Ep.82: Key Performance Indicators for Carpenters & Project Managers with Rick Swanquist

09/12/2019 31 min
Ep.82: Key Performance Indicators for Carpenters & Project Managers with Rick Swanquist

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Episode Synopsis


Many problems plaguing production departments end up costing time and money. While it’s clear that there are issues, many remodeling companies can’t pinpoint the causes. 



One way to find out what’s really going on is to establish Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs. KPIs allow you to measure how well your production process works. But what should you measure, and how can you do it?



In this episode, Rick Swanquist answers those questions as he joins Tim and Steve to discuss how he uses KPIs to really know what’s going on in his production department, and what it means to his company.



A veteran of the construction industry, with nearly 15 years of project management experience, Rick has been with Main Street Design Build in Birmingham, MI, since 2015. Rick was hired to be a project developer at Main Street, quickly working his way up to project manager, and spent the first two years of his tenure managing projects. He has been a production manager for two years at Main Street. Rick’s passion is scheduling and managing subcontractors and in-house carpenters to see a project through to its completion.



When beginning to institute KPIs in your company, you need to figure out what they’ll be. Rick defines a KPI as a goal that is practicable and repeatable through objectives defined by metrics, that have timelines and targets with methods for predicting and measuring them. The data is collected throughout each project and evaluated at the end. Rick talks about what he looks at, how to set goals, and keeping his team accountable through KPIs, including:



What can be measuredHow to evaluate KPIsThe 13 KPIs he uses for carpentersThe KPIs for project managersUsing the project autopsy to measure performanceHow long-term measurement ensures accurate assessmentsHow the estimate works in the mixKeeping the process open and transparentEstablishing a baseline for expectationsHow KPIs can boost morale and healthy competitionThe client satisfaction scoreAnd more …



All the KPIs, taken together, allow Rick to see how his team is performing and to identify and solve problems in production quickly. 

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