Become a Better Construction Manager with These Time Management Tips

The importance of time management for project management can’t be underestimated.

This is true whether you’re a tradesperson looking to upskill with a diploma of building and construction, or you’re a newly appointed construction manager wanting to hone your new skills.

As well as knowing the trades inside and out, construction managers also need to juggle people, processes, workflows and regulations to routinely deliver projects on time and on budget. A

While this may be an inborn talent for some, for others it takes time, effort and training to perfect. Here, a diploma of building and construction is your best bet.

By investing in your skills now, you’ll thank yourself later when career advancement and job satisfaction improves. If you’ve wanted to work on larger, more expensive projects with more accountability, a Diploma of Building and Construction CPC50220 will get you there.

We’ve compiled some time management tips for you to think about, regardless of your current position, so you can start improving your management approach this week.

1. Hold Agenda-Driven Meetings

Meetings are a necessary part of projects at any scale. Workflow updates, solution brainstorms, and outlines for tasks ensure everyone onsite is on the same page and the project completed in a timely manner.

In reality, meetings can easily veer off-track, drain resources and importantly, waste time. If you’re a tradie or construction manager, you’ll know how critical teamwork is to the job, and learning to lead a team is essential, whether it’s with your fellow diploma of building students or on the job.

Effective leadership and a clear agenda is the secret to productive meetings. This allows for priorities to be addressed and concerns raised within small timeframes. Outline a clear goal to be achieved by its end, ensuring the discussion ends with a clearly identified action to be taken with accountability delegated to one person.

Before the meeting ends, have each person voice their own concerns and any pain points they are experiencing or anticipating. This is essential. By actively listen to your team and taking their feedback onboard, you can generate a clear picture of what is happening onsite and future problems that may impede a smooth project.

If an issue seems to be snowballing, delegate it to a smaller team and have them report back to the group. Not only will this save you time, the additional accountability will help your team learn new skills and feel valued.

2. Use Construction Management Software Tools

Time planning tools and techniques in project management can make daily life onsite easier and long-term projects a success. They can also identify workflow inefficiencies and lead to decreased reliance on overstretched resources and reduce human-related errors.

One of the most valuable takeaways of further training in a diploma of building and construction is getting a head start on familiarising yourself with this technology, which you can implement on day one as a construction manager.

Construction management management tools can vary, and it is best not to use too many—only those that make substantial differences. Those that give you visibility into how your project is tracking are great to start with and you’ll notice the effects immediately.

You’ll likely want to assign tasks to certain people, view a timeline of progress, and filter data according to employees or teams, priorities, and works dependent on the completion of others.

This will allow you to quickly see which teams or employees need more support, where resources can be directed and how the pipeline will be impacted—all in one place.

By the end of the project, you’ll have data on employee performance, common disruptions and where to anticipate problems for the next build.

Delays are a normal part of project delivery, but how you handle them is key. Project management tools can make these headaches far more manageable.

Ideally, if you decided to take on a diploma of building, you’ll gain access to onsite construction projects to see how they work on real projects.

3. Prioritise Tasks for Impact

As anyone who has completed a diploma of building and construction online will tell you, being able to prioritise tasks is paramount to delivering projects without last-minute stress.

A task list something every diploma of building graduate is familiar with, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you how to use your time. The Pareto rule, also known as the 80/20 rule, simplifies a long list of tasks, many of which could be urgent.

This method identifies 80% of effects being caused by just 20% of all problems. By focussing your efforts here, you can be certain that the majority of the project will be on schedule most of the time.

Of course, more often than not, hiccups happen that can reframe your priorities. Deliveries are delayed, or mistakes are made. Prioritising your tasks then becomes a judgement call—and you’re forced to weigh up urgency against importance.

By constructing a matrix of importance and urgency, you can address the most important issues much faster and more clearly.

Although these methods are great for working onsite, you can use them elsewhere too. If you’re planning on undertaking a diploma of building and construction, it will be essential to balance your training with your day job.

By prioritising your study, you’ll be more likely to graduate faster and achieve your career goals more quickly.