You can find it here if you haven’t read part one of this guide.
There’s Not Enough Time
It is hard to get organized. There are few shortcuts to getting organized. You don’t have time to get organized.
You Must Make Time
It takes dedication on your part and the part of your employees. If you don’t make time to organize your construction company, you’ll likely have plenty of time because your chances of staying afloat are minimized.
There is a payoff – a great, big, giant payoff awaits when you take the time to organize your construction company. Perhaps the most challenging point to see when you begin the process is that you end up with more time.
You’re not getting organized for the sake of being organized – you’re getting organized, first and foremost, so you’ll have time to deal with the running of your business. It is incremental at first, but after you’ve mastered the organizing concepts in one area of your construction business, the following areas are conquered more efficiently and with a growing mastery.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Where to Start
You can’t do it all at once. While you may be forced to accomplish some organizing tasks in more than one realm at a time, it is best to focus on one aspect until you control it.
One way to begin incorporating the “organized” portion of your company culture is in the physical realm of spaces. The following four spaces are vital to gaining or enhancing your overall campaign of organizing mastery.
1. Contractor’s Office
It doesn’t matter how big or small your office is; once it is organized, it functions better. Everyone, from your employees and subs to your clients and customers, is affected by the efficiency gained and the atmosphere created.
The article, Organize Your Construction Office Space, even includes a look at what not to organize.
After you’ve checked it out, these two posts, part one and part two, concerning getting the obstacle course out of your office, give further insight into gaining an office space that functions on a higher level.
2. Construction Shop
Store Smart, Hunt Less: The Best Ways to Organize Your Construction Contractor Shop offers some “whys” for getting your shop organized and a step-by-step guide to getting it done. Whether your shop is small enough to fit in your garage or large enough to stand alone, ensuring it is organized and functioning well is worth the effort.
3. Construction Contractor Vehicles
Taking a look at The Nuts and Bolts of Organizing Your Truck, Van, or Supply Trailer will give you a head start on organizing each vehicle in your fleet in such a way as to maximize efficiency, upgrade productivity, and take a stance of readiness to serve your clients well.
4. Construction Sites
Everybody, and by that, I mean EVERYBODY, can, will, and does see how organized your construction business is when they walk on or near your construction site. From GCs and owners to potential clients, from your employees and subs to potential employees, from your insurance agent to your loan officer, from the code inspector to interested onlookers, some important people are judging your ability to provide your services based on what they see “on site.” That is only one of the many reasons to ensure your site is organized. Read Strategy to Maintain Organized Work Sites to find tips on organizing your site and information about how everyone benefits when your construction company maintains an organized site.
The Final Look
In the first part of this two-part series, we mentioned Don Carr’s article titled 6 Hacks for Keeping Your Guitar in Tune.
We’re returning to his list for a final look at what it takes to keep your construction business in tune.
Make Sure Your Guitar is Properly Set Up
Carr says, “A good set up is important to playing in tune.” When he talks about a setup, he means regular maintenance on the guitar, such as replacing strings, adjusting the neck, and raising or lowering the string height.
Regular maintenance is the relevant term here. One of the most challenging aspects of getting organized is staying organized. Once various facets of your construction company are organized, they’ll need regular upkeep. There are actionable steps you can take to maintain your organizational systems proactively.
The first and most important is scheduled maintenance – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or seasonally.
Determine which areas, tasks, or events must be accomplished within this framework.
Put them on the calendar.
Assign duties.
Include the information in your documented procedures.
One Dozen Tips for maintaining what you’ve organized:
Ensure everyone in your company understands how the system works.
Provide regular training concerning organizing requirements.
Assign maintenance tasks to the proper personnel.
Check if you must use the “one in, one out rule” when purchasing new equipment or supplies.
Build time into your calendar for maintenance -- use electronics for reminders.
Return items to their homes after use.
Make frequently used and essential things easy to access.
Encourage employees to do a quick daily sweep.
Regularly assess what you truly need and use.
Do seasonal purging.
Update various spaces, systems, SaaS, or apps (such as time management tools) to align with your company’s growth.
Seek professional help when you need it.
Reflection: Pain points are an excellent place to start when determining where to focus your organizing efforts. What will you manage first? How will you get started?
Ambitious Construction Contractors look to The Profit Constructors to provide advocacy in dealing with:
Clients and customers
Employees and subcontractors
Vendors and service providers
Governmental entities
Working with The Profit Constructors gives Construction Contractors the means to organize their operations in ways that help them:
Remain informed
Avoid hassles
Reduce risks
Be future-ready
Ready for action? Or want to know more? Get in touch today to schedule a complimentary discovery call. 866-629-7735
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