Overcoming Traditional Project Management Limitations & Challenges
Date Posted: March 18, 2021
Posted In: Ideas,
From Construction Business Owner: Tracking all the moving pieces and details of every construction project can be extremely challenging. According to the Construction Management Association of America, project managers average around 120 responsibilities on and off the jobsite, requiring them to be strategic as they manage various moving parts and prepare for continuous changes.
To ensure each responsibility is met and every architect, contractor and supplier remains on schedule and on budget, effective construction project managers need to use tools and strategies that help streamline their work.
The global pandemic has forced the construction industry to reimagine how to oversee and track projects. Despite the world’s reliance on digital solutions, construction is still one of the least digitized sectors.
Project teams are facing new processes and cultural changes at an ever-increasing pace, all while jobs become more complex and schedules more limited. Keep in mind the following best practices from McCarthy Building Companies’ Southern California (SoCal) region team when planning a new project management strategy.
Utilize a Project Management Solution With Real-Time Updates
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for project teams to finish within budget, on schedule and adhere to strict specifications without a digital construction project management solution. To stay competitive, general contractors must gain better visibility into their projects from ideation
to execution.
Manual paper-based processes are still predominant in the industry, making it difficult for teams in the office and on-site to exchange information at maximum speed and efficiency, especially now with social distancing regulations and reduced workforce in the field. In order to be more dialed into every stage of a project’s life cycle, all project information should live in one system online so project managers can track progress, and any changes that are made elsewhere with each iteration, in real time.
Today, a digital platform is needed to ensure constant alignment between all project stakeholders. To avoid unnecessary delays or wasted efforts, all parties should have access to the most current information, drawings and schedules — at any time and from anywhere. McCarthy’s SoCal Region uses Procore to manage all project-related documents. The application allows for drawings and specifications to be uploaded and automatically linked for ease of searching through documents, helping to keep files organized and priced. The platform also has submittals and requests for information with the ability to link to the drawings with the click of a button.