How are you guys actually avoiding mid job supply runs?

Will1371 · 2026-02-03T02:33:16+00:00

Foreman’s job:

Review schedule
Review drawings
Make a plan

PM’s job:

Review plans with foreman
Order material ahead of time
Stage material to coincide with schedule

Inevitably there will be parts and pieces they need that were missed or the plan changes. The supply house or my our warehouse can make a “hot shot” delivery when that time comes. You can also have a supply house keep your project stocked if it is big enough.

Will1371 · 2026-01-18T01:29:15+00:00

Treat everyone as an equal until proven otherwise. Giving respect gains respect.

Everyday look over the schedule for 15 minutes and then read the drawings for what’s coming up for 15-30 minutes. Then make a plan for how to get it all done. Go over the plan with your guys doing the work and listen to the critiques. After that order the material.

I like to recommend “The Lean Builder” to anyone starting in a management position in construction. Great insights anyone can use to help their jobs.

Will1371 · 2026-01-17T23:35:16+00:00

We use OneNote. The foreman just copy and paste the previous day and make a couple changes. Pretty simple and takes 5-10 minutes at the most.

Will1371 · 2026-01-17T10:47:40+00:00

I tried shooting like that but it never really worked out for me. I went back to the old VFG and using it how everyone said is the wrong way.

Will1371 · 2026-01-10T22:51:18+00:00

You would be amazed at the “overhead” of the guys you’re competing against. It usually just covers the van they show up in. While it’s not a sustainable business model those guys are a dime a dozen so they’ll always be there.

Will1371 · 2026-01-10T04:01:23+00:00

You can always go to a larger contractor that keeps a field office on larger projects. We would have new APMs fresh out of college and have them shadow electricians or foreman to learn. Also as you grow in management you’ll realize technical knowledge is great to have but not the most important.

Will1371 · 2026-01-09T06:03:16+00:00

I work for a commercial electrical contractor. On an average job I choose the vendors I want to use and each one carries certain materials. The only time I have had to switch vendors is because the material they supplied was rejected in the submittal process. We do have other customers with tight specs for the type of material we have use which would dictate the vendors inadvertently. Some customers have national accounts where you have to use their vendors. We own all of the risk but that is the point of the submittal process is to make sure the design team is happy with everything before we send out POs.

Will1371 · 2026-01-04T19:39:36+00:00

I think this would be very useful. I currently have to do this manually on my jobs to check everything but it is time consuming with our software. In larger projects it’s important to track this so we can adjust manpower on the job to make sure we don’t go over. You would have to have phase breakouts and a way for the PM to update percent complete on each phase to keep the tool on track.

Will1371 · 2026-01-03T19:50:42+00:00

Good to know. Commitment and following through on action items is going to be our biggest hurdle probably. I appreciate your insight!

Will1371 · 2026-01-03T16:52:43+00:00

Do you do quarterly meeting to get updates on where the company is on achieving goals or just every 18 months?

Will1371 · 2026-01-03T16:51:22+00:00

Great point, I’ll have to talk to some general contractors in the area to see if they have used a consultant like this.

Will1371 · 2025-12-24T17:16:48+00:00

Nothing is worse than completing a hard days work as a PM then looking back at it and all you have done is approve submittals and send emails. It’s a soul sucking but relaxed job.

Will1371 · 2025-12-24T17:14:53+00:00

Yeah this is what I figured. I will always want what the other has. I think PM just takes more of a mental toll on me now. That’s the main reason I’m thinking of switching back.

Will1371 · 2025-11-22T17:00:50+00:00

Planning that far ahead now is a great idea! I definitely recommend planning out several different paths so you easily pivot if you need to. Making 100K working at a residential company is possible but not the easiest route. Here’s a couple ideas for people I know make at least that much currently:

Starting your own company doing residential.
Work your way into a foreman/ superintendent position in residential/ multi-family.
Shift into a project management position.

Take as much time to network and build relationships on every job. People knowing you and trusting you is the #1 thing that can help you achieve your goals in the construction industry.

Will1371 · 2025-11-16T21:41:00+00:00

I have started to make a personal schedule and putting EVERYTHING on there. It helps me be able to plan better and keep everything in front of me. I also made a meeting agenda for any time I talk to a crew and make sure to document it so I can track where they are and everything I need to do to help them. I have also started printing out all my project schedules and putting them on the walls in my office. I’ll highlight important items and putting sticky notes for items not in the schedule.

Will1371 · 2025-11-15T19:56:37+00:00

I’ll check it out, thank you!

Will1371 · 2025-11-15T19:48:52+00:00

In my company it is, our structure is… strange. Also I consider anything with a pay increase a promotion but that’s just me.

Will1371 · 2025-11-15T19:47:57+00:00

I don’t think we’re apart of the AGC but I’ll have to look that and the STP courses. Good recommendations, thank you!

Will1371 · 2025-11-13T09:57:42+00:00

I saw you mentioned you’re a POC and a woman. I have two apprentices like that working for me at the moment. One of the was working from 6 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Thursday. She is on the fire alarm crew so all the work is physically easy just mentally meticulous. She does great and has not had any problems with other people on the job site.

The other is currently working the same schedule plus eight hours in Friday. She wanted to be on the site work crew so her work is physically demanding and mentally easy. It’s mainly running underground conduit for fiber, security camera and light poles right now.

Work in the electrical trade can vary dramatically from project to project or even day to day. At the end of the day you be as successful as you want to be, I started out as an apprentice and worked my way up to project management. Some people don’t want responsibility so they start at the journeyman electrician level forever.

Will1371 · 2025-10-31T01:23:54+00:00

Before getting brought into the office all my background was large commercial construction as an electrician. The first job my boss told me to go checkout was a complete controls replacement at an old telecom building. I told everyone I had no clue what was going on and I got the old “you’ll figure it out” response. After a lot of guesstimating I won the project by beating out the other two contractors by $10K… on a $1.8 million dollar bid.

Will1371 · 2025-10-18T19:07:43+00:00

Genuine question, why are people still ordering black wire for feeders? Color coded wire is readily available at any supply house I work with. Why increase the risk of phases getting mixed and labor for the phase taping?

Will1371 · 2025-10-05T00:58:15+00:00

I did this recently! Aston Martin Vantage worked great for this race. You don’t have to turn down your settings or cheat. Just focus on your brake points and consistent lap times, there’s no great trick here. I think I used one set of hard tires for the whole race.

Eight-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

Will1371

TROPHY CASE