What KPIs should a mid-sized construction company track?
Track a small set across six areas: safety (open hazards, inspections on time, incidents), quality (open defects and their age, rework), time (programme variance, open RFIs), cost (cost to complete against budget, unpriced variations), contracts (subcontractor compliance, notices due) and cash (debtors, claims submitted on time). Mix lead indicators that warn you early with lag indicators that report results.
Fewer is better
A KPI nobody reads is admin, not management. Pick a few per area that you already capture reliably, and that someone will act on.
Project-level KPIs
Safety: open hazards and close-out time, inspections on schedule, incidents.
Quality: open defects, average age, failed inspections.
Time: critical path variance, RFIs open longer than an agreed number of days.
Cost: cost to complete against budget, unpriced variations.
Contracts: subcontractor documents current, notices and claims due.
Company-level KPIs
Work won against target, margin by project type, cash position and debtors, and how many projects are red or amber this week. The last one is the simplest health check a director can have.
Make them automatic
KPIs that need someone to compile them every month drift out of date. Read them from your systems so they update on their own.
Common questions
What's the difference between a KPI and a metric?
A metric is any measure. A KPI is one you've chosen because it tells you whether you're on track.
How many KPIs is too many?
If they don't fit on one screen, there are probably too many.
Should KPIs be the same on every project?
The core set should be, so projects can be compared.
Who should see company KPIs?
Directors and senior managers, with project KPIs shared with each project team.