Why is efficient resource planning important in the construction industry?
Creating effective resource planning is crucial to successfully completing projects in the construction industry on time. The aim is to optimise the use of a company's limited resources. Resources must be available in the right place at the right time. Well thought-out resource planning increases productivity, improves adherence to deadlines and promotes employee satisfaction.
To ensure that your planning is also a success, we have summarised the most important points for you in six steps. The use of specialised software can also be beneficial for smaller companies in order to avoid scheduling conflicts, use resources efficiently and ensure consistent communication.
Six steps to effective deployment planning
1. Define a suitable structure
2. Distinguish between rough and detailed planning
3. Record absences
4. Create preliminary planning and obtain feedback
5. Direct communication
6. Monitoring and optimisation
Deployment planning for construction projects: The essential steps
1. Define a suitable structure
The first step is to structure resources and projects appropriately. For example, employees can be organised into departments and projects can be divided into phases, such as production, assembly or service. This gives you a clear overview and allows you to see directly which resources are required for which project phase. This overview facilitates allocation and enables forward-looking planning.
2. Distinguish between rough and detailed planning
Overly detailed planning at an early stage can be problematic, as changes often occur at short notice. Therefore, rough planning in the form of capacity planning should be prepared first. This involves comparing the company's expenditure with the available resources over a longer planning horizon. This enables personnel or order bottlenecks to be recognised at an early stage. Once capacity planning has been carried out, the actual deployment planning can be based on this.
3. Record absences
A separate absence plan should be linked to resource planning. Absences should be noted here as early as possible, as this makes it easier to adjust the planning. Ideally, absences such as holidays should already be taken into account in the rough planning in order to make the planning realistic.
4. Create preliminary planning and obtain feedback
Once the guidelines have been drawn up and absences have been taken into account, the resources are allocated to the projects. For construction projects, it can be useful to draw up a preliminary plan that is reviewed in weekly project manager meetings. Feedback is obtained and optimisations made before the final plan is drawn up.
5. Direct communication
Planning should be communicated to employees according to a standardised scheme. Digital plans are advantageous as they can be easily adapted and forwarded in the event of last-minute changes. Popular options for communicating planning are digital display boards that are hung up in the office or workshop, or smartphone apps that allow employees to access their schedules from anywhere. As changes are always possible, the information should reach staff directly and easily.
6. Monitoring and optimisation
Every plan is individual. It is therefore helpful to obtain feedback from employees and continuously adapt the process. If projects are frequently postponed, it may make sense to increase the target capacity utilisation. If necessary, the company structure or the planning process should also be adapted and team leaders should be involved at an earlier stage.
If these steps seem sensible to you, it is definitely worth testing the Vanillaplan software. With our solution, you can implement your construction project planning with precision. Take the chance and test Vanillaplan for 14 days free of charge!
