In civil construction, teams are — almost always — limited. Tight budgets, short deadlines, and the old mission of doing more with less are part of the routine.

Now, when the number of construction sites increases, the scenario becomes even more complicated: complexity grows, and engineers' time is divided between management and travel to the sites.

However, these visits, despite being important, end up consuming valuable hours that could be used more strategically.

The good news is that there are ways to make this management more efficient, even in the face of these challenges. Read the blog and understand how. 

What is Project Management in Civil Construction and why is it essential?

Project management in construction involves several stages of the project: planning, executing, and doing the construction site monitoring. 

The result? When there is good organization, companies can maintain control over resources, deadlines, costs, and quality.

Now, when multiple projects need to be managed at the same time, it is necessary to pay even more attention, because the difficulties that appear are many. 

Without paying proper attention to them, you risk having project delays, budget overruns, etc. 

Challenges when managing multiple projects at the same time

There are several, but here we have the main problems faced by construction managers: 

1. Prioritize projects and resources: 

When there are multiple projects underway, it is easy to lose focus and distribute resources ineffectively. 

A lack of clarity about which projects need more attention can lead to delays and harm the final quality.

2. Deadline tracking: 

With more than one project underway, keeping track of each phase and ensuring that all schedules are met is a complex task, especially without adequate tools.

3. Efficient communication: 

Managing teams spread across different projects requires clear and constant communication.

The absence of a centralized platform, such as the Construct IN software, can cause misunderstandings and delays in deliveries.

This is because you can end up talking to a person on WhatsApp, sending images via Drive, making reports on Docs, and so on.

Using so many platforms can lead to a loss of information, which ends up hindering, rather than improving, the management of your projects.

4. Budget control: 

With multiple projects, there is a greater risk of exceeding the budget, especially when costs are not monitored in a unified way.

• Read also: Project control spreadsheet: why is Construct IN the solution?

Strategies to optimize management with a limited team

Overcoming these challenges requires implementing practices that facilitate the team's daily routine. Some strategies are: 

1. Use of software: 

There are several available on the market. Construct IN's software is not focused on project management, but it works on essential points within this universe: it helps track the physical progress of the works, facilitates the organization of the sites, and gives more visibility to what is happening in the field. All of this in a centralized and accessible way.

There are several features available: 

• 360-degree images and videos;

• Comparison between the site photos and the BIM linked to the floor plan;

• Inspection checklists;

• AI resources for blurring faces, checking helmet use on site, indicating what changes were made to the project from one photo to another, and much more. 

See more details in the video: 

2. Prioritization and definition of responsibilities: 

In practice, there is no single methodology for managing multiple projects at the same time. Each project has its context, its complexity, and its own priorities — and that is precisely why each one needs to be treated individually.

Defining what is most urgent at each site, who is responsible for each stage, and ensuring clarity in communication are fundamental actions to keep execution at the right pace and avoid rework.

In this sense, an important feature of Construct IN is the notes. They do not work as a task manager, but they help register pending issues directly on the captured images of the project.

With notes, you can indicate what needs to be resolved, add remarks, assign the responsible person, and keep a history of everything that happens in the field — facilitating monitoring and decision-making. 

Understand more in the video: 

3. Process automation and reports: 

Automating processes and easily generating reports allows for a clearer and more updated view of the execution of each project — saving time and reducing the need for manual and repetitive tasks.

In the case of Construct IN's software, reports are generated per project, helping to closely monitor what is happening at each site.

With just a few clicks, you can turn visual records into organized and objective reports — facilitating communication with teams, board of directors, and clients, in addition to giving more transparency to project management. 

Some types of reports that can be generated: 

• Non-conformity report: to bring out points that are out of standard in your project;

• Checklist report: for monitoring steps and task lists;

• Occupational safety report: to highlight safety risks for your employees;

• Daily Work Report (DWR): to bring the main information on the progress of the project;

• Photographic report: use images to present the progress of the site.

Manage more than one project, in a single place

With Construct IN software, you put all projects on a single platform, without wasting time with WhatsApp, Drive, or Docs. Organize, control, and deliver faster.