The Indian construction industry is confronted with many issues, even though it is one of the most significant contributors to the nation's economy. Its highly fragmented landscape often suffers from time and cost overruns, inefficient project management, lack of skilled labour, supply chain bottlenecks, poor planning, slow adoption of new technologies and poor management. Each of these lead to major problems at scale and their solutions have largely remained ineffective.

Why?

The very nature of the construction industry has inherent challenges that are typically not encountered in other sectors. For example, construction differs widely from manufacturing in that:

• The work is often seasonal, each project is unique, and it usually involves remote sites with various access problems.
• The construction of a site itself is not very predictable. There is difficulty in applying automation with a high chance of encountering unforeseen problems such as weather.
• Costs vary according to requirements, technical innovations are adopted slowly and so, success is dependent upon the quality of its people.
• Finally, it is very custom-oriented, the product can be of great size, cost, and complexity with unattended work.

With that said, many construction businesses are actively adopting change and innovation to aim for better results.

Below are five tips that will come in handy for labour-intensive businesses.

1. Building a dependable team

As is the case in any business, people are a construction organisation's most important resource. Construction operations depend on the knowledge and skills of people planning and executing the work. The quality of this essential resource, people, distinguishes one team or company from another. Hire dependable and skilled employees. Retain your best employees by promoting and rewarding them for their hard work and reliability.

2. Know how to manage and lead your people

It is of utmost importance to know when to lead and when to delegate work. Becoming a leader involves trusting the decision making of your employees. Because if you keep trying to manage every aspect of their work, they may lose confidence in their ability to make sound decisions. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain a stable balance between managing and delegating work to your team.

3. Investing in your business

The biggest hurdle construction companies usually face is failing to incorporate the latest technologies into their businesses. Investing in innovative tools, machinery, modifications, software, etc., used during the construction phase enables advancement in field construction methods, including semi-automated and automated construction equipment.

4. Customer service

Taking into consideration your client's needs should be a top priority for construction business owners. Active Communication with your clients on all aspects of your project is critical for repeat business and referrals.

5. Eye for detail

Compromising the quality of your work can prove to be detrimental to your business's future. Your company's entire future depends on the quality work delivered to the last mile. Improving construction quality management starts with an understanding of the factors that can impact both safety and quality.