INEIGHT PROJECT CONTROLS
MASTERING EFFICIENCY: EXPERT STRATEGIES FOR CENTRALIZED PROJECT CONTROLS
CONSISTENCY DELIVERS EFFICIENCY
As projects grow in size and complexity, a major advantage of standardization is the reduction of variability across projects. In construction, different teams often use different methods for estimating costs, managing schedules, or tracking progress. With a standardized system, everyone operates within the same framework, which improves reliability and predictability. The experts in this discussion offered a few concrete steps toward standardization that can deliver efficiency.
ESTABLISH SHARED TERMINOLOGY
All too often, different teams use various terms to describe the same phases of construction or project milestones, which can lead to misunderstandings or delays. With a shared vocabulary, leadership and teams can more easily track progress and make decisions. When everyone, from senior leadership to project teams on the ground, uses the same terms and information structures, it eliminates ambiguity and confusion.
“We move people around a lot now, and that’s really in response to mega projects. And that seems to be a big chunk of our business is these $1 billion, $2 billion, $3 billion jobs. And we’ve got to move resources around to suit that and they come from different divisions. The challenges we’ve experienced previously have been, ‘I don’t know what language you’re using here, and then I’ve got to learn a whole new system every time I move around.’ They have to go through the learning curve. It takes a while to get proficient in that.”
-Rod Wales, Vice President, Ledcor
STANDARDIZE ACROSS PROJECTS
Centralized project controls also provide a clearer view of resource needs across multiple projects. A standard approach to project management makes it easier to anticipate staffing requirements and move resources where they are needed most. A unified tool also enables more efficient budgeting and payment processing for personnel, ensuring costs are controlled and aligned with project goals.
“You can go from one project to the next and you’re talking the same language,” said Justin Terminella, Vice President at Kiewit Industrial. “I can tell you, 10 years ago that wasn’t the case. Whether you were looking at a visualization of an earned value report, and then you didn’t understand what green versus red meant and every single time you went to a project, it was a debate on what the right one should be. Those conversations are over. You’re talking the same language, you’re looking for the same stuff, and people understand what you’re asking for. It’s ingrained from a lower level all the way through senior leadership.”