CATEGORY | Efficiency

Tracking Construction Productivity - A Few Examples - Free Excel Template
Construction Documents & Templates

Tracking Construction Productivity: A Few Examples [Free Excel Template]

Determining the profitability of a construction project is straightforward: it’s simply the difference between what a contractor gets paid to complete a project, less what it costs them to do so. When contractors create budgets for their projects, they have to estimate the cost and profit margin for every item of work they must perform. This includes materials, equipment, supplies, overhead expenses and of course – the cost of labor. Given that the vast majority of projects depend heavily on those who physically perform the work, it only makes sense that labor costs on most projects is substantial. It’s not uncommon for labor costs to make up the majority of a project’s total budget. The more efficient and productive the crews onsite work, the more profitable a project is. But how is this productivity calculated? How can construction managers and supervisors know whether or not the workers are meeting the budget? What if some items are going better than estimated, while others are doing worse? This is why tracking construction productivity on a regular basis is so important. Let’s go through a few examples of how to track construction productivity using an Excel template, which you can download for free below!

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How Project Managers Waste Their Time - Avoid Doing These 13 Things
Project Management

How Project Managers Waste Their Time: Avoid Doing These 13 Things!

Time is money, they say, but it’s not entirely true. While I understand the intent behind this expression, there is a gaping hole in the theory. Time is worth MUCH more than money for the majority of us. Time is the only resource we can’t buy any more of. We all get the same amount of hours in each day, but none of us can ever get time back. The positive response to all of this? Make the best use of your time as you possibly can! This goes for work and personal life alike. As far as work is concerned, let’s talk about how Project Managers waste their time. If you’re looking to make the most of your time at work, avoid doing these 13 things!

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Do We Really Need To Work 8 Hours A Day? The Truth On Full-Time Jobs
Career Planning

Do We Really Need To Work 8 Hours A Day? The Truth On Full-Time Jobs

The 40-hour workweek is the hallmark of full-time employment in many countries. Five days per week, eight hours per day with weekends off. This experience has been so well-engrained in our society that many of us never question it. After all, we want to be hard workers. We want a ‘real job’. If we don’t work an eight hour day, some of us think we didn’t work hard enough. The answer? It depends. What are we doing during that time? How much effort are we putting in? How efficient are we working? All of these questions lead us to an even bigger question – do we really need to work 8 hours a day? Today, we’re exploring the truth about full-time employment.

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7 Simple, Effective Ways To Get Ahead As A Project Manager
Project Management

7 Simple, Effective Ways To Get Ahead As A Project Manager

We talk a lot on this website about whether Project Managers are born or made, and we always arrive at the same answer – there’s elements of both in the best P.Ms out there. That being said, the most polar opposites of ‘born’ Project Managers out there can still boost their skill levels tremendously through learning and experiences. Said another way – there’s a strong possibility of success for even the most unnatural P.Ms. In this article, we’ll be exploring 7 simple, effective ways to get ahead as a Project Manager! Let’s dive in.

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Going To The Office On The Weekend - 5 Situations When It's Beneficial
Project Management

Going To The Office On The Weekend: 5 Situations When It’s Beneficial

Let’s be real here – nobody wants to work on the weekends. Weekends are supposed to be the time where you spend time on anything BUT work. Most of us don’t even want to think about work during the weekend, let alone go to the dreaded office. In modern times, though, we’re juggling more and more on a daily basis. Our personal and work lives are merging more than ever. Most of us work more on average than we did in the past, too! In this article, we’re discussing going to the office on the weekend, and 5 situations when it’s beneficial. Let’s dive in.

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Project Management Efficiency Tricks & Hacks: 10 Go-To Techniques
Project Management

Project Management Efficiency Tricks & Hacks: 10 Go-To Techniques

Project management largely revolves around problem-solving, strategy and conscientiousness, but let’s get real – we also want to have a life. We desire positive outcomes and success for our projects, but we also want to leave at a reasonable hour, too. When it comes to efficient project management, ‘work smarter, not harder’ is the name of the game. We must put in enough effort to get the job done right, but we also need to monitor the time and energy it’s taking to get there. Today, we’re talking about 10 must-know project management efficiency tricks and hacks!

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Project Management Note Taking Tips: Double The Value (With Examples)
Project Management

Project Management Note Taking Tips: Double The Value (With Examples)

Project Managers around the world live and die by their notes. To do lists, logs and journals all serve the purpose of recording the most important parts of our project – in turn, PMs are constantly scribbling down notes, information and reminders throughout the day. Project Managers strategize, make decisions and take actions based on the information they have. It comes as no surprise that having sound note-taking skills can greatly boost a PM’s performance. When it comes to taking notes, there are some crucial methods to follow for best results. When notes are recorded in a certain fashion, they’ll pay you back in dividends over the course of a project. In this article, we’ll explore some project management note taking tips you can start using right now!

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How Do You Organize Project Documentation? A Few Must-Know Methods
Construction Documents & Templates

How Do You Organize Project Documentation? A Few Must-Know Methods

Take a look at every job listing for companies seeking a Project Manager. Two of the requirements that every company wants to see in a candidate are excellent organization skills and attention to details. This is for good reason – successful projects MUST be well-organized. Details get lost, efficiency drops and mistakes are made when project documents aren’t organized. Not to mention that files serve as legal documents that must be retained for some time after the project is done. How do you organize project documentation, then? In this article, we’ll discuss 10 must-know methods for organizing project documents the right way.

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Project Acceleration In Project Management
Project Management

Project Acceleration In Project Management: 5 Methods + The Good & Bad

Nearly all projects go through this at some point – the schedule must be accelerated. After all, there are deadlines to meet, a pace to keep and stakeholders to please. When delays arise out of surprises, issues or performance problems, it’s only natural to start thinking about the schedule. When will this thing be done?? There are many ways to go out project acceleration, which we’ll discuss below. Each acceleration method does come with its’ own set of drawbacks and stipulations to be aware of. This article is all about project acceleration in project management: five methods of doing so, plus the good and the bad of each.

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How Do You Manage Multiple Projects Effectively
Construction Process

How Do You Manage Multiple Projects Effectively? Our Top 10 Techniques

In a perfect world, a Project Manager would be given exactly one project at a time. We could put all of our attention and energy into getting the project completely finished before we even think about the next one. As you and I both already know, though, this world is far from perfect. People leave or get fired. New project opportunities pop up out of nowhere. Projects get delayed well beyond their original timeframe. Companies stretch resources. Busy times call for juggling. Some projects are just too small to require a full-time P.M. If you work in project management long

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