Managing the Unistrut Installation Team by Planning for Uncertainty

As a Senior Project Manager at Unistrut Midwest, it is my responsibility to maintain our Unistrut installation team schedule and ensure that projects are being completed on time. But with multiple teams working on three or four projects each week, the logistics can get complicated. My advice? Embrace the chaos.  

Managing the Unistrut Installation Team Schedule 

Everything about my job comes down to planning for uncertainties. The Unistrut installation teams that I manage are typically installing general construction and medical support projects, which are often fast-paced. That means that we have a lot of project turnover in a short amount of time that needs to be accounted for.  

The best way to manage this schedule is to not overbook my teams. We have ten installers who work in two or three-person teams. For safety reasons, if one member of a project team cannot be on site due to illness or personal conflict, the rest of the team cannot continue without them. To accommodate these unexpected situations, we make sure to keep an unscheduled day or two between each team’s projects instead of booking them back-to-back. So if an installation is only expected to take three days, I leave the rest of the week open instead of putting that team on a new project. This not only helps accommodate delays without impacting the next project, but also ensures that some teams are free to jump onto another site if a different project needs an extra set of hands to meet their deadline.  

Keeping projects on track is not just about scheduling personnel, however. There are many additional details that go into ensuring that projects run smoothly. Weeks before we're scheduled to begin work on site, I start making sure that our team is ready to hit the ground running on day one. This often means coordinating with the customer to determine if any specialty equipment will be needed and then managing those equipment rentals, and ensuring that our team members have the required training to operate the necessary machinery. I also work with our warehouse team to accommodate any special shipping needs for the material to ensure that everything is on site when our team shows up to begin the installation. Finally, we complete paperwork and safety packets, double-check OSHA training and orientation requirements, and assess travel time if the work site is a significant distance from our office.   

Maintaining so many moving parts each week can seem overwhelming, but with a proven strategy and a detailed spreadsheet, our installation teams get the job done smoothly.  

Retaining Reliable Unistrut Installers 

No matter how reliable my scheduling system is, it only works because we have such great team members. Because we operate in a niche segment of the construction industry, our installers have to be people who specialize in Unistrut. Even an experienced carpenter in the industry may not be familiar enough with Unistrut products to lead an installation. Unistrut Midwest has worked hard to maintain our team of experienced Unistrut installers so that we can reliably complete jobs for our customers.  

Hiring is a challenge across the construction industry, and we have the added complication of requiring team members with Unistrut experience. It could take someone without Unistrut knowledge upwards of a year to get up to speed on the product, and you can really only learn through on-the-job experience. That is why Unistrut Midwest places such a high value on team member retention. Much of our installation team has been with us for nearly a decade, providing our clients with invaluable experience and expertise.  

Because our team is so experienced, I know I can rely on them to get the job done without being micromanaged. This creates autonomous roles and an adaptable work environment that our team members appreciate. Additionally, we encourage career growth by having more experienced installers train less experienced ones with the goal of the less experienced team member one day being able to lead their own team. With those opportunities, competitive pay, flexible time off, and a culture of trust, we are able to maintain a reliable and knowledgeable installation team.  

Knowing that my team has their job handled in the field frees up my time to continue making sure that schedules are aligned and everyone has the resources they need to get the job done.

Are you interested in joining our team? We’re always looking for qualified new members. Get in touch to find out more.

About the Author:

Tyler Robinson is the Senior Project Manager at Unistrut Midwest, helping to deliver Unistrut solutions to our customers.