Business - 5 min read
It can be hard to ensure your team is always meeting the highest standards on-site. You only have so many eyes, hands and minutes in the day, so you’ve got to be confident that they can always achieve what you need them to, whether you’re there or not.
Below we explore 6 ways you can ensure your team work within compliancy standards, and detail how this will benefit your business.
The more you know about the standard you are trying to be compliant with, the better you can ensure your team is meeting requirements. Say you’re following the ISO 9001 standard for quality management. Keeping compliant with this standard means that your business is internationally recognised as a company that maintains the highest quality management systems and processes on its projects.
This is also a major selling point, particularly when you’re going to tender, as it inspires confidence in your clients. Further, it also sets a positive model of behaviour for your employees, showing them that this method of working is prized by your business.
You may think you’ve got everything under control, but sites can be an organisational minefield at the best of times, and unworkable at the worst. This means that if for whatever reason you’re not available on-site, the person who tries to take your place will be unable to make any progress. So, write things down and use plans for everything.
One example of an invaluable resource for staying in standard is an Inspection and Test Plan (ITP). Setting out a clear process for when safety and quality checks are to be done (and how to do them), the ITP is the Builder’s Bible for quality management. It should be simple enough to be followed by you or anyone else on-site, so the job is always done right, and in accordance with the necessary standards.
If your workers’ skills aren’t up to scratch, you’re in for a tough time staying in standard. It’s your responsibility to ensure everyone’s trained appropriately and holds the necessary certifications for the jobs they’re carrying out in your company name. If they’re not and something goes wrong, you could be held liable.
Training is your ticket to future success. This is because with a more highly skilled team, you’re capable of tackling tougher jobs and winning those lucrative tenders you’ve dreamed of. If you can’t train them yourself, bring in a team to do so. It’ll pay off in the long run.
Knowing your limitations is one of the most important attributes of the best project managers. You don’t know it all, but you can try to. Subscribe to industry publications and blogs so you can see what other construction companies are doing to stay in standard. Your business isn’t the first to have a problem staying in standard, so research further and you’ll get a better idea of how to approach it in the future.
You may find your research isn’t enough. If this is the case, it’s time to seek advice. Ideally, you’ve already got a large network of colleagues, partners and associates with experience in your field. Contact them and ask for guidance. People enjoy being asked and it means that you can begin a stronger working relationship with them. And this is vital when it comes to forming partnerships, especially if they are in different, but related, industries.
Maybe you’ve contacted your networks and they haven’t been able to help. That means it’s time to bring in the experts. There are companies of consultants whose job it is to ensure businesses maintain their standards. They’ve got experience working with numerous businesses in a wide range of industries, so they’ve seen your problem before and know how to approach it to get your business back in standard and keep it there. They’ll also be able to train you and your team on the best ways to carry out your projects in the future.
Staying to standard can be difficult, but it’s worth the effort. Follow these 6 tips here and ensure your business reaps the rewards of compliance certification.
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