Metal Construction News, July 2019

Proactive Project Management Systems PROFIT BUILDING All of your construction projects must be running smoothly Change to As you walk from office to office asking project managers how things are going their responses may include Everythings OK 99 percent complete just a few little things left I think well finish on time Im getting all the signatures tomorrow Were coming in close to budget No problems I cant get handled But are things going as well as you were told A few days later you get a call from an angry customer screaming his project is three weeks late Another is upset he is not getting the quality and service he contracted for Another client demands you drop everything and fix his problem now Your accounting manager tells you some project managers are not doing their required paperwork timely and several change orders have not been approved in advance by the owner An irate subcontractor calls threatening to pull off a job unless they get paid for work completed two months ago No Project Problems These problems are symptomatic of companies run by owners who havent taken the time to make installing proactive project management systems a priority These owners struggle and fail as they let project managers continually tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth This avoids conflict until its too late Typical project management problems are encountered when companies dont have standardized systems in place that guarantee everyone does business the same way You want consistent performance and results You dont want to rely on your constant reminding checking and confronting to make sure everything is performed exactly the way you want it done You want your project managers to be accountable and keep you informed of the real situation on every project Even if you have great managers they will do things differently unless you have written systems in place for all to follow Six good project managers will do things six different ways late or not at all This creates chaos disorganization stress and loss profits Your customers subcontractors and suppliers cant deal with a company that doesnt have consistent business standards and systems in place Typical reoccurring problems like those described above are a result of the company owner not requiring everyone to follow the company project management systems Most companies have general rules to follow but dont have them written down The owner then tries to keep project managers herded like cats to follow the company rules But busy owners over time let their people slip from following written company procedures if they even have them Its hard to keep people accountable to systems that arent written reviewed trained tracked followed and adhered to Get Project Driven Owning and managing a successful general contracting company for over 35 years has taught me a simple truth to build an excellent company you must get your project management systems installed proactive and permanent Excellent companies consistently hit their overall goals and project management targets in the areas of time budget customer satisfaction quality and safety They are focused on more than getting jobs done as efficiently as possible They focus on being organized and have a systemized proactive approach to project management so they can 1 Consistently measure success 2 Start and finish projects fast 3 Be on time and budget 4 Meet their commitments 5 Keep customers happy 6 Create a great place to work 7 Build teamwork 8 Identify problems early 9 Train and improve people 10 Maximize and allocate resources 11 Grow 12 Make above average profits What are Proactive Systems Proactive project management systems are repeatable and standardized written organizational methods procedures and guidelines that achieve project goals and optimize resources of time energy money people equipment and materials within a specific deadline Project management is composed of several different types of activities such as planning assessing risk estimating resources organizing work assigning tasks directing activities monitoring tracking reporting progress and finally analyzing results Proactive project management systems control all project activities and deliver the desired and targeted results on time on budget per the contracted scope of work while minimizing risk 4 Stages of Proactive Project Management Systems 1 Project Goals and Objectives Consistent performance and success is more than getting organized and training project managers to do business the same way Successful projects start with clear objectives and measurable results to shoot for Without clear targets you cant make project managers accountable or responsible for their results Every project must have clear written and measurable targets and goals to shoot for and use to measure success Before every project sit down with the project team and lay out the goals and objectives to aim at including A Overall project objectives B Budget and Financial a Job cost b Productivity c Profit C Time and schedule d Start e Milestones f Completion g Punch List D Quality E Service F Safety G Customer satisfaction H Training 2 Project Planning Successful projects have written plans to ensure they stay on track and hit their goals There are certain steps every project must follow that guarantee on time and on budget completion and success These steps must be identified and perfected as part of your project management system These systems can include pre project start up meetings procurement procedures change order systems and shop drawing standards The objective is more than keep the job moving It is to hit the goals and project milestones Systems will make this happen Project managers must breakdown the project into small incremental steps that will ensure accomplishing the end results By creating and following a project plan the manager can assign tasks and hold people accountable To draft a successful project plan include the following A Project specifications B Project requirements C Materials D Resources E Equipment F Labor G Cash flow H Tasks I Schedule J Accountability K Responsibility 3 Project Production and Implementation The next step is to build the project Ongoing organizational systems will keep your project tracking toward the desired end result Each project team member must know what is expected and what systems must be followed before starting work By establishing clear measurements and procedures team members can get started on track and monitored on an ongoing basis as to their progress Consider which project management systems will guarantee that every project will meet its goals A Project control systems B Procurement systems C Installation systems D Tracking systems E Cost control systems F Quality control systems G Productivity systems H Training systems I Safety systems J Customer systems 4 Project Monitoring and Evaluation As you build each project constant monitoring becomes easy for the owner or upper management when systems are in place and being followed When project management systems are installed and used effectively monthly evaluation meetings become a simple check of what has been done properly and what needs attention When systems are used 8 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS July 2019