Every construction project has many moving parts, both literally and figuratively. And while each of those parts requires planning and attention, we’ve compiled the four most common general errors that can lead to bottlenecks, unexpected costs and added stress for you and your crew. Then we share how to avoid those issues to help all of your projects run more smoothly. Not only will you save time, effort and expense, but you’ll build that all-important trust with clients that leads to long-term construction business success. Let’s dig in.
Pain Point #1: Poor Communication
Whether it’s a lack of follow-up with leads, an important missed message from a client, a miscommunication with a supplier or team member, or unshared work progress reports, poor communication can have a number of repercussions. It can mean added expense in the event that work needs to be redone or that materials or products need to be returned. It can mean delays that cause missed milestones and project timeline extensions. And it can lead to hassles and headaches for you, the client and your crew. Plus, any of these things can damage your business reputation and reduce trust. But especially when you’re working on multiple projects at a time or can’t be on the job-site every day or having frequent team and client meetings, how can you ensure good communication?
Solution: Optimise and Automate Communication
Houzz Pro’s CRM tools let you track and manage your leads so you never have to miss the chance to land a client. And when you do land a client and begin work, you can collaborate with your team members right in the software – share photos, files and daily logs with clients and your crew in one go, assign tasks to team members, create notes for yourself or to share, and more. Not only will you save time and effort, but having everything stored in one place greatly reduces the chance that any important communications will fall through the cracks.
Pain Point #2: Not Knowing Product and Crew Availability
Painstakingly constructing a detailed project management plan with all the milestones to hit and the tasks that need to be accomplished to hit them isn’t enough. Supply chain delays, out-of-stock items and a lack of subcontractors can cause even well-planned projects to hit the brakes. And work stoppages can cause both short- and long-term delays in hitting those milestones, and can even cause you to miss the planned project end date.
Solution: Build a Visual Project Schedule
Creating a schedule well in advance that includes not just the milestones and tasks but which crew members are assigned to them means you won’t have to worry about hiring someone at the last minute and hoping for the best – or having a gap in work due to holidays or other planned absences. And Houzz Pro’s visual schedule lets everyone see all the details at a glance, avoiding any confusion over dates and assignments. Houzz Pro also lets you track materials and products for each room, so you can stay on top of suppliers and lower the chance of any delivery mishaps. Bonus: Budgets are adjusted automatically as products are added or removed, so you won’t have to calculate the financial effect of each change individually.
Pain Point #3: Unexpected Changes
Maybe the weather is refusing to cooperate. Maybe the client wants to expand the scope of work or change a material at the last minute. Maybe a crew member falls ill. These kinds of issues happen so often in construction projects that “unexpected” is almost a misnomer. But even if you’re expecting something to go awry at some point, it’s still hard to know exactly what it might be. And when something does happen, it can derail even the best-planned project.
Solution: Set Yourself Up to Adapt Quickly
While you can’t plan for every possible unknown, you can plan to roll with any changes. For instance, Houzz Pro lets you easily track and manage change orders as well as send invoices for them. You can send them to clients for approval so you get every cent that’s owed to you and protect your profits. As for issues that might affect scheduling, the software’s project management features let you quickly update schedules and assignments, and everyone on the project can see the updates in real time without the need for you to notify anyone individually. You’ll be set up to speedily address any issues, so they don’t have to derail the project.
Pain Point #4: Not Knowing Your Numbers
It can be easy to forget about financials when a construction project is underway and your head is in the actual work, when your focus is on landing clients, or when a project is finished and everyone is taking a well-deserved breather. But not paying close attention to your numbers, both for each project and for your business operations as a whole, can mean not getting the money you’ve earned or even underestimating profits. Not knowing numbers is, in fact, one of the reasons many businesses fail.
Solution: Analyse and Integrate
Whether you naturally have a head for things money-related or not, Houzz Pro lets you generate clear and easy-to-read financial reports with just a few clicks – no more spreadsheet hassles. You and your team members can easily track time and expenses whether you’re in the office or in the field. And you can send invoices so you can get paid quickly.
Pro Tip: It's essential for long-term business growth to manage any profits wisely, and that means getting specific. “I’m a huge believer in that profitability should be [as] predicted, as opposed to ‘high’ or ‘low,’” says Mark Richardson, renovation industry growth expert. “First and foremost, you should be able to predict the right level of profitability. Second, you’ve got to keep it in balance.” What does balanced profitability look like? “Are you making sure it’s not only healthy but investing in the future?” Richardson says. “Your profit can drop dramatically if you’re investing in a lot of human capital… but you might be positioning yourself for the next year or the year after.”
With this knowledge under your (tool)belt, a bit of advance planning and some help from Houzz Pro, you’ll have the best chances of completing projects on time, within the budget and with a minimum of stress all around. Try Houzz Pro free today and see how it can help your projects succeed time and time again.
