Reasons Why Proper Resource Planning is Critical to Your Construction Business Success
Within construction, businesses are constantly looking for the next project. Without enough projects, they end up in trouble. However, when they take on work they don’t have the resources for it also ends poorly. The only way for a construction business, or any business, to know what they can handle is for them to implement proper and regular resource planning into their business.
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What is Resource Planning
Resource planning is how a construction business ensures they can complete all projects on time and on budget. Construction businesses that use proper resource planning do better and seem more organized than those that don’t. Resource planning ensures that every project will have all of the necessary resources needed. When projects had the necessary resources on time, they are more successful. This is why many industries outside of construction use resource planning.
How It Helps Your Construction Business
Since resource planning is preparing resources for a project, construction is a field that greatly benefits from it. Projects sometimes overlap or start at the same time. Resource planning is what ensures that your company has everything needed to complete the project. When project managers create a timeline and list of what they need, they’re planning for the project. Taking those plans and working out how they fit with the business’s resources is resource planning. This way, projects have everything they need at the right time. If construction businesses don’t use resource planning a project can end up delayed.
Why You Should Implement Resource Planning
There are many reasons why construction businesses succeed when they implement resource planning. The time between bid announcements and commencement date vary, but most companies try to ensure that it won’t negatively impact any projects. They’re concerned with getting the necessary labor and tools necessary to complete the project to the contract, as every business is. This is how resource planning comes in handy, it tells you what resources you have available to you and what will be needed.
How to Draft a Successful Resource Plan
A successful resource plan is a constantly evolving document. It has to keep up with your business’s ever-evolving projects. However, here are some steps to develop a successful resource plan.
Listing Resources By Project
Every project is going to have its own unique resource needs. When estimators determine what a project needs, they break it down into resources for the project. Using that and a project manager’s list of resources, you can develop a complete estimate of resources by project. It’s important for the estimate to be as accurate as possible. If the estimate is too far over what’s actually needed or not enough, your construction business might end up losing money. However, once the resources are compiled they can be sent to a resource officer or someone else who works in resource planning.
Compiling Resource Lists
The next important set is to compile the resource lists. This will give the office or resource officer an idea of how many and what type of resources a project needs. They’ll also have the ability to see where all the projects fit in the schedule. That way if two projects need almost every employee, you’ll know they happen six months apart. The resource lists let your office know how many people need to be hired, or who they won’t have work for. It helps them manage inventory, tools, and maintenance. This part of resource planning ensures projects have resources.
Executing Resource Plans
After resource lists are compiled and schedules are created, there is just the execution of the resource plans. This is how the resource officer or office knows that you’ll need to hire five more people in four months, or that equipment maintenance is scheduled at the start of a big project. Knowing when projects will need certain resources helps your construction business run smoother. Resource planning reduces delays and overtime on budgets because it ensures that resources will be where they’re needed. It also helps estimators know what the schedule looks like and what projects they can take on. In all, resource planning is crucial to construction business success.
Guest content provided by eSub Construction Software.
