How to Manage a Construction Project Step by Step: Effective Practices Worth Following

A construction project requires highly structured organization. Whether it involves constructing a city bridge or a single-family home, every project comprises numerous interdependent elements that necessitate meticulous coordination.

Similar to any other project, construction project management follows distinct stages. Starting from the design phase, progressing through planning and scheduling, and culminating in the actual construction, each step is intricate. It contributes to a larger, multifaceted process.

In this post, we describe the steps needed for successful construction project management.

Let’s figure them out.

How to manage construction projects step by step

1. Project conception

Before initiating your strategies and plans, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate the feasibility of your project. Without a clear understanding of its viability, it is impractical to embark on any task. Therefore, it is advisable to begin by preparing a comprehensive project feasibility report, which encompasses deliverables and cost predictions.

During this stage, it is essential to define the project’s objectives and outline the rationale behind it.

2. Team of professionals

Ensuring the recruitment of motivated and accountable individuals is a critical aspect of construction project management. Without a cohesive team, all other construction project management tips become useless. Hence, it is vital to gather a team of capable professionals to work with.

Define the specific roles and responsibilities of each team member and strive to foster an environment of transparency and trust throughout the project.

3. Professional project management tool

Selecting the appropriate tools for your specific professional field can be a daunting task. Fortunately, modern construction project management platforms have revolutionized the industry by automating manual activities associated with planning, organization, resource allocation, and other crucial aspects of construction projects.

One of the popular construction project management tools is GanttPRO.

GanttPRO is well-known for its professional Gantt chart online planning. It facilitates efficient planning and scheduling.

This construction project management software also offers various project views, such as a board view where tasks are organized in columns and cards, providing a user-friendly interface with a short learning curve.

To further enhance flexibility, GanttPRO offers Android and iOS apps.

Overall, this platform can replace many other tools, becoming your one and only software for construction plans https://ganttpro.com/strategic-planning-software-for-construction/.

4. Advanced planning

Often planning means an ongoing activity almost to the end of the project.

Before initiating the planning process, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the construction scope of work involved in your upcoming project. This step is essential in establishing the key priorities, including project timeline, budget, and resource allocation.

To effectively visualize your project plan, it is recommended to create an online roadmap. It will provide a comprehensive overview of the project, enabling better comprehension of the necessary tasks for creating detailed work schedules.

When it comes to facilitating foresight and planning, an online Gantt chart is widely recognized as a powerful tool. In this regard, GanttPRO can be an excellent ally. With this tool, you can effortlessly organize all your tasks and events on a visual diagram while maintaining control over all project activities.

5. Project execution

Once your comprehensive plan is ready, it is time to proceed with the execution of your construction project. This phase involves accomplishing various tasks such as team development, resource allocation, conducting status meetings, updating work schedules, and ensuring effective communication throughout the entire process.

The implementation of the plan necessitates careful consideration of potential changes and work management issues that may arise during the construction process. It is essential for project managers to prioritize transparency in project management, ensuring that all stakeholders are well-informed and comprehend the required tasks within the construction workflow. By promoting open communication, every team member can actively contribute and maintain alignment with the project objectives.

Project execution includes:

• Task management.
• Time management.
• Team management.
• Resource management.
• Budget control.

Manage tasks

Construction projects encompass numerous intricate and interconnected tasks that involve specialists from different teams and departments. Therefore, it is crucial to visualize all work activities in a centralized location to prevent any loss or confusion.

Each significant task within a construction project may consist of subtasks, which can further be broken down into smaller activities. Managing all this information can be overwhelming, even for the most skilled individuals.

Luckily, smart software solutions like GanttPRO are available to lend a helping hand. It serves as an excellent work breakdown structure tool, presenting a hierarchical breakdown of projects. With this platform, construction managers can divide complex projects into more manageable segments.

Manage time

Monitoring the timing of tasks is a crucial aspect of the execution phase. Every project manager aims to grasp and visualize the start and end points of each task while maintaining control over the actual time required for completion. Additionally, meeting deadlines and avoiding overdue tasks is a top priority.

With GanttPRO, you have the capability to set and estimate start and end dates, manage task durations, and establish deadlines for every activity displayed on a Gantt chart.

Manage team and departments

Effective communication in construction is essential for both office and construction site workers. It fosters transparency and enables optimal performance from the project’s outset.

GanttPRO, for instance, offers advanced features for team collaboration and seamless communication. Users can leave comments, receive notifications, and attach relevant files, facilitating efficient and transparent information sharing within the team.

The platform allows for working with account roles and project rights. If needed, you can add custom roles and rights.

Manage various resources

While managing construction projects, you can assign team members to separate tasks as well as assign tasks both to people and to virtual resources.

In GanttPRO, it’s possible to use 3 types of resources:

• Labor resources.
• Material resources.
• Resources with a fixed cost.

Manage costs

Construction managers bear the responsibility of overseeing various aspects of project costs, including wages, materials, and necessary equipment. From the initial bidding process to the project closeout, tracking costs is a crucial task for them.

GanttPRO offers a solution for your team to input costs, monitor budget changes, and perform other financial calculations, ensuring meticulous tracking of your project’s finances. With this software, construction managers can maintain a clear overview of expenses and ensure optimal budget management throughout the project lifecycle.

6. Change control

During the course of construction, it is common for changes to occur. Project managers play a crucial role in effectively managing these changes by maintaining a balance between the budget and the schedule, overseeing teams, materials, and equipment, and mitigating the impact of unforeseen circumstances.

When changes do arise, project managers need to assess performance, identify the underlying reasons for deviations, and implement appropriate corrective actions. GanttPRO is equipped with an auto-scheduling feature that automatically reevaluates project dates whenever changes are made. This ensures that the project remains on track and adjustments are made accordingly to accommodate the evolving requirements.

7. Legal issues

Legal aspects are an essential part of construction project management. Even any project manager without experience should be able to offer adequate answers to certain legal disputes or risks.

They should consider the areas related to legislation and regulation, construction project parties, contracts, insurance, and procurement.

8. Project closeout

Once your construction project reaches its completion, the final phase of project management, known as closeout, begins. This stage involves a reflective approach by managers to objectively assess the project’s successes and challenges. They conduct final meetings with stakeholders and partners to evaluate the project’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in future project workflows. To ensure thoroughness, a simple construction project checklist is often utilized.

The team compiles a comprehensive project report that documents the specific tasks undertaken during the project, including the time spent on each task. This is where platforms like GanttPRO prove invaluable, as they offer the functionality to create time log reports.

Wrapping up

Managing a construction project requires following a detailed strategy and specific steps. To succeed, you have to generate a project conception, attract professionals, select a great PM tool, prepare a great plan, execute your project smartly, track changes, consider legal issues, and close the project in the right manner.

Remember, that to achieve favorable outcomes, it is imperative to follow the correct procedures for construction endeavors and leverage professional software.

If you want to read the full version of this article to get more details and insights, dive in here: How to Manage a Construction Project Step by Step: a Complete Guide.