IN PART 1, you read about the first few ways you can deal with construction issues as they arise.
Today we continue on from there — with 5 more tips to help you streamline the construction process and finalise your contingency plan.
Get to Know Your Team
As the start of the project, the client and many of the team members will not have had the opportunity to create rapport with each other.
The problem with this is — people will not understand how each other works and operates.
Building rapport within the team is essential for communication and trust. People like to work with others, who they like or previously know.
Keep Emotion Out of It
Pride can be both a positive and a negative.
On the positive side, pride in achievement — the feeling you get when you have stayed the course and achieved an excellent result — is a good thing.
Negativity can send the project off course. But trying to save face (and maintain pride) can sometime be detrimental to the project.
It can often cloud your judgement and decision-making.
Avoid Assumptions
Making assumptions is a classic management error.
One school of thought is that asking questions is a negative, as if not knowing something signals a problem. This is totally incorrect.
The construction industry is complex, yet full of information. You don’t know everything.
Concepts can change quickly; and asking questions and sourcing information are important skills.
As such, asking questions should be promoted and encouraged.
Keep The Project Team Informed
Not keeping the project team informed about different aspects of the project can cause problems for you, later in the building process.
If this occurs, it suggests that the foundation of the team is weak. Make sure that trust is a core part of your team.
Then, if new elements are brought into the build or unknowns start to creep into the scope … chances are, appropriate changes can be made and agreed to with minimal disturbance.
Communication will ensure that all issues are dealt with promptly and professionally.
The Blame Game Gets You Nowhere
The “blame game” is what groups of people play when something goes wrong — everyone attempts to pass the blame on, absolving themselves of responsibility for the issue.
The “blame game” can get quite complex and convoluted, frustrating and time-wasting. It can also be very counter-productive.
If the focus is on who made the mistake that led to the problem, the “blame game” distracts people from why the problem occurred in the first place.
As a result, trust starts to dissipate; and valuable lessons are missed.
BOTTOM LINE: Good communication and trust are key components to a construction project running smoothly.
Setting up a good foundation and team culture from the outset will save you a lot of time and money, when you encounter construction issues down the track.
