Improve short-term tactics and long-term strategies

Abstract

Just because reactive planning has become the norm doesn't make short-term planning any easier. Contractors still have to deal with numerous complex and dynamic variables, some of which include: selecting the right kind of projects to bid on determining the profitability of a project mitigating risks predicting the cost of materials and labor finding reliable subcontractors for a job With so many variables, it's expected that planning your people for the short term takes priority, with long-term, strategic workforce planning almost feeling like more of a luxury. Your people are at the heart of project delivery, and if they're not being allocated to projects with long-term goals in mind your project deliverability will inevitably begin to suffer. Improving your planning is possible It should be clear at this point that understanding the future impact of your short-term planning is a key variable in your long-term success, or at the very least, that reactive workforce planning makes it difficult to start your projects off on the right foot. Making better decisions long-term We've outlined how short-term decision-making can improve, but the mystery in construction is if long-term people planning is even possible, and if it is, how effective and accurate can the process be with so many dynamic variables? You can think of long-term workforce planning in two ways: Real project plans. REAL PROJECT PLANS The right workforce management tools help to plan your workforce around project pursuits, something many contractors aren't currently doing because the tools they use don't allow it. Planning for your pursuits helps to predict if you'll have enough capacity to take on a new project.