Simple cloud-based system improves project management efficiency
LJ General Builders are a reputable building company based in Newark. Established over 20 years ago, the company offers a range of building services locally and throughout Nottingham, Lincoln and Grantham.
Company Director Leigh Shorrock leads a fully qualified team of five men, including designated team leaders, all with over 15 years’ experience in the construction industry.
They provide a range of building services – large and small – from new-build houses and schools, renovations, and extensions, to plumbing, tiling and replacing guttering.
LJ General Builders aims to take the hassle and worry away from any construction project,working with clients to ensure every aspect is managed effectively from start to finish.
The nature of the construction industry means contractors may be working on several projects at different times, from different sites. Despite the technology LJ General Builders already used, they needed a way of streamlining the task of recording the amount of time each time member worked on individual projects, both for project management
and payroll purposes.
It was essential for Leigh to be able to empower his team leaders to make well-informed decisions on-site, whilst reducing the time needed to oversee and manage the team personally.
The team also needed easy access to a range of essential documents specific to each project. This included Risk Assessments, Site Surveys and Health and Safety documents that need to be modified and updated on-the-go.
“Laurence came on board with us at a time when we were looking to grow the business through the recession. He sourced file systems that would accommodate our business and gave us a backbone to our services. We’ve now become much more streamlined and have almost trebled our income in the time we’ve been working together. We’ve built a great relationship with Laurence and trust in his services 100%. If we have an issue, the systems they’ve put in place mean it will automatically get sorted out and we don’t need to worry about it. I couldn’t speak of Laurence and Jalapeno Business Services highly enough. They’re very, very good.” – Leigh Shorrock, owner of LJ General Builders Ltd
We began by researching the market to find a solution most appropriate to the needs of Leigh and his team at LJ Builders. We advised the use of the Toggl system – a cloud based app accessible from a range of devices that makes it simple for each team member to record and track their time against any particular project.
We liaised with the team, set up accounts, and used our existing knowledge of the platform to ensure that each person was comfortable using the system. Each project has a unique number, making it clear and simple to track hours against each individual project.
As streamlining access to documents was also important to Leigh and his team, we set up DropBox accounts to store important documents in online accounts. This allowed team members to access and edit documents from mobile and hand-held devices on-site, giving a flexible approach to editing documents and uploading photos.
We also support LJ Builders’ office infrastructure, creating new login and access details for new staff, and backing up email, DropBox and Toggl accounts to maintain an efficient and continuous service.
The Benefits
• Access to a range of site-specific and Health and Safety documents at the fingertips of each team member for more flexibility
• Improved efficiency when recording and tracking team member time on a given project
• Confidence that critical digital communications are regularly backed up to ensure operational continuity
• Confidence in monitoring time allocation for each team member to particular projects with simple-to-use software
