Start Like a Thoroughbred, Finish Like A…?

There are many colorful ways to describe how we tend to start out new projects with zest, but end up sputtering at the finish line. Let’s face it though, in construction those annoying details that mark the difference between “substantial completion” and “final acceptance” can really hamstring an otherwise solid business. Think about this: how are your project kickoffs going? If you think well, but find you struggle at the end, it’s probably time to revisit your kick off, and other critical junctures on the path to completion. Read on for practical pointers. 

Begin With The End In Mind

At Construction Business Owner, Gregg M. Schoppman points out that failing to actually plan for the end of a project is like creating “death by a thousand paper cuts,” and observes that this is a common problem, noting: “It is almost as if the construction community either fails to plan for a full game, losing steam in that last moment, or they think those small, tedious details at the end will finish themselves.” Many of us will find it helpful to recall Stephen Covey’s emphasis on “beginning with the end in mind.” Toward that end, consider Schoppan’s best practices for being more strategic about projects from start to finish:  

• Determination of the start of closeout — Every firm has that moment where either closeout begins or when personnel transitions to a new project. Identify when the exit strategy process should begin in either case.
• The closeout meeting — Whether it is assigning punch list ownership or determining a timeline for document collections, each project should have a firmwide consistency closeout meeting.
• Client management — Sure, the specifications say one thing, but how intimately does your client understand what done looks like? Better yet, do you know what they expect at the conclusion? How are you managing or exceeding those expectations?
• Measurement of closeout — How long is the process taking? What metrics are you using to measure the efficiency of your closeout process?

Another way to curtail the misery (and cost) of sputtering at the finish line is to examine some of the common reasons projects stall at the end. Have client expectations shifted? Do workers consider “substantially done” the same as “done”? Construction management consultants suggest digging into these underlying dynamics that may be at the roots of chronic closeout failures:

• • Unknown expectations of what “done” looks like from the customer’s perspective
  • Unknown expectations about what the city, municipality or agency will require at the conclusion
  • Supervision shuffling toward the end because of new project demands
  • Distracted project leadership and an inability to finish the paperwork, possibly rooted in euphoria also created by new project demands
  • Clients that are not motivated to get done when you want to get done
  • Clients that have a never-ending “shopping list” of extras that complicate getting the base contract completed
  • Clients that see the contractor as a “free maintenance staff”

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If difficulties managing client expectations seems to be a frequent challenge at your construction business, you may also need to rethink your marketing and sales approach. At Well Built Construction Consulting, Chad Prinkey points out that an effective sales process should curtail some of the expectation challenges that you may be encountering, and share these tips:

• • • Quickly evaluate and separate the wheat from the chaff. You probably don’t have unlimited sales and estimating resources to effectively chase every project so focus on the ones that fit your business and have a high potential of converting to a sale.
    • Create interactive conversations with your buyers. In most cases, humans are making buying decisions, and without talking to them you’re just another number.
    • Gather essential information about the project, buyers and competitors. A little key information goes a long way to help your team highlight key differentiators beyond price in your proposal.

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