Designing and building a home is a big undertaking. There are a lot of moving parts and people involved on any given day.
As the leader of the project, it’s your job to ensure all goes smoothly and that there aren’t significant delays or setbacks. Learn more about what you can be doing to run your business better and confirm your clients are satisfied with the end result.
Define & Agree Upon the Scope
Your first step is to define and agree upon the scope of the project with the client and homeowner. Get to know their design taste and style and offer input where it’s appropriate. For instance, maybe you have ideas for incorporating smart home features into the design. Review the blueprints together and make sure you get on the same page before any building begins. Run a smooth construction project by making sure there are no unanswered questions and the scope of the project and what they want to get out of it are clear. There needs to be a plan in place for the end goal and what is to be achieved.
Discuss A Timeline & Deadlines
Your construction project will go a lot smoother when you and the client have a timeline in place and discuss deadlines early on in the process. These days it’s all about making the ordering of materials and delivery of your services as quick and efficient as possible. It may help you to review some lean supply chain examples to get a better idea of what customers want and are looking for and help you improve your management style and operations. The supply chain begins with you and making sure you have the materials you need when you need them and that you can deliver on your promise by meeting certain deadlines.
Know the Budget
You don’t want to be working blindly without finances in mind or not know how much your client is looking to spend. There may be important decisions to make along the way and the last situation you want is to go out of scope and over budget when all is said and done. Therefore, you should learn about and understand the budget and financial aspects of the construction project. There may be reasons why the client is making certain decisions and you want to respect these boundaries. You both must stay flexible because there will inevitably be some unexpected costs that occur.
Practice Open & Honest Communication
The key to ensuring a smooth-running construction project is always open and honest communication. You must be available around the clock to answer any questions that pop up or to address concerns that arise. You must be forthcoming with information that will impact the project deadlines and outcomes. If you’re predicting delays or foresee issues popping up that will impact the end result then you must raise these points to the client so they hear them from you first. Minimize surprises and disagreements by being proactive in your communication approach and confirming you always see eye-to-eye and aren’t hiding anything from them.
