Category: Planning & Management

Your staff are vital to your business. They handle your orders every day, they speak with your clients, they put out messages over social media and they keep all of your online transactions secure. Without a great team behind you, you’ll never be able to achieve the global ambitions you have for your company.

So, how do you ensure that those people remain productive? Below are three ideas that should point you in the right direction.

1. Create an engaging environment
If your employees’ minds are not stimulated and their environments are dull and drab, it will affect their productivity. There are so many things you can do today that will improve the working conditions for your staff. Plus, it will entice more people to come and work for you if they hear you have a fantastic workplace.

Your staff are more likely to remain loyal to you if you show that you care about their wellbeing. Make sure that they take regular breaks, make provision for breakout areas so that they are encouraged to step away from their screens, and include plenty of natural light to reduce headaches for people that are looking at monitors for long periods of time.

2. Invest in equipment
Similar to ensuring that the working environment is kept to a high standard, making sure that you have the right equipment and software for your team is essential to greater productivity. On the one hand, this extends to the physical environment, such as the need for ergonomic desk chairs for those who sit for long periods of time, or the use of good quality smartphones and tablets for your mobile team, so that they can show your product offering to clients in the best way possible.

On the other hand, this relates to the software that your staff are using. PR and marketing will find it difficult to create award-winning campaigns with a cost-effective version of what the competition uses. Meanwhile, HR would benefit from something like CascadeHR payroll software, which reduces the risk of human error within the payroll processing side of the business.

3. Provide regular training
Training is one of the top reasons for people seeking new employment. If you hire a team of tenacious individuals, then it’s only natural that they will want to progress. People with a thirst to move up the career ladder want to learn new skills and grow with the business. Many small companies hesitate about training their employees however, concerned that they might leave for another company, but this is far from the case.

By recognising the ambition within your workforce, they’ll see you as an employer that cares about them, and their personal development. They are far more likely to remain loyal to an employer that provides regular training and the opportunity to grow. Plus, if they feel happy in their role and more confident, their productivity will increase as a result, leading to better customer service and ultimately more business.

How do you keep your staff motivated and productive?

Business owner’s To Do lists are endless …

I mean there is so much to do all the time that it feels like a never-ending cycle of To Do lists! And they can spend all day being “busy” but at the end of the day never feel like they’ve accomplished anything…

… they still don’t have a full practice of ideal clients.
… their marketing systems are hit-or-miss.
… they do not have consistent cash flow.

But how can this be? 

They’ve been busy all day long!

The thing is they’ve been busy doing all the WRONG things … focusing on those things that are easy but do not relate directly to their bottom line. For example…

• Updating their website before making sales calls.
• Checking Facebook to see what everyone else is doing, before writing their newsletter.
• Checking emails instead of reaching out to potential joint venture partners or organizations to secure speaking gigs.

And let’s face it, making an update to your website is a LOT easier than having to make a sales call … but it’s the sales call that is going to directly affect your bottom line, not updating your website.

So here are my top five strategies that will help you become more successful and get more done:

1. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Yes, being a business owner is hard. And it requires us to step outside of our comfort zone. And making sales calls and putting yourself out there doesn’t come easy to many people … but you have to get used to it if you want to create a thriving and profitable business. So get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

2. Prioritize your To Do list. To Do lists are great – they help you stay focused. But only if you’re focusing on the RIGHT things. So go through that big list that you’ve got and ask yourself, “If I do this, how will it directly relate to my bottom line?” If it doesn’t, then move it to the bottom of the list, or cross it off altogether. You only want to focus on those things that are going to relate directly to your bottom line … anything else you either delegate, cross it off, or do it when you’ve got nothing better to do.

3. Get an Accountability Partner. If you can’t stay focused by yourself, team up with an accountability partner. Being held accountable does wonders for your productivity level. I go to a personal trainer twice a week because I want the accountability of working with her … if I’m left to my own devices I’m likely to give up after 15 minutes as I’m exhausted. An accountability partner will push you and make you keep going, even when the going gets tough. And reciprocate too!

4. Don’t be a slave to your emails or your phone. Plan to check your emails twice a day (morning and afternoon) and let unscheduled calls go to voicemail. Email and the phone are two of the biggest distractions for solo service professionals, so have a strategy for managing these distractions.

5. Plan your calendar. Block out specific times in your calendar for certain activities. For example, instead of having your client calls scheduled all over the place, set aside two or three batches of two hours each week for clients calls. Make Friday your Friday Follow-up day … the day when you go through your contact management database and follow-up with people. Monday can be set aside as your marketing day – Monday marketing. When you manage your calendar in this way you will find your time management issues disappear.

Follow these five simple strategies to become more successful and get more done … and watch your business grow!

Construction Project Management or CPM is a very important requirement in the construction field. A qualified project manager and a motivated team of experts are required to drive any construction project to success. In the present scenario, it is equally important to have the aid of competent CPM software which will make sure that the project is well-planned and executed according to the plan. From quote to complete, every action needs to be recorded and accounted for to arrive at the actual cost incurred and to know how profitable and efficient the project has been. CPM fundamentally consists of inquiry, estimate, confirmation, design, plan, approval, execution, quality assurance, review and completion stages. Each of these stages needs to be documented properly so that during approval, the entire terms and conditions discussed are clearly mentioned. This ensures there’s no deviation from the confirmed and approved plan, and hence the execution stage moves ahead smoothly. Upon work completion, the client inspects the project and cross-checks the details against the approved plan and schedule. Finally, the client approves the work and releases the payment as per the contract.

Automation of Construction Project Management

Automation of digitization of CPM is a sure shot way to make the process more streamlined, flawless and cost-efficient. It also makes sure the costs are posted without fail to the integrated accounting and payroll modules which are closely linked to CPM. There are a few rules a project manager should keep in mind while preparing for a project:

1. Plan for everything, including the risks. Always have a Plan B in place so that the project will not be delayed when Plan A fails.
2. Keep everything documented.
3. Planning should be continuous. The Project Manager must keep a close eye on the planned vs actual reports and keep updating the plan to include the current changes. It has to be robust as well as real-time.
4. Keep track of the actuals and take corrective action whenever required
5. Keep track of the costs incurred in terms of resources as well as materials.
6. Keep the communication channels between the subordinates, managers, management as well as the client. It will be a good idea to keep the client in the communication loop, even if separate, to build confidence on the contractor.
7. Make sure that all required reports are available in the selected project management tool to augment the project.

How can the tracking software help track a construction project?

Though the initial training and getting used to using the software can be a bottleneck period, once trained and practiced, the software can help you in boundless ways to keep track of the project as well as to keep the cost in check. Some of the vital advantages it gives are:

• Real-time estimation data available which can be used to prepare an estimate for a different client on a similar project. It can also be compared with the actual values to find out where all the deviations have affected. This information can be used while estimating future projects.
• Planning and scheduling can be done through the software which can be assigned to the various supervisors who keep track of the field work and update the progress. Managers can keep track of these updates and check for variations from the schedule. If a significant variation is spotted, the plan can be revised and the cycle is continuous till the project is completed.
• The milestones set and completed through the software can be used to share with the clients which further reinforces their trust upon the contractor. The same work which is done using an excel otherwise can get quite cumbersome and complicated. Even though the project managers will be able to understand such complex excel sheets, the clients may find it too complicated.
• Procurement of construction materials, inventory management and warehousing can be very helpful when it comes to large-scale constructions and organizations handling multiple construction projects simultaneously. An integrated system will provide the Project Managers the advantage of allocating resources to the projects in a timely manner and to automate the procurement process.
• HR management, Payroll and accounting are also key areas to be integrated with CPM. As with material management, talent management and accounting entries can be automated to a great extent. This enables the real-time tracking of the project cost.
• Technology advancements can be used to manage and cost-control construction projects easily and efficiently. Cloud computing and mobile apps make sure that the software is accessible anywhere, anytime. This makes data entry possible on remote construction sites and tracking also possible from far-fledged offices. The data is literally at the fingertips of the Project managers no matter where they are located.

How to choose the right tool for your organization?

There are many options available in the market as far as an ERP for construction is concerned. But choosing the right CPM software for your organization can be quite tricky. Everyone pitches with a lot of fancy options, most of which may not be of any use to you. So how to choose the right CPM software remains an important question! Let us analyze some of the vital requirements you need to check for while choosing the perfect ERP for construction:

• Choose the one that aligns with your organization’s processes
• Check for the reports rather than the entry options
• Mobility is very important and hence choose the one which provides you freedom from wires
• If a SaaS option is available, try that out first and then proceed to long-term subscription or purchase of the software.

Ultimately what matters more than the looks are the functionality and connectivity. With the right CPM software, Project Management will become as easy as the click of a few buttons.

Article Contributed by Dr. Joey Faucette

Daylight Savings Time has started last weekend in most of the U.S. We “lose an hour” to gain more sunlight at the end of the day.

So how do you deal with this lost hour?

And for that matter, all the other lost hours of productivity at work?

Here are 3 strategies to save time this week:

Priorities

Dr. Covey was fond of saying, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

What are your priority activities that maximize your productivity and profitability? That 20 percent that contributes 80 percent?

Once you identify them, you positively save time because your focus sharpens. You consciously aim for achieving these priorities in a timely manner that keeps you moving forward.

Your priorities grow roots in the unique contribution you bring to your team. You do your part. When teammates unify around priorities with each one utilizing a different skill set, the company’s mission takes flight. Productive, profit-enriching activities become priority.

Productivity

When you set boundaries, especially around technology, you do more in an hour than many of your peers accomplish in a month.

The intrusive nature of always-on technology leaps with ease over the necessary boundaries for creating maximum productivity today. To be more productive so you generate more profit, you employ border guards like turning off your automatic updates and notifications, setting appointments with yourself to return emails and voicemails, using the DND and off buttons regularly, and other such attention-defining activities.

Multi-tasking is a myth. Intuitively you know it. Doing something consciously to rein it in is your best next step.

Profit

The obvious profit metric is money. More money grows from better priorities and productivity.

What about other metrics? A less tangible and equally important profit is your personal satisfaction with a job well done that calls upon your native talents. This profit insures your continuing emotional engagement with your work.

Also, you profit from work activities that align with and give expression to your core values. You benefit from opportunities that give expression to your best.

Such profits grow from your productivity and priorities which prompts you to save time to invest in doing what you love with those you love. That’s how you create and enjoy your Work Positive lifestyle!

About the Author

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World, leading Positive Success expert, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they get out of the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.GetPositive.Today.

It feels like Christmas was only a blink of an eye ago, but we’ve already reached the end of January. As such, we’re well into 2016. This means that, if you’re yet to start your New Year’s resolutions, now is the perfect time. If your resolutions, like thousands of others, were to grow your SME, then you’re in luck. We’ve put together this list of the top things to consider for SME owners in 2016. Follow them carefully and you’ll easily achieve your resolutions.

Marketing Tactics

Effective marketing is one way that you can organically grow your business. From hiring an SEO agency to boost your visibility in search engine results to effectively running and managing your social media accounts, marketing could be simpler than you think, and it could hugely grow the reach of your business, improving sales.

Be careful though. It’s very easy to spend incredibly high amounts of money on online marketing. As such, plan your spend very carefully. Set a limit and stick to it. Also carefully consider what platforms you’ll use. Be relentless in asking yourself “why” you’re using a certain type of marketing over another and justify every expenditure.

By doing this, you’ll stand the highest possible chance of your marketing tactics succeeding. Targeted marketing can be highly effective, just don’t let your expenditure run away with you. If necessary, hire an expert.

Communications

Secondly, if you’re looking to grow a business, you have to think about how it communicates and whether you can take down any barriers. Effective communication is a great way to grow a business and it can be relatively cost free.

Technological innovations mean that communication is now simpler than ever before. As such, simple 21^st century communications such as VoIP from companies like Gradwell are a no-brainer for SME owners. They’re cheaper than conventional phone lines and are far more reliable. Thus, you’re saving time and money as well as increasing your output.

Staff Retention

Finally, if you’re looking to grow your business, then you have to do so organically and naturally. As such, you have to think about staff retention. Without your existing staff members staying, you’re only ever replacing staff and not growing as a business. Plus, you’re actively setting yourself back as you’re losing knowledge.

To retain staff members, you have to ensure that morale remains high. Organise team bonding sessions (this could be something as simple as going to the pub on a Friday afternoon or as adventurous as a big paintballing day out). Also ensure training is in place so staff meet professional development goals. Happy staff members won’t want to leave, and they may even help recruit people they know if they’re in a positive working environment.

To conclude, we may have already reached the end of January but that’s certainly no reason why you shouldn’t be able to complete your SME based New Year’s resolutions. By following the above steps, you’ll maximise not only your chances of keeping your New Year’s resolutions, but you’ll also be able to grow your business. Here’s to the rest of 2016.