Time Out: Five Tips for Meeting Your Deadlines

“Time waits for no one” is a time-tested idiom.

Contractors especially feel the pain of the ever-ticking clock on the jobsite, as a variety of delays and other issues can slow down the work. That can often result in missed deadlines, miffed customers and too much overtime expense as you strive to catch up. With margins squeezed and reputations damaged, delays can be a contractor’s worst nightmare.

But a few well-planned tweaks to your processes and tactics can help time get on your side again. Here are five ways to ensure waiting won’t be the hardest part of any job:

  1. Accelerate Shipping. With tight deadlines and timelines, lighting choices don’t have to adversely impact your schedule, and we have a program to get products to you faster. The Design2ShipTM Quick Ship program – offered by our architectural brands – can get your order processed and shipped in just five days.
  2. Go with trusted products. Specifying lighting and controls can be complicated and time-consuming. But we’ve made it simple with our A+ Certified™ Solutions that let contractors easily select and implement lighting systems – for indoor or outdoor applications. Our certification program rigorously tests solutions for consistency and interoperability so you can have peace of mind that the installation goes smoothly before, during and after a project.

Dozens of products from Mark Architectural Lighting™, Peerless® and Winona® are offered via Design2Ship, and many of these are A+ Certified™ capable.

  1. Rise Up to the Cloud. File sharing is fast and simple. Changes to designs, schematics and other documents can be immediately available to field personnel, through cloud-based access and storage. As a result, all stakeholders are on the same page, virtually eliminating the possibility of mistakes due to communications delays.

Similarly, cloud-based construction project management, as well as tool and asset tracking software, can vastly reduce the time needed to complete vital administrative and operational tasks.

  1. Maximize Mobile. Today’s smartphones are incredibly sophisticated tools, and can significantly bolster jobsite productivity. Dozens of contractor-specific apps are available, and they can optimize your ability to bid on projects, navigate 3D BIM models, calculate measurements, log and view time cards, and more.

For instance, a thermal imaging camera attachment to your smartphone can enable field personnel to easily check insulation, electrical wiring and pipes for any leaks, gaps or damage.

  1. Constantly Communicate. Nobody wants a disappearing contractor – someone who is easy to reach during the sales phase of the partnership, but hard to find during crunch time on projects. Depending on the job, agree upfront to delivering weekly, daily or even hourly updates to the client. This will ensure that any changes, problems or delays are shared and understood, and that a mutually-agreeable solution can be reached.

Managing time can improve your bottom line. For more tips on how we can help you expedite your projects, contact us here

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