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With every project you do, no matter how large or small, there is a delicate balance of risk vs. reward. In addition to the direct construction costs, there are also opportunity costs; time, money, and employee productivity spent. You need to manage the project efficiently, or it could end up being a massive waste of money.
However, when it comes to the construction industry, the levels of risk are different. Construction projects are time-consuming and costly, and mistakes are not easy to fix and can cause project delays. Because of the higher levels of risk associated with each project, construction project management tends to be more vital than that of almost any other industry. In an opaque work environment of construction, it is common for details to slip through the cracks due to a lack of accountability or responsibility from the team. If accountability is not part of the overall process, embraced and practiced from the owner to the front line laborer, a contractor will always struggle.
It’s essential to know the difference between accountability and responsibility. Multiple people on a construction project can be responsible for something, but there are often only a few accountable for it. There is some grey area between the two, so it is essential to clearly define group roles and the decision-makers to prevent minor issues from turning into more significant problems down the road.
With the importance both play in this industry, you do not want your team members to lack. Thankfully, there are a handful of simple things you can do to keep your team accountable. In this article, we will review a few simple ways to hold your construction team responsible.
In the construction industry, negotiation is part of the job. We negotiate project pricing and select certain contractors to work on the projects. However, one thing that should be ‘non-negotiable’ is how employees respond to responsibility and accountability. Making accountability a “non-negotiable” requires positioning it as a company value and communicating the value importance at every available opportunity.
Production planning is when all contractors, subcontractors, and others involved in construction projects collaborate to create a realistic schedule. Effective production planning will devise a more practical construction schedule from the start and give the people more of a sense of accountability and responsibility in the project. Construction Schedules are not only for management and stakeholders. They for all subcontractors, crew members, and suppliers to control time, create accountability, get the job done, and increase profits.
Our construction scheduling solutions, including Construction Scheduling Templates, the Quick Schedule Guide, and Support, give you all the tools needed to quickly and effectively schedule your construction projects using Microsoft Project.
When there is no accountability or unaccountable actions, it is the responsibility of the leaders to reach out and meet with those who have fallen in their efforts and identify the causes. If the reason for unaccountable performance is not sufficient, there must be some predetermined consequence. The consequence should be constructive enough to do things differently the next time around to reflect the value of accountability.
All contractors, supervisors, foreman, and crew members that demonstrate you should recognize accountability. The way you present recognition can be as minimal and straightforward as a verbal compliment, or it can be as public as complimenting a worker in front of his or her peers. It is essential to remind all workers often that being accountable is a top priority of the company.
Focusing on accountability in your company is well worth the effort. By following these simple tips, you can begin improving accountability and responsibility within your construction team. When it comes to construction scheduling, the purpose of these schedules is to enable all team members to control time, create accountability, minimize liability, increase profits, and get the job done on time.
