榴莲视屏

Construction project management is full of blunders. It鈥檚 a long and tough process during which many times there will be the need for reorganizing some tasks or shifting approach in order to achieve the desired result. No matter how many problems will pop up along your way, though, there will always be a solution, if you invest your time in it smartly.

Thanks to my experience as project turnaround specialist myself, I gathered below a few tips on avoiding these blunders:

Research carefully for

This needs to start before you even get the contract for the project. When you are asking subbies for tender prices, research them. Make sure they are actually skilled and experienced in what you will be asking of them. Do not just go for the cheapest price. That can end up being expensive if they let you down!

Come up with a Detailed Programme to Completion (DPC)

Once you鈥檝e won the contract and appointed your subcontractors hand the job over to your Planner. Make sure he or she is a good, competent one. Have them discuss the job with the subby鈥檚 people and come up with a Detailed Programme to Completion (DPC).

Sure, the wages bill for this to be done properly will be around the 拢20k mark, but isn鈥檛 that cheap if it saves being lumbered with LAD charges at the end of the project? If it comes to that, to duck and dive and foist off the blame, you鈥檒l need a Forensic Delay Analysis – that鈥檒l set you back about 拢60,000 for an expert to do it.

Be a leader, not a boss!

So, okay, you鈥檝e started on site. Never, ever say 鈥淵ou鈥檒l do it my way, because I say so!鈥� Always have a chat with the subcontractor鈥檚 man, or even the skilled trades, and find out the best way to do it!

To do that you鈥檒l have to display some subtle skills and get everyone involved in the project feeling that they are part of a team, that they all work together and that their own views are important! Do that and you needn鈥檛 worry about your own status as the Boss! They will all see you as their Team Leader.

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Make yourself approachable

Part of the above involves 鈥渨earing a suit and tie and swanning around looking important鈥�. Silliness aside, get out there and make yourself approachable and accessible to the skilled tradesmen. If they rate and respect you they鈥檒l tell you about problems ages before you鈥檇 find out the hard way. Saves loads of remedial work and a pile of money!

Pay attention to defective workmanship

While you鈥檙e having your at least once-a-day wander, keep your eyes open for defective workmanship. Point it out to the men there and then. They鈥檒l put it right instantly which save loads of rework. Not having the rework save having to sort out who has to pay for it! Plus these guys don鈥檛 like having their work criticized so they鈥檒l make pretty sure it is all much better from then on!

Keep everyone up-to-date with changes

If there are changes which alternates the work to be done, make sure the guys that need to know get a copy of it as fast as you can. Saves a bundle on re-work!

Stick to deadlines

Sometimes you don鈥檛 know exactly what has to be done. Then we submit a Request for Information to the or . Make sure that they come back to you within the contractually permitted time! Nag them if you have to! If they don鈥檛, and you record the fact, then it is them that is going to be picking up the rework and LAD bills.

Record everything that happens

Make sure all your has been read, acted upon and is properly filed away before you leave site each day. Keep a Site Diary and a secret one of your own with things in that which aren鈥檛 really company business. I鈥檝e used mine to jog my memory about odd things years later, usually for Police enquiries or insolvency actions.

Always pay on time

Pay your subcontractors on due date. Don鈥檛 let the QS鈥檚 befuddle you about cash flow. That is their problem. Yours is to complete on time and to budget. If your subcontractor goes bust on you because he runs out of money, a replacement one will cost you an awful lot more!

Safety is the number one priority

Finally, for now Health and Safety on site. As you wander round site keep your eyes and ears open. Look for the guy who is an accident looking for somewhere to happen. Search for any unsafe procedures. Look for anything which can become a problem. Have a Notifiable Incident on site and HSE can hold work up for as long as the fancy takes them. LAD staring you in the face again. Plus, there is also a morale issue. If there is a serious accident on site the lads鈥� morale plummets and their work output drops – even from the guys on price work.

Conclusion

Implement that lot and you鈥檒l be walking away from your Blunder- after it has finished on time, to budget and to standard. You and everyone involved will take pride in it and many will be coming back to have another look at it in the future.

Funny thing, though. Walk in and tell Security you were PM on the job and they usually fall over backwards and give you a Cleaners Pass that lets you go everywhere!