7 Critical Areas Every Contractor Needs Systems in Their Concrete Coating Business
2018-09-05
Before Hedley Construction had a system in place for field operations, almost every time owner George Hedley went to a jobsite, “Lots of things were going wrong and I would find many things I didn't like.” Some team leaders and crew members did things their own way, while others asked how he wanted it done.
“This reliance on good people instead of good company procedures and systems caused lots of field problems and lost profits,” Hedley admitted. “As I didn't have enough time to inspect everyone's finished work before we turned it over to our customers, lots of call-backs and ongoing maintenance became normal.” As crews grew from 5 to 25 projects under construction at a time, things got out of control.
In looking at your own business, what are the things that have gone wrong—and more than once? Think of the worst project you’ve ever worked on. What problems occurred? Quality not up to par, late completion due to too-long cure times, difficult materials, or unsafe working conditions due to toxic fumes? These problems and more can be solved by making it a priority to get all team members on the same page and doing things the same way. In other words, a system.
“When you have an effective system in place,” John Rampton of Entrepreneur.com writes, “It allows you to not only maintain your current level success but also helps you be prepared to scale properly when it’s time to grow.”
Hedley recommends creating a “Fix-It” list with issues that could be solved with a system, grouping those systems into 7 critical areas:
• Field Systems: Checklists, documentation, communications, and standards that keep your installation team on track. Each installation type would have its own workflow and requirements, like testing concrete for moisture, surface preparation, cleaning and repair, profiling, and coating system application.
• Project Management Systems: The overarching scheduling and organizing of projects, tracking accountability and on-time, on-budget completion.
• Financial Systems: Systems around accounting, bookkeeping, invoicing, cash management, and other money-related activities.
• Estimating Systems: Standardizing how estimates are performed, from lead to contract, and other sales and marketing systems.
• People Systems: Having a team necessitates creating systems around communication, payroll, training, hiring, firing, and more.
• Leadership Systems: Leadership development, succession plans and more.
• Equity and Wealth Systems: Practices that support ongoing profit growth, business success and longevity.
What systems do you currently have established in your business, and which areas could use some work? From systems for choosing the right supplier, to ordering the best-fit material for the job, to training your installer team, we can help. Schedule a chat with one of our flooring experts today to help plan your next project or bid.
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