Key Takeaways
It’s crucial to be fully aware that rushed and wrong construction processes may cause serious problems on the commercial buildings and for a contractor like you. Also, there’s an expectation that every surface and structure is built to the proper specifications. It only means that quality is one essential factor to consider when working on any commercial construction project. You and your team are held accountable for such a matter.
