Anyone who has worked as a construction project manager can attest that having the right tools can make all the difference in getting things done. Most large companies invest in expensive project management systems, but what if you’re not ready to take that leap? Thankfully, there are a number of affordable options to improve your project management.

Project Management Tips

Whether you’re a new project manager or you’ve been at it for decades, it can be helpful to take a step back and review the basics. Yes, there are many amazing project management tools available on the market today, but you may not need the capabilities of expensive project management tools (or have the budget). Some of the most effective tools are inexpensive, and others are even free.

Burndown Charts

Burndown charts are a simple visualisation tool to display the amount of work left to complete and how much time you’ll have to accomplish it. With these parameters firmly defined, it becomes a matter of meeting deadlines. But how do you define the parameters? 

Using Microsoft Excel, create a spreadsheet with a countdown. If you have 14 days in which to finish your project, start your spreadsheet with Day 14 and count down to the big day. Many people find that the countdown method, as opposed to simply using the dates on the calendar, instills a motivating sense of urgency.

With your days counted down in your spreadsheet, use formulas to calculate the amount of effort required by each worker in order to complete the project on time. As the work is finished, the daily required effort “burns down” until the project’s completion.

You can use whatever kind of visualisation works best, but many people find that line charts are the most satisfying for burndown charts. If you don’t feel like creating your own, you can download our free burndown chart template here.

Project Management Software

Effective project management software can be the key to keeping everyone on track. Project management software runs the gamut from open source to extremely expensive, but the following programs work well for builders and are relatively inexpensive.

Asana - With this program you can create and assign tasks to teams and/or individuals, and you can also check up on their progress and measure results. It includes notifications and document sharing. You can also integrate it with Google Drive, Dropbox, and other popular programs.

Basecamp - Used in all sorts of industries, Basecamp is a favourite of over 100,000 businesses. With Basecamp, you can easily have conversations with other members of your team about issues as they come up, and you can share all of your documents in one place.

Google Docs - One of the best things about Google Docs (along with its price!) is that everything is stored in the Cloud, so you never have to worry about losing your work. Leave comments on documents, take polls using Google Forms, and share spreadsheets all from the same handy place.

Orchestra - This tool can help you to allocate tasks and see all of your reporting on one convenient dashboard. The timesheet management capabilities are also very helpful for builders, allowing you to see that everyone is getting paid the right amount at the right time.

These are just a few of the many tips and programs that can help builders stay on top of project management. To learn more about what you can do to keep your team on track, contact us at Compliance Council.