No matter the contractor, the market, the location, or even the owner, construction projects are almost always a group effort. Successful outcomes rely heavily on effective collaboration between everyone involved, including contractors and owners, contractors and subcontractors, designers and builders, and even owners and third-party stakeholders. Construction contracts, big and small, have multiple measures for success, including performances in scope, schedule, cost, safety, quality, and more. Project success depends on having plans built around construction collaborative approaches.
Why Is Teamwork Important in Construction Industry Projects?
You might think that once a contract is initiated, the construction company or builder is left to its own devices to figure things out and get it done. After all, that’s what the builder is getting paid to do, right? The reality is that proper construction management means continuous and regular communication and engagement with other entities that are invested in and affected by the completion of the project. Some common examples of the need for teamwork include the following:
- Difference between field conditions and plans: This requires the contractor and the designer, such as an engineer or architect, to put their heads together for a different approach. The contractor might propose a solution that the engineer needs to review and approve, or the engineer has a solution that may or may not work depending on the contractor’s resources in personnel, equipment, and materials.
- Conflict between proposed plans and a utility discovered in the field: In this situation, a pipeline is located where a footing or foundation element is to be installed. The contractor, engineer, and utility owner need to work together to come up with a solution that is safe and cost-effective, and satisfies the concerns of all stakeholders. The particular utility may need to be relocated, or the engineer may have to develop a workaround that has to also be approved by the eventual owner of the project.
- Owner-requested changes: Imagine the owner identifies new building materials or features to incorporate into a project with short-term and long-term benefits. The owner, the engineer, and the contractor will need to come together to review alternatives and determine which one is most feasible, most cost-effective, and least impactful to schedule, and satisfies the design requirement.
Effective collaboration is a must for project success.
What Are the Benefits of Collaboration in Construction?
Collaborating in construction provides the following benefits:
- Continuous communication to keep all interested parties updated on issues for quick resolution
- Necessary changes that can be reviewed, approved, negotiated, and initiated to keep the project moving forward
- Adherence to original plans of scope, cost, schedule, and quality, to avoid costly delays, budget overruns, and the owner not accepting the completed job
- Development of trust and team-minded approach between owner, contractor, designers, and other stakeholders
The importance of teamwork in construction cannot be overstated with respect to successful project performance.
What Is Necessary for Construction Collaborative Success?
The various entities that have a stake in a job’s success are not usually co-located. In many cases, a client or the principals of the contracting company may be remotely located, requiring virtual meetings and conference calls. Construction project management collaboration software provides real-time access to project information and documents for discussion, including project reporting and brainstorming. A web-based solution offers a way to collaborate without the need for costly equipment and infrastructure resources.
Fluix is your answer for a powerful, lightweight platform that leverages the benefits of web collaboration. This flexible platform can be used on mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets without the need for specialized hardware, coding, or operating systems. Contact us to see how Fluix can improve your collaboration for better project communication, stakeholder engagement, and performance.
