FROM THE OWNER’S DESK BY NICK HOWELL
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Magic 8-ball Scheduling
After proper job costing, having an organized schedule is one of the most important traits you can learn as a business owner to ensure success
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t is decidedly so" that one of the biggest challenges in the pavement maintenance industry is scheduling and logistics. "As I see it" one of the easiest ways to make or break a job is through scheduling. Magic 8 Ball puns aside, it's critical for your success to succeed at scheduling. No matter what size you are, being organized needs to be the top priority. Like most pavement contractors, we work seasonally, so making our money while we can is ever so important. We have about 100 working days a year, so the only way to make the most of those days – to make the money we need while satisfying what the clients need -- is with proper planning and scheduling. By proper scheduling, you will maximize every opportunity to make money and, just as important, you will also maximize your crews and prevent burnout. If you don't plan properly, you’ll face crew burnout, followed in short order by a flat-out loss of potential revenue because your burntout crews won’t produce enough work (and probably not enough quality work) to enable you to get the most work you can. A good friend of mine relies on what I call the Magic 8 ball approach. When they sub for us, it is essential we know their schedule so that we can plan our time. However, when I ask when to
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expect them on our high-dollar emerjob, I usually get gency jobs, so runone of the halfning out of work dozen Magic 8 is rarely an issue. ball answers: "Ask We can share the again later" or maycalendar with our be, "Cannot predict people and can even now." This has created share just portions of it – a challenge for us and obviso our work calendar becomes MariiaDemchenko AdobeStock ously less work for them from the crew schedule. Rain days, us. What I also have observed is delays or issues can easily be their employee burnout. Their crews are managed with a simple click and drag extraordinarily talented and hard-workon the schedule. Each week is planned, ing – that’s why we like to sub to them organized, and the profit potential is -- but they work more hours than most. maximized the best we can. But out of a 65-hour week, they probably After proper job costing, having produce 35 to 40 hours of actual work. an organized schedule is one of the We can see they get visibly tired with most important traits you can learn such long shifts -- and we all know qualas a business owner to ensure success ity is affected when guys get tired. As the and prosperity. The more organized 8 Ball says, “Outlook not so good.” you are, the more smoothly you will Another friend and sub is so orgarun, the better your crews will work, nized they will get a job from us and get and the more work you can do. That’s a schedule set immediately. Simple. Each a win-win-win in my book, and that's day is maximized, and the crews don't get something "Without a doubt" you can burnout. They use a calendar program count on. ■ that allows for a month's view of the work. Each day can be filled with jobs for For more information on each crew and easily adjusted as needed. scheduling, visit https:// With a few clicks they can glance at the pavemg.com/b4b8fm month ahead and know they can accept more work, which means both of our companies make more money. Nick Howell, president of T & N Asphalt Services, We have taken that approach ourSalt Lake City, UT, has selves, but by using Google Calendar. It's been a regular presenter free and loaded with features that work at National Pavement for a pavement business. We, too, have a Expo since 2008 and a month's view; we then color coordinate member of the Pavement Advisory Board since 2007. Let him know crews on the calendar. We try to mainyour thoughts on “From the Owner’s Desk,” tain two weeks ahead at a minimum, and if you have a question or topic you’d and at a glance, I can see what's open or like covered – let him know that too! You can not. Any holes can always be filled with reach Nick at nick@tnasphaltservices.com.
PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE & RECONSTRUCTION | May 2022 | www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
