"There's not enough time!"
All of our jobs seem to be fast-track these days; the client wants a quality building and he wants it now! While this is increasingly the case, most jobs can be completed within these tighter timescales provided they are well-planned and adequately resourced.
Some site managers instinctively know how to build, how many operatives are needed and roughly how long it takes – the planner's programme pinned to the cabin wall provides decoration and interest for the visiting contracts manager. Site managers who consistently finish on time use the programme as a tool to assess actual against planned progress and to objectively calculate resources.
"He was the cheapest subcontractor!"
In spite of much talk about best value, the temptation is to base subcontract procurement on lowest price. We usually think we can intensively manage the cheapest subcontractor for less than the money saved!
My suggestion for the site manager is to get involved in the procurement process; help the site quantity surveyor take quality, safety, adequacy of resource and track record into account. Involvement in the subcontractor selection enhances the site manager's sense of ownership and commitment to success. Also, look at the site conditions you provide for subcontractors; do they stand a chance of doing quality work?
Part of the problem is that we do not really know what our clients need, and limiting our thinking to finishing on time and within budget is too simplistic. Understanding what clients do leads to better delivery
"Quality costs too much!"
I did some work a few years ago that involved site managers measuring and reporting the cost of rework on their projects. In two contracting organisations, spread over six months, the cost of this rework was approximately five per cent of turnover. Compare your site margin with the cost of rework and you will realise that the expense lies in the waste of abortive work rather than in doing the job well the first time.
"There's a skills shortage!"
It is proving harder to get the staff and skilled tradesmen needed to produce quality buildings. Calls for better training and old-fashioned apprenticeships make little difference for the hard-pressed site manager halfway through a project. Rather than making the most of what they have, site managers have to lead the way by setting high standards for workmanship and refusing to accept anything they consider to be substandard.
"The client keeps changing his mind!"
OK, this leads to all kinds of difficulties, including out-of-sequence working and acceleration. Client changes towards the end of the project have a significant effect on quality. Part of the problem is that we do not really know what our clients need (often they don't know either), and limiting our thinking to finishing on time and within budget is too simplistic.
Understanding what clients do leads to better delivery of what they need. Early dialogue with building users will pay off in terms of achieving the right design, improving site production and satisfying the customer.
Source
Construction Manager
Postscript
Dave Stitt has spent 26 years in the industry. He has led a number of change and improvement programmes for major contractors and now runs his own consultancy, DSA Building Performance. Contact dsabuilding@btopenworld.com