Five Tools To Better Manage A Construction Site

Role of a Construction Site Manager

Worksite managers are a vital component to any operation out in the field. They are the direct connection between employees and upper management, bridging the gap between demands and results. As a worksite manager, your responsibilities span from worksite safety to meeting scheduled deadlines. We’ve found that field managers are most effective when they use the following framework for their project.

1. The Field

It should go without saying that as a manager you should have a working knowledge of the field of construction so that you know the newest technologies and skills that can be brought to each worksite. Without countless applications and software claiming to be the “best,” you have to match the scale of your project to the software needed to manage it. Microsoft Excel could prove to work for smaller projects, but larger-scale projects may need more sophisticated software, like Aconex, that can handle higher processing. Knowing what has worked in past projects gives you added expertise in choosing software and other equipment.

2. Keeping Your Budget

Construction is a budget and deadline driven field. Any slight hiccup in the process of completing a job can completely alter your budget. With that in mind, bookkeeping is a vital skill that all managers should have. There are a multitude of things to keep track of on a construction site that can cause you to go over budget. As a complete project management software, Primavera does have budget and software possibilities, but a more specific app, JobFlex, is a budgeting and bid app. JobFlex gives you access to estimates right on your Android (with iPhone and desktop versions coming soon) and has three payment options, Free, Basic, and Pro to accommodate any budgetary needs.

3. Scheduling For Success

Construction is a very deadline-driven field and one of a manager’s many responsibilities is to keep things on track. With multiple tasks going on at once in a typical worksite, a delay could not only hinder the progress of the entire project, but it could affect the overall budget. Although not necessary, a scheduling app might ease some of your responsibilities. TSheets is a mobile app that allows your workers to clock in and out on their own smartphones while allowing you to keep track of where they are on the jobsite and what tasks they are working on. Besides using an app to help schedule, simple scheduling techniques like leaving “padding” time around tasks that could prove to take more time and using workers to the best of their abilities are just two ways to keep your project deadline.

4. Managing Your Site Workers

Your workers look to you for guidance and instruction. This makes it important to use them to the best of their abilities, in addition to ensuring that all directions given are understood completely. Most sophisticated softwares and applications like Primavera, Aconex, and Procore have project management included in them, but on the jobsite you are the head, so make sure you have confidence and give assurance when speaking to your workers. On the jobsite you set an example for how to conduct yourself professionally while also ensuring safety. Though new, an app called SafeSite could assist you in making sure all aspects of your worksite are safe by sending notifications to your workers’ smartphones.

5. Communication Is Key

As the main “go between” for on-site workers and upper management, a worksite manager needs to have strong verbal and written communication skills. Not only in giving useful feedback to their workers, but also making sure that instructions are clear and understandable to the diversity of employees they may have at their site. Managers also interact with subcontractors and suppliers so it is vital that they keep good records of what is done on the site. BuilderTrend could be a vital tool for you to utilize to make sure all of these communication needs, connecting you to all levels, bridging the gap.

With new technology, software, and apps constantly being created, it can get overwhelming to choose what works best. It is important to not get lost trying to find the best solution by integrating new apps to an unready team. As a worksite manager you need to know the best practices and technologies – and when to use them.