Construction Magazine December 2014 | Page 20

management / planning

‘ The larger a construction company gets , the harder it can be to maintain effective channels of communication ’ company ’ s activities can be recorded and noted .

When a company communicates effectively internally , it is far more likely to provide effective and unified communications to external organisations .
‘ Vary ’ important indeed Variations can be among the leading causes of profit erosion during the lifecycle of any construction project . The hundreds of component elements involved are often susceptible to unforeseen changes , and each of these variations needs to be communicated within the company to prevent any adverse knock-on effects .
The profitability of a project that looked lucrative at the tendering stage can be eroded by ongoing variations . If everyone who learns about a specific variation fails to share that information
and attempts to resolve their issue independently , then the outcome is likely to be less than optimal .
Conversely , through effective communication , variations can both increase client satisfaction through the delivery of a better outcome whilst at the same time increase profitability for the contractor .
Get it in writing The larger a construction company gets , the harder it can be to maintain effective channels of communication . As site and workforce numbers increase , so do the dangers of one person making a decision that will inadvertently impact on others .
If a site manager is pressured by a client into agreeing to a small specification upgrade during a site visit , it ’ s imperative that he then notifies all relevant parties about this revision .
20 December 2014