How to Become a Successful Builder #6 – Highly Successful Builders Unleash Effective Systems
Highly Successful Builders Unleash Effective Systems
“There always has to be something that goes wrong on a building construction project.”“It’s par for the course on a home renovation build.”“If you want to avoid building problems, do it yourself” If you’ve heard (or said) this, listen up. This article is for you. You know the pain of things going wrong. But it needn’t be like that. And Highly Successful Builders seem to have surmounted them. How? Read on…
Highly Successful Builders Record Repeatable Procedures
1 Highly Successful Builders Record Repeatable Processes
It’s human to make a mistake. OK. But it’s foolish to make the same mistake over and over. Yet how many builders do just that? And allow their team to stuff up the same process again and again! Crazy if you ask me!You’ve gotta get off the tools long enough to record your processes and teach your team to follow them.“But, every job is different,” I hear you protest. Yes it is. But I guarantee that the old Pareto 80/20 principle is as true here as anywhere. 80% of any renovation work will be common. E.g. removing a tile roof is the same process on every job. So while you can’t standardize everything you can most things. So do it and get your team following your processes.
Highly Successful Builders Focus on Improvement
2 Highly Successful Builders Focus on Process Improvement
So how good does your process have to be? It doesn’t really matter. Any process (with a little thinking) is better that no process. So after you have got your first process documented and installed, run a check on how effective it is. Get the team to reflect on how it went and recommend change. When good ideas emerge (and they will) revise your process! It’s not rocket science!When you can see you role as Process Improver, then you’ve really transitioned to a “better than average” building business owner. And you will see the results in gradually improving returns.
Highly Successful Builders Install Systems Early
3 Highly Successful Builders Install Systems Early
The best time to install a system is yesterday. Then you know you’re ready for tomorrow’s problems. The second best time is today. The worst time is tomorrow. Highly successful builders install their systems before they need them, test them out themselves, or with a few team members, and them roll them out having made the first round of improvements.The thing is that without systems to guide the various activities each team member just does what they've always done. It may be OK for a bit, but inevitably it will introduce confusion into your culture.
Action
So, how about taking a moment or two to sketch on paper (or a decent piece of framing) the key steps in the tasks you and your team are doing right now. See how easy it is. Then get your team together and go over the steps and get agreement to try to “do it by the book” (or by the piece of framing) this once. Then review how it went, make some improvements. I guarantee if you stick with it you will finish up being faster and probably have a better job done. Nice!
Question
So, how is it going for you in your building business? Are you or your team repeating the same mistakes over and over? Are you installing decent systems.I’d love to hear your storiesPost your stories/comments below
View more in the "How To Become A Successful Builder" Series:
Graeme
P.S. Whenever you’re ready….here are 4 ways I can help you grow your building business:
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