Estimated reading time: 5 mins
If you would like to create a more attractive shop front and get more foot traffic to your premises, renovation might be the right approach. Whether you want a new sign and frontage, or renovate the entire office, you will need to employ several contractors for various projects. However, as your business needs to reflect your vision, values, and personality, you might want to keep a close eye on the development and make sure that everything is going according to plan. Below you will find a few reasons why you might want to do the project management yourself.
1. Keeping the Deadlines
Every day you are without permanent business premises, you are likely to lose money. You need to make sure that your contractors stick to the deadlines, and your workers can return to their desks as soon as possible. If you let the companies manage the renovation, you will not be able to intervene when things spiral out of control and there are delivery delays or staff shortage. While it might be challenging to keep your business running during the renovation, getting progress reports daily or weekly will help you stay on schedule.
2. Controlling Costs
You will need to take part in the project management to make sure you are not spending more than necessary. Every delayed delivery can increase the labor cost, and you don’t want to end up with a surprise bill after the project is finished. If you know exactly what needs to be done, you will not pay for things that didn’t need fixing the first place. A good way of controlling costs is paying daily instead of allocating funds, and paying for the materials yourself.
3. Branding
If you manage your business premises renovation, you can also take advantage of the branding opportunities. Take photos and post them on your company site or social media, so your customers are aware of the improvements you are making. At the same time, you will be able to come up with branding ideas when inspecting the work; an empty wall that could be used to display your certifications and awards, or a corner you can display a banner ad.
4. Adding a Personal Touch
By being present regularly at the renovation, you can add your personal touch. Use your imagination, as nobody else knows better how to impress your customers and employees than you do. Provide your workers with ideas and challenges, and make the place unique, representing your personal values and brand. If you take yourself out of the context, you might end up with a standard office or shop with no personality. Your business needs to be impressive, and represent your style and brand persona.
5. Immediate Decisions
It is also important that decisions are made quickly and effectively. If you are just a phone call away, you will be able to guide the workers and make immediate choices. No matter if they need to pick between suppliers, or choose the color of the desks and walls, by being there for them, you can help them get on with the work faster. If you had a project manager reporting to you, they would have to communicate your ideas with the contractor, and this could cause long delays in your project.
6. Maintaining Compliance
When you own a business property, it is important that you do everything by the books. You must make sure that your contractors comply with building regulations, and they don’t cause disruption in the neighborhood. If you have the plans printed off and follow the progress, you can point out compliance risks the company might not think about. You will also be able to arrange local government visits to the site, so the work can be checked out on the go, instead of having to find problems near the completion stage.
7. Contractor Evaluation
When you manage your business renovation project, you can evaluate your contractors and make changes when necessary. While you might not want to micromanage the company taking on the building and refurbishment project, you could get reports on the work completed, and provide feedback on what they did well and what they could do better in the future. As a result, your workers will be more motivated to keep you happy to stay in the game, and will do a better job overall.
8. Providing Support
If you have any DIY skills, you will be able to help out completing some tasks and save money. An earlier finish for your business premises renovation project will benefit your business and help you get back to work as soon as possible. By mixing with the contractors, you can keep a close eye on the project, and motivate them. If you are present, the contractor will be more likely to try to impress you than if you let them get on with the work, too.
9. Managing Logistics
The most important thing about business premises renovation is logistics. If you can negotiate deliveries and the disposal of rubble and building materials, you can speed up the process. You will obviously not want a container parked in front of your shop for weeks. It is not good for branding, and you could make businesses in the neighborhood upset, too. If you can get in touch with Grab Hire and get the commercial waste picked up almost immediately, you can free up space for your contractors, and improve the workflow at the same time.
Whether you have a busy office to run or a shop on the high street, you have to complete the renovation project as quickly and efficiently as possible. By taking part in the project management, you will be able to control the deadlines, costs, and workers better. As a result, you can add your personal touch, make immediate decisions, avoid delays, and help your workers get back to work as soon as possible. While you shouldn’t micromanage all the stages of the renovation, it is recommended that you have a clear understanding of the resources and time needed to complete the project.
