5 construction peeves and how to resolve them

Running a construction site takes a great deal of organisation. You need to be disciplined and highly in control insofar as looking out for things that can go wrong, and then mitigating the risks before things become a problem.

There are a number of common gripes relating to the construction site, and we wanted to address some of these here, as well as providing solutions to these problems. Hopefully, you can avoid some of these on your next build!

Managing creditors and debtors

The balancing act required to ensure a successful build is not to be understated. The project manager needs to ensure that cash is flowing at all times so that creditors can be paid off. There also needs to be sufficient cash flow on the building site to pay subcontractors and the various other persons involved with the construction project. A way to get around this is by using a construction site management software system that works to make the process smooth. Imagine a world where you could collaborate with key stakeholders on a neutral platform without endless spreadsheets and emails? You can with software like Progress Claim. The Progress Claim template for managing creditors and debtors makes life easy on the building site.

Managing additional costs

Often in the construction process, you will do a thorough assessment of the site and will take everything possible into consideration for the build. Then, you will commence construction and all of a sudden something comes up – like bad soil, or another potential issue – and you will have to make adjustments. If you do encounter a problem like this in your next job, the only real solution is to pause the project and ensure that you cover all of your bases.

Making sure subtractor claims are in

Chasing up subcontractors for missed invoices and ensuring that all of the claims are in for the reporting period must make up a fair chunk of most accounts teams and project managers’ time. It seems like a key complaint on many construction sites is missed claims or ensuring that all claims are in when they should be. The reason for this is because often people will forget, or will submit incomplete or unsubstantiated claims. If claims aren’t submitted correctly, they will go back and be disputed, which takes time and can cause problems. One of the most innovative ways around chasing up contractor claims is to switch to a cloud-based (online) system for managing invoices and processes, like Progress Claim. This kind of software allows you to follow up on claims and makes the whole process very simple.

Updating the back of house system

It takes a whole team of people to manage the amount of paperwork that is flying around on a construction site at any time – and yet, often it’s just one or two people who are responsible for the paperwork of a whole job. Things can be missed, and sometimes contractors don’t submit the paperwork correctly, or don’t have the right information. To make everyone’s lives easier, you could switch to a cloud based invoicing and paperwork system, and ensure that everyone is trained in the correct procedures.

Subcontractors invoicing on time

As with every other construction site peeve, this is a big one. We always want our subbies to invoice on time, and often they do. But when they don’t it slows down the whole process and causes issues. Why not consider implementing a reminder system, or make the whole act of invoicing a whole lot easier with computerised invoicing?

These are just a couple of the key problems that can be faced on a standard construction site. As with most other businesses, a major concern is always making sure that cash is flowing correctly. A good invoicing and progress management software can help – so why not investigate this for your business? You will find that it saves you time and money in the future with your next construction job