What you should consider when staffing your construction project.

​Having the correct type and numbers of staff (Section Managers, Supervisors, Engineers, Contract Administrators, etc) on your construction project can be the key to your project’s success.

Risks of incorrectly staffing your construction project

​ I’ve sometimes been guilty of under-staffing my construction projects. The risk with that is:
1. if a member of your team falls ill or resigns there’s nobody who can take on an additional roll
2. tasks are rushed because your team have insufficient time, resulting in mistakes and items being overlooked
3. people work under pressure, and long hours, which may lead to them resigning How do we retain skilled employees in construction?

Obviously having too many staff leads to:
1. higher costs which were not allowed for
2. people becoming unhappy due to boredom and feeling underutilised

​Of course, having construction staff with the incorrect skills or without the correct experience can also be a major problem.

Factors affecting the numbers and type of staff required for a construction project

​The numbers of staff required on a construction project, and their positions, depend on a number of factors, such as the:
1. number of construction work areas –each work area may require its own Supervisor
2. numbers of construction workers –there is often an optimum number of workers that a supervisor can look after
3. available skills of the workers –if the workers are poorly skilled or inexperienced they usually require more supervision to ensure they perform their tasks correctly and safely Training and mentoring in construction
4. complexity of the construction project –more complex projects may require more Engineers and Supervisors while a project which is simple or has lots of repartition may be easier to manage
5. relative locations of the construction work areas and their distance apart –travelling between different work areas can make Supervisors time unproductive or mean workers are left standing waiting for instructions when the Supervisor is on another distant part of the project
6. client requirements –some clients specify the ratio of Supervisors to workers, while others may dictate that they require dedicated individuals to specific tasks, even though the contractor wouldn’t normally have a dedicated person
7. contract reporting requirements –some clients and project managers may require elaborate and detailed regular reports which can be time consuming for the contractor to prepare
8. skills and experience of the available staff –more experienced staff may be able to supervise a larger work area with more workers
9. schedule (programme/program) –fast-track construction projects of high intensity may need more supervision
10. quality of the client and their design team –construction projects where the client has to be assisted, or where information is late or of a poor quality often require more input from the contractor, and projects with multiple claims and variations may require additional contracts administration staff

​Staff numbers also depend on the different skills and disciplines required. For instance in the civil industry Supervisors may only be skilled in earthworks, while others are skilled in concrete works, electrically orientated, or more suited to building trades. If you can employ a Supervisor skilled in a multitude of disciplines, there’s often a reduction in the number of staff required.

​To assist with calculating staff requirements prepare a project organisational chart. This shows the different levels and types of management, the reporting structures, as well as the different roles and responsibilities. In addition the chart could indicate whether the staff are required full-time or shared between projects, and if they are Head Office or site-based positions.
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Remember also that if the project has to work nights, or weekends, additional staff will be required to supervise and manage these shifts.

Have the right team for your construction project

It’s necessary that careful thought goes into correct staffing of your construction project to achieve the best balance of efficiencies and costs. In Australia for instance, the cost of a Supervisor is not much greater than some trades people, so it may pay in some cases to have more supervision just to improve the efficiencies of the workers. Employing the right people in construction
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Once you have determined the number and types of skills required you can begin sourcing the correct people to fill the positions. This is another topic which I will deal with later. Are you employing the right people on your construction project?
#constructionmanagement #constructionpeople #constructionprojects

​Do you want to learn how to manage construction projects successfully

​Paul Netscher has written several easy to read books for owners, contractors, construction managers, construction supervisors and foremen. They cover all aspects of construction management and are filled with tips and insights.
Visit to read more.
The books are available in paper and ebook from most online stores including Amazon.