The construction industry is notorious for going over budget and not delivering on time. While there are many legitimate reasons for that, it doesn’t make for happy customers. Here’s how to stay on budget without eating into your own profit margins.
Keeping records of your running costs is the best way to ensure that you are running efficiently. It gives you the data you need to quote more accurately and prevents you from missing out on sundry costs, like hardware store runs, that eat into your profit margins.
It’s tough to keep tabs on expenses as your job progresses, especially if you are a small to medium construction company. If you wait until the end of the job to record costs, you’re bound to leave something off. Keeping accurate records means you are able to see which jobs provide the greatest dividends.
Knowing where you are doing well and where you need to be more efficient in real time means you can do something about it. Having your accountant inform you of your progress at the end of the year is too late to make a meaningful impact on your running costs. Having good information will help you to make better decisions.
You can find some excellent spreadsheets online so all you have to do is fill them in as you go along. Doing this task regularly will help you see when your project is veering off course so you can bring it back on track.
If you have accurate records, you are more likely to create realistic project budgets. When you know what you are spending, you and your client can make more informed decisions about changes to the building plans and how they will affect the budget.
Construction managers have a wealth of technological aids that streamline this process, so it shouldn’t add too much to your daily ‘to do’ list.