[Stonehenge]

How do you promote efficiency with your staff? Do you have specific things you try to teach, or do you try to instill a certain mindset?

How do you make the most of your time, and how do you get your people to make the most of theirs?

[Lanelle]

One of the first things (for me) is to have a recording system that the foremen fill out regarding the various job tasks performed during the work day, including loading time in the yard. If they can see how much time is spent on each type of task, and know that the boss is looking at it, at least they become aware of the concept of job costing and efficient use of manhours.

[Rex Mann]

Explaining simple facts about being in the paver business to employees.

I tell them only to handle the pavers once-do not move them around multiple times

Take the saw to the cuts, do not bring the cuts to the saw

When you first exit the truck on a new job everyone wants to walk empty handed and see the site. Not us. We unload the tools we are sure we'll need to get started.

As we are close to finishing a job and are no longer in need of specific tools we will start taking them back to the truck/tailer or the shop.

No one- not even me- walks past a pallet of pavers and does not pick up a stack and take them to the laying face.

Keeping the tools sorted and organized also improves efficiency.

Job planning and layout can and does create efficiency on certain jobsites.

Some people are just more efficient by nature. These people are always thinking three or 4 moves ahead of what they are currently doing. Others, bring experience to the jobsite, which hopefully translates into efficiency.

The phrase "work smarter-not harder", to me means be more efficient in the field, on sales calls, and all area of your business.

Peace,

Rex

[Bexter]

We do many things ... breaking tasks down into bid/man hours is one. Crew leaders fill out a sheet each day. There is always the little things like Rex mentioned that add up to BIG hours saved. Brainstorm with everyone. At one of our recent meetings a forewoman suggested some kind of Production schedule for construction jobs.. what tasks to do first, what equipment will be needed on what day, when the materials need to be there etc etc... I really liked the idea ... We try and take the crew leaders out to new sites a couple days ahead of time and let them get a feel for the site...We'll work on this production schedule this winter.

[Stonehenge]

Are these large projects that you take the crew leaders out to ahead of time? I hear that and it sounds like a good idea, but I wonder how I would find the time to do it, with our typical project being 2-3 days.

[PSUscaper]

Yes....its hard enough to pull my self off a job to get to a project beforehand.....none the less take a entire crew there. I agree it sounds like a very good idea, but seems difficult.

The thought of it is scary.......lets see......you decide to leave a job early one day to go look at a job. In other words, you have to have you foreman wrap things up early(losing production time), have laborers on a job without supervision(losing who only knows kind of production time), have to make sure you scedule a day where you can leave early (ie, may be expecting deliveries and have to be there) .

next, you have to drive yourself and your foreman too and from the job........time you are paying for. If you hit traffic.........oooooff........know you and half your company are sitting on the road for and extra hour......or maybe, the job is across town and takes a hour to get too to begin with...........and then you get their, and the homeowner is there....and before you know it, your' talking about what their kids were for halloween for a an hour.....while you foreman stand behind you doing nothing................etc. etc. etc.

This whole thing could cost a fortune by the time it is over. Not sure how you can calculate if the 'pre-job' inspection 'actual' cost outweighs the 'possible' savings in efficiency.

[jwholden]

Rex,

I like that post.

I am a tool organizing freak at the jobsite. Whenever I start organizing tools I hear the guys say 'organizada good'. I'm hoping it starts to rub off.

Everybody grab some tools when doing the initial walk through. DUH, sometimes I miss the obvious.

I am getting VERY specific about where to leave materials and when to perform a certain task if I know it will create more work later. IE - leave all the cut pieces where they sit until we are ready to get rid of them all. (When I was cutting the sailor course a couple of weeks ago the guys were picking up the waste and making piles, then going back later with the wheelbarrow to pick up those pieces. We need to discuss this!)

We planted some trees on a hillside last week. The guys were placing the piles of dirt on the uphill side of the tree. I explained that if they put the soil on the downhill side it will be less work to create the half moon well if the soil is already there.)

I start putting the tools back on the truck and bringing tools back as soon as we are done with them as well.

One aspect of work that I'm sure you guys do is the work smart, not hard thing. Sure, when digging a trench you can go like hell and blow through it. However, I find that taking the pace down a notch and getting myself into a rhythm allows me to keep things moving and avoid those stupid mistakes I make when I rush as well as preventing me from getting worked up about completing a job.

I still have a hard time getting myself into a rhythm, especially when the project is behind or something goes wrong. However, the days when my head is clear and I work at a rhythm my productivity is ALWAYS higher.

[Bexter]

Doesn't really matter what size the job is, sooner or later you have to show the foreman unless you plan on being onsite to do it yourself. It is almost impossible for me to go out at the start of each job, on the day it is scheduled to start..... multiple crews may start new jobs the same morning.
If you can't take your foreman off site for an hour without production going completely to hell then you have other issues to deal with.

penn ..not sure what the "take the entire crew" comment was about.

[Stonehenge]

I can see the difference now.... You have many more crews than we do, so stopping out in the morning to go over layout and elevations with the foreman wouldn't work if two crews were each starting a project the same morning (unless one crew just sat for 2 hours waiting for you to show up). Since we only have two, it makes that way easier for us.

I was also considering spending time, days prior to the start of a project, going out and marking the layout on the ground, driving some stakes and marking elevations. Then the morning of, I'd go over the plans with the foreman at the shop, and then not visit the site at all (so long as the design was straightforward, without lots of elevation changes and such).

I started using (on a limited basis) what I call a 'Project Pack'. This project pack contains a map to the site, a copy of the design (with dimensions), a list of any non-standard tools to bring along (each truck has a standard tool set), any sketches to illustrate how the install should go, material quantities, etc. My hope is that pre-marking the site and having this project pack will reduce the need to have me start the project in the morning. But we'll see. Being able to see and touch the site would be the best option.

[Bexter]

We have 5 construction crews going full time and most times near the end of the week we have 7 (if 2 maintenance crews have time). This production schedule is really not anything that isn't already being done verbally. Think it would be helpful for the foreman to jot it down on a pre designed form..... we'll see what we can come up with .... my point was... ask your foreman what you can do better... they're the one out in the trenches, and, usually have some great ideas.

[Dale Wiley]

Take a bit of everyones post, put them together and you have a system started.

Efficency starts with creating a partnership with the employee to reduce support times, increase production times and maintain quality. There has to be a reason for the employee to partner this way. A bonus program for increased production in a 40 hour week that allows the employee to earn above their normal wage.

Support times are far more subject to changes and improvements than actual job production task, although all the little things mentioned in all the posts add up to a lot of time.

All jobs are set up in 3 ring binders or the job packets. These need to be done several days in advance so the job forman has access to them. He can then either go preview the job, while his crew continues to work on the previous job. Foreman then has the ability to start thinking ahead, which is what has to happen in order to create a company culture of production efficencies.

Tool list, standard and non standard are a must. A set amount of budget hours the job needs to take including all support and drive times must be set and held to.

In turn, the estimators must make sure their estimates, materials and other pre job functions are completely accurate. The foremen has the opportunity to determine this in the job pre inspection. Ther should be no surprises as the job starts and moves to completion.

We bill in blocks of 4 hours, so we can gain some billable time there as well.

[Paul]

Taking yourself out of the labors job and into the "office" you are now overhead. Your time now has to be spent planning, selling and leading. Your company will never be as efficient as it was before. Your salary is now lumped to other areas of operations, not in the labor pool. Teaching people to do the job you did as a foreman: layout, job progression, tool choices, should fall to your leaders. Your job site visits, should be limited to teaching and quality control. Sure pick up a stack of pavers, move a few things around but leave control to the foreman. Being able to give the foreman a job packet and directions to the job site and never seeing the job is what we all want. This gives us more time to do the bigger things like talk to the customer, sell more and plan for tomorrow.

Am I there yet? I have crews that I don't have to watch. Do I watch them? At times I go out and check on them and do time checks. It not only keeps me from over estimating what they can do but provides me with information on how I can improve what we are doing.

You may notice I use the word "WE" when talking about my company, thats because it's how i feel about them, it's not me alone but a group of people that can and do what we are asked to do turning a profit for all who work for the company.

[Stonehenge]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. I do appreciate it.