Ask about changes
in a construction project and everyone involved has a story to tell. It’s a topic that everyone involved in the
project can weigh in on. Typically the
stories involve finger pointing. The
architects, owner, engineers, consultants, GC’s, one and all in are someone’s change
blame crosshairs. Subs blame other
subs. Everyone blames the PM.
Identifying what went off track is easy to do
after a project is complete, but there is little to be done about it then. Good project management practice, good
business practice means addressing the issues before and/or when they happen,
and then having complete documentation regarding the resulting changes. In the
best possible scenario, a change that happens on one project, can be planned
for or anticipated in the next and can become a business opportunity on the next project.
Change management is about maximizing your project
success by identifying potential changes early on and planning strategies. Take a second look at the estimates, contract
documents and the project plan and anticipate what changes will happen. Take a second look at:
- estimates
- contract documents
- plans
-project schedules
with the intent of identifying
potential deviations from the project plan.
It is well worth the time investment.
Have a change management system in
place: a simple process to communicate
completed work, incomplete work, changes and issues on site into a project
plan. In this day and age of smart
phones and tablets, there is no good reason to be doing the paper shuffle in
the trailer, looking for that missing, signed, unsigned, approved CO.
Take a look at mobile riskmp and riskmp to make site communications and documentation better.
#constructionmanagement, #mobilesite, #remotesite, #softwareapps
