Posted on June - 20 - 2010
Using Checklists to Steer Your Business to Success
How can you make sure that you give each step in your projects and your business the right attention? A proven system to keep track of key information and address the risks is construction checklists.
Construction Checklists
The pilot of a 747 or a Cessna 175 may have taken off and landed safely hundreds of times, yet he still uses multiple checklists each and every time to make sure that no crucial detail is overlooked. Managers in construction must also have a system to remember and follow through with the important details. No matter how large or small the company or project, there are certain fundamentals that must be taken care of if you are to be successful.
The checklists the pilot uses do not fly the plane — they simply remind the pilot of what he must do in order to fly it. The same is true of the construction checklists in this book. They alone will not manage a company, estimate a job, or build a project. But they will remind you to profitably manage the risks in a construction company or project.
Keep in mind that if the checklist system is to be effective, you must:
- Use the checklists routinely. Make them part of your current way of doing things, and refer to them for every project, no matter how big or small.
- Make sure the information you record on the checklists is concise, accurate, and relevant.
- If you have other management personnel, teach them how to use the checklists.
- Make sure that someone is accountable for the accuracy and completeness of the information recorded on the checklists. In the case of the 747, the mechanic must sign off on the repairs he has made and the equipment he has checked. It should be the same with data presented in your construction company.
- Tailor the checklists to your company. Each company is different, with unique ways of doing business. Since checklists include your procedures, they should be customized to fit your way of doing business. This is easy to do with the electronic versions of the checklists on the book’s Web site.
- Do not use the checklists as substitutes for your own creative thinking and valuable experience. Use them as tools to make decision-making and management easier, more organized, and more effective.
This article was adapted from Best Business Practices for Builders & Remodelers by Thomas Frisby. Click here to read an expanded excerpt.
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