Facilitating collaboration in construction management

Good collaboration is integral for construction companies, enabling them to work cohesively and efficiently. With effective collaboration behind their businesses, construction company managers, employees, and stakeholders all benefit. Some of the key benefits of working collaboratively include reduced costs, increased innovation, minimized risks of error, and added value to the client.

If you're wondering how to facilitate collaboration in your operations, the following are some ways to get started.

Begin collaborating early

To get the most from collaboration efforts, you should start collaborating in the initial planning stages. In the process, gather the key individuals who are responsible for each aspect of the project, including owners, engineers, architects, and both contractors and subcontractors. Doing so can help ensure that a project takes into account the input from each group, from the scheduling to construction stages. 

Establish leadership

In addition to starting early on, you need to have a team of qualified leaders to enable effective collaboration. The right leaders will be able to help manage collaborative efforts and mitigate any problems that develop. Leadership teams could include a variety of individuals, including construction superintendents, project managers, and engineers. Throughout a project, they should also communicate with each other via meetings to discuss the overall progress being made and better gauge how the project is meeting the objectives set.

Maintain effective communication

Communication is also key when it comes to facilitating collaboration. Good communication will account for everyone's input and ensure that each member of your team is connected. At the same time, your communication plan should establish a specific chain of command, from owners to architects to contractors. Each link in the chain will provide the next party with relevant information and documentation pertaining to each individual role. This allows for efficient communication that keeps information flowing down the chain of command.

Consolidate data in a single source

You must be able to connect systems and make sure all data is consistently accurate and up to date. Many project managers wind up wasting too much time collecting data from several sources and generating reports. Oftentimes, pulling information from more than one source leads to inconsistencies and disagreements that convert into costly errors or even legal issues. If you can collect all information and integrate it into a single, reliable solution, all information will remain consistently accurate across all teams and systems. It also makes it convenient to pull the data you require at any point, eliminating the need to use two or more sources.

Use tools that are specific to construction

Although many construction companies rely on email, spreadsheets, and other tools to manage their projects, these are both outdated and often inefficient. To gain complete transparency in your projects and further enable collaboration, you need a tool that can provide total visibility and real-time updates. Using a construction-specific management solution, you can successfully manage your projects through each phase and empower your teams with a tool that provides plenty of actionable insights.

By keeping all of these tips in mind, you and all project stakeholders can experience the benefits of collaboration. Subsequently, you'll be able to more successfully grow your business and maximize both efficiency and cost-effectiveness for every project.

Briq is a financial automation platform that helps construction companies grow their business. Schedule a demo with our experts today.