One of the most important things in any construction project is clear communication and co-ordination from the very initial ideas through to completion and snagging. Without this, problems can include lack of understanding, abortive works and implications on the time and cost of the project.

The best way to combat this is to establish clear communication channels early on and outline the expected communication frequency and preferred methods between all parties.  It is important to have specific channels for the line of decision making and information distribution that has to happen over the course of a project.

Regular team or client meetings and project management tools can be utilised to discuss project updates and manage expectations for the length of a project.  Ensuring that meetings are effective is also important, so ensuring you have a clear agenda and understanding which items are most relevant to the project’s critical path will help you to do this.

Clear documenting of decisions is vital as this leaves a clear trail and avoids abortive costs where possible - this also helps avoid misunderstandings and disputes as everyone is clear on where to look for information.

There are often conflicts between clients and contractors on site, so establishing early on what is going to work for everyone really helps a project run smoothly.

Sometimes project can have 1000’s of emails under several different headings and multiple erratic decisions made and changed again and again.  To be frank, this is not helpful for anyone, so we have learnt to ensure we have a clear method for every decision that needs to be made from the initial space design down to the last door handle.

Here’s Matthew giving you a quick overview of the project management software we use: