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The Subcontractor’s Guideto Working ProductivelyAcross Projects

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across ProjectsWhat’s Inside3 Introduction4 A Look Back and a Leap Forward5 Challenges for Today’s Subcontractors7 Top Four Benefits to Using Construction Productivity Software9 Planning Your Roadmap to Success10 Power Design - A Prime Example of PlanGrid ROI2

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across ProjectsIntroductionAs a subcontractor, you need to providehigh quality, experienced tradespeople andexcellent service. But that’s only a smallportion of what you do.If you’re successful, you’re workingwith different general contractors,subcontractors, architects and clients.That’s a lot to keep track of.Your job is to meet productivity demands,stay on schedule and stay on budget.While other professionals balance thosesame responsibilities in the air for theirown business, you have to magnify thosedemands by the number of projects you’reworking on.Even whittling it down to the sheer basicsfor success, you need to: Provide the highest level of service onevery project. Meet staffing requirements to assure theproject is completed competently and ondeadline. Manage production to adhere to theschedule. Keep an open line of communication withother subcontractors and the GC.3

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across ProjectsA Look Back and a Leap ForwardIf you’ve been in the construction industryfor a while, you can remember a day whenproject managers kept binders, hard copiesof spec sheets and several sets of blueprintsfor any given job. On many jobs, you’ll stillsee this. You might even be that guy wholikes his information in hard copy.The old way works. But it has itsdrawbacks. For instance, you might beworking off outdated plans. Even if youhave current information, it still takes timeto sift through large job binders to find it.And, of course, all of the different playersmight not be on the same page. Hardcopies don’t immediately notify othersubcontractors that there are changes.Technology allowed us a big leap forward.Sophisticated software gave you instantaccess to the latest plans, spec sheets, youname it.But there are two problems with enlistinga technology solution: Not every GC and contractor uses thesame software. Some of those programs are hard to use.Construction Productivity Softwaresolves both of those issues whiledelivering an optimal solution to helpyour company increase productivity anddecrease overhead.And Construction Productivity Software wasdesigned to be user friendly.Your project managers and staff were hiredbecause they have experience, knowledgeand talent at their craft. Not all of themare tech savvy and, for the most part, theyshouldn’t need to be.Construction Productivity Software wasdesigned to simplify the process, in alanguage you can understand.Construction Productivity Softwareintegrates with all the programs you mightbe using now. This means that you caneasily transfer necessary information fromsubcontractors, project managers and anyof your GCs.4

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across ProjectsChallenges for Today’s SubcontractorsAs a subcontractor, there are numerousissues you need to address on a dailybasis. Because your livelihood dependson your ability to juggle multiple projectssimultaneously, communication is a keyconcern. You need up to date informationin real time.What this means is that you need tohave access to all communication, anychanges or revisions to your proposal,and any updates on scheduling. But that’snot just your own company’s internalinformation. You also need the updatedcommunications from clients, GCs andother subcontractors. If there’s a delay inthe process, you need to know.Here are a few of the top challenges youneed to find solutions for on a regular basis: Staying on Schedule.Staying on schedule is likely one of yourchief concerns. This is what makes yourreputation—your ability to completeprojects to specification on time. In aprofessional relationship, it really does comedown to the quality of your craftsmanshipand whether your clients can count on youto deliver on time. The things that keep youfrom delivering on time can sometimes seemoutside of your control. But many of thesetime constraints can be overcome throughexcellent organization. With the rightknowledge ahead of time, you’ll be able topinpoint where you need more labor, whichschedule might need to be adjusted due toother tradesmen and what the progress ison any given project at any given time. Out of Pocket Investments.Scheduling and payments come in at thetop of the list of contractor challenges.Subcontractors are typically paid after theGC is paid for completion of the project.While this might mean being paid inincrements throughout a longer project, itoften means that you need to pay out inexpenses well before you’re able to recoverthe overhead. For some companies, thisincludes millions of dollars out of pocket atany given time in materials, payroll and otheroverhead costs of doing business. The abilityto manage cash flow is an important aspectof your success.5

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across Projects Communication Challenges.Communication is at the heart of asuccessful project. You need to have anexcellent line of communication with theGC and the construction manager. Youalso need to be able to communicate withother subcontractors on the job. In somecases, GCs might parcel out parts of theproject to multiple subcontractors in yourtrade. In other cases, your work schedulemight be impacted by the ability of othersubcontractors to complete their own job ontime. These time delays can cause a rippleeffect, pushing back the timeline for all of theother trades and the project as a whole. Coordinating and Tracking Activity.Your project managers are in the field,making decisions and managing your staffon their jobs. They’re your eyes and keepyour home office up to date on the project.But for many companies, it’s difficult tocoordinate activity between the differentprojects that are going on simultaneously.This might include tracking activitiesfor payroll, staffing and comprehensivecommunication with the main office so thateach project is documented in real time. Ifyou’re still working with paper worksheets,it’s increasingly difficult to make sure thateveryone has the same, current information. Finding and Hiring Skilled Labor.If you’ve been in the industry for a while,you’ve noticed that there’s a shortage ofskilled labor. That trend will continue in2018 and into the future. There have beennumerous articles written about the lack ofskilled labor in the workforce as traditionaleducation increasingly tells students topursue formal degrees. There are someexperts promoting the trades as a lucrativeand stable choice, but none of that will helpyour labor shortage situation today. Staffingis a big issue because training unskilled laboron the job can impact the work and theability to complete the process on schedule.In severe cases, the inability to keep skilledworkers on staff can mean you’ll need todecline projects because you can’t meet thescheduling timeframes with the staff youcurrently have. Keeping Current on Specs, Blueprints,Submittals and Change Orders.It’s imperative that your records are upto date on each project, but this canbe difficult if your system doesn’t offeroptimal organization. Information on thelatest revisions to blueprints or specs, orchange orders which might alter schedules,materials and proposals are essential tokeep your company on task. Small mistakesin these areas can cost you in efficiency andproductivity. In some cases, it might evenlead to needless expenses and damage yourreputation with the client.6

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across ProjectsTop Four Benefits to Using Construction Productivity SoftwareThere are a lot of ways that ConstructionProductivity Software streamlines yourefficiency and keeps your team on track,at all times. The software offers real timesolutions that are scalable and integratewith the systems your staff is mostcomfortable using.Let’s be honest, you want a solution thatshows a big return on investment. Youwant to see where the application savesyour company in overhead, reduces manhours and improves workflow. Those are allimportant features.But you need a system that your staff willuse. That’s paramount.Construction Productivity Software wasdesigned to be easy to understand. It speaksin a language your staff is comfortable with,and allows integration with the protocol youcurrently have in place.Here are the top four benefits for yourbusiness:1. Projects Are Completed on(or Ahead of) Schedule.Scheduling is important—yourcompany needs to keep to thetimeframe you proposed in your bid.In an industry with many differentmoving parts, it’s easy to get thrownoff schedule if you’re not careful.PlanGrid helps you to keep track ofall of the changes in real time, so youcan adjust immediately. With betterorganization and access to currentinformation, your forward planningimproves and you can completeprojects on time.2. Allows You to Scale Quickly.In construction, you need to knowwhere the market is going and to beable to prepare. You don’t want tobe caught with an overabundance ofwork, but no skilled labor to completethe projects. At the same time, youneed to be prepared for slower turns.Managing your resources and workforce is difficult, but PlanGrid gives youthe analytics and ability to see whereyour current needs are and allows youto plan ahead.3. Reduces Instances of Rework,Resulting in Cost Savings.Rework costs you a great deal in(often preventable) expense. Incase study after case study, we’veseen documented savings in reworkfor our clients. In fact, 86% of clientssurveyed indicated that they’ve seenrework reduced since they startedusing the software.7

The Subcontractor’s Guide to Working Productively Across Projects4. Encourages User Engagement whichPromotes Widespread Adoption.PlanGrid does two things really well;it streamlines your job and it’s easyto use. Project managers and staffmaster the user friendly applicationin a short amount of time, even ifthey’re not avid technology users.They also find that it saves them timeand inconvenience—they don’t haveto keep cumbersome blueprints andhard copy spec sheets with them atall times. And they can answer anyquestions they might have about theintricacies of a project with an easysearch. They can perform at a higherlevel while saving themselves time inmanually looking through documentsor calling into the home office.8