Managing Changes

Managing Changes
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. http://ow.ly/TW713061p4w
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 practise, good business practise 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 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. http://ow.ly/i/oPoSj

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