Masonry Magazine August 1999 Page. 18
Project Delay
Activation is an entity unto itself, requiring sincere, consistent, and spirited commitment and implementation by the company's owners and managers.
Customer Interference Some customers are wonderful to work with - others aren't and as long as nature indiscriminately allows anyone to make a lot of money this will most likely never change. Often, a customer will find it necessary to stop out at the site and throw his or her weight around.
If this happens to you, avoid your first impulse (besides, there are witnesses) - take a deep breath- and take time out to explain, inform, and even cater to the owner's desire. This may, of course, involve some minor changes - which aren't fun or productive-but in the long run, you've made the customer happy and a happy customer is just good business. Of course, if the changes are of a grand scale, you'll need to involve the architect.
Other Types of Project Delay There are many other types of construction delay and in keeping with our theme of recognition being paramount in enacting a remedy, here are some other potential money-losers that may spring up:
■Mobilizing major equipment more often than absolutely necessary
■Waiting for information (be it from architect, owner, GC, etc.)
Overcrowded work areas - workers stumbling over each other is clearly not productive
Having inadequate numbers of men on the job (poor planning, sickness, absenteeism, etc.)
■Waiting for site layout or staking by surveying or civil crews
Pulling men away to put out fires - sometimes, this is just necessary, but try not to overdo.
Coordination & scheduling errors by the GC or superintendent
■Late or non-completion of work by the owner or contractor outside of your contract (utilities, etc.)
■Too much relocation of work or staging areas in the building itself (can you leave the masonry tenting up for the painters and caulking sub?)
Conflicting orders from superiors (one boss is best)
Conclusion Project delay is something that will never go away completely not as long as humans are involved. But with clear communication, strict discipline, and consistent enforcement of rules, policies, and expectations by the people running the project, delay can be minimized. By reinforcing the dogma that all delay is proportionate to a number of lost dollars, delay is quantified and transformed into something more tangible - easier to grasp making the ability to effectively target and implement remedies that much simpler.
Editors Note: S.S. Saucerman is a full time commercial construction estimator/project manager, freelance author and lecturer for the construction industry, and also teaches Building Construction Technology at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois.
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