How To Prepare For Your First Construction Job Scheme

Setting some primary goals when you are planning your first construction job scheme, will keep clients satisfied, encourage employees to sign on for the next job and build the beginning of a rapport between you as a manager and the contractors you want to be able to use again.

Communication and strategy are key components of good management. A construction manager is as good as or better than his or her business plan. Taking the time to talk to your accountant or advisor, following through with established compliance issues, and adhering to your financial plan should form the basis of your first job scheme. Keeping your job within the boundaries you have planned will ensure your actions are conducive to success.

Conversely, it is easier to do it right the first time than to make amendments after the inspection. Keep in mind that an occasional variance from your budget may be necessary. Make sure you think your actions through to the end. Cutting corners in order to maintain strict adherence to your budget may end up costing you more to fix later.

Project strategy is concerned with all available contracting from the top level through to the subcontracts. Developing a flow chart gives you a visual comparison to assist you with your choices. Next, decisions need to be made that concern the choice of procurement and the form of contract that will be used. Procurement refers to all activities undertaken by you and your team. Procurement is completed via a devised strategy that stipulates all actions, weighs the risks and benefits, and assesses the financial constraints necessary to fulfill the project through to its completion.

In addition to the construction work, there are other factors that influence the success of your project:

- environmental and green technology considerations
- historical building constraints
- advanced design plan to account for adding on to the structure where it is relevant
- storage or movement of reusable, toxic, natural or organic material
- design and aesthetic appearance of your structure as it effects the overall design of its surrounding community
- future costs needed to maintain the completed project in good order
- long range planning for greener and cleaner choices

Time, cost, performance, quality and design should be reflected in the rationale behind choices for contractors. Available resources of the client must be considered as part of the decision-making process. A thorough estimation of rules and regulations necessary to ensure success should be integrated into the construction project scheme. Identifying and assessing potential risks ahead of time and stipulating how they will be dealt with is an integral part of a responsible construction plan.

The method by which contractual agreements will be compensated should be recorded in the contract made with the workers. There are three basic types of contracts. Lump sum contracts determine the amount to be paid before the construction work is started, so the contract becomes a written agreement where specific work is exchanged for a specific fee. The project manager should ensure that drawings, time frames and projected costs are as detailed as possible. Alternatively, contracts could allow the work to be re-assessed after completion according to a previously agreed basis. A third possibility would be to pay the actual cost of the labour and materials, after construction, to which a percentage for profit (previously agreed to) is added to the final cost.

It is advantageous to decide who will be the boss; is the client in charge of the responsibility for carrying out the construction project scheme or is the hired manager contracted to ensure all stipulations are carried out? A reasonable allowance for start date and time to complete should be part of the contract between the manager and the client in order to cover the possibility of disputes mid-project.

Periodically, despite the most thorough of planning, unexpected outside factors can influence the final scheme. For the most part, addressing issues, anticipating problems and proposing solutions ahead of time leads to a clear idea of how the work will be engaged and an expectation of how the scheme will be met.