Continuing to achieve more with less – What you need to know!

Recently one of our Directors Steve Clark was asked to share his thoughts with a number of construction leaders in a LeadersMeet webinar on how we can continue to increase the level of productivity out on building sites in the UK.

Whilst working with many project teams in the UK and also overseas we often observe challenges around four areas and in the current climate these have been amplified many times:

1. Resource – not having the right number of people on-site at the right time
2. Material – the supply chain is limited and unpredictable
3. Site logistics – movement around site and space available is restricted
4. Plant and equipment – availability is limited and also due to other project delays are unpredictable.

Whilst some project teams are starting to manage their way through these challenges it comes at a cost that is not just financial but also programs are being extended and, in many instances, quality is suffering.

It’s going to be some time before we see a change in the current environment and therefore, we need to plan and organise ourselves for the new way of working. However, our advice and guidance remain consistent to that we have been sharing with many clients for several years which is based on some of the principles of Lean Construction.

At a very high level there are 6 key steps that all project teams should be following and even more so in the current climate:

1. Project Assessment – clearly understand the current status and capability going forward in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic
2. Protect the critical path – ensure all critical activities have been clearly defined and plans must be developed to deliver the completion date
3. Develop Detailed plans to execute – collaboratively plan and then plan again to ensure all parties understand and agree exactly what needs to be done and by when
4. Manage and track material – problems within the material supply chain means there are often delays so orders need to be placed in a timely manner and followed through to delivery on site
5. Performance management routine – every hour counts on-site and never more so than at this time so tight controls need to track performance and also route to escalate issues rapidly
6. Leadership – the most important of all of the six steps but unfortunately often the missing ingredient in construction projects up and down the country

The video and a copy of the slides that Steve presented at the LeadersMeet webinar can be found on the links below where you can see more detail around the 6 Steps.
https://hub.leadersmeets.com/cws131120