Four Dimensions of Effective Improvement Teams

Construction project owners are demanding more complex projects delivered faster, with higher quality and at a competitive cost.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share
Leadership Tools: 4 Dimensions of Effective Improvement Teams. Teamwork, Complexity of Though and Planning, Disciplined Execution, and Change Adoption.

Contractors must continuously improve their operations in 3 ways to remain competitive and grow profitably:  

  1. Efficiency - Doing things with less waste improving quality, speed and cost
  2. Capabilities - Providing more services such as offering more advanced preconstruction services
  3. Capacity - Ability serve growing customers; possibly in multiple geographies

To accomplish this contractors must identify areas of focus then put together effective improvement teams.  There are four major dimensions we look for when putting together these teams:

  1. Teamwork - Can they effectively work together?
  2. Complexity of Thought & Planning - Everyone is different; does the team have the right mix to solve the problem?  Do you have an opportunity to develop capabilities in high-performers through the team?
  3. Disciplined Execution - Some people are great starters while others are amazing finishers and if you don’t have some disciplined maintainers on the team then any short-term gains will be lost quickly.
  4. Adoption of Change - Everyone is different in different circumstances and a mixture is critical for making lasting improvements.  

What’s the #1 area you need to improve in your company this year?  

Do you have the right team?

Are they meeting regularly?

Are they committing the right resources?




Success is Not Final and Failure is Not Fatal
The construction business is TOUGH! There will be years that go by where it seems you are on top of the world. There will be “perfect storms” where you have a bad project, a dip in the economy or lose a critical member of your team.
Accounting and Finance (Similarities, Differences, and Integration)
For a growing contractor, understanding the differences between accounting and finance is often a challenge. The two functions are related but very different.
What Must Be True...
Asking the right strategic questions will ensure profitable growth in all economic conditions. Daily operational management is about adapting to what is currently true. Effective executive leadership creatively bridges the gap between the two.