by Nan Johnson, Revere Control Systems
1.
Correspondence/Communications between project participants (Contractors, Engineers, End-Users, Integrators) increases exponentially. The tone used in the correspondence has a tendency to become less professional as time passes and the milestones commitments get closer.
2.
Material Costs have a tendency to increase. For example, material costs increase in order to receive the equipment in a timely manner to meet the schedule. Such costs may include expediting fees for manufacturers or higher rates for shorter delivery times (shipping costs).
3.
Labor Costs increase and at a more rapid rate. When milestone deadlines get closer or issues require urgent responses, the immediate response is to assign an available resource to resolve the issue(s) or to meet the milestone commitment. On occasion, the available resource may not be the most logical selection. Rather than securing the best resource to address the issue or plan our tasks to meet the milestone commitment with efficiency, we assign warm bodies to work on the project thinking that adequate progress will be made.
What can be done to avoid or mitigate those impending problems?
Regular communications to coordinate with the project participants (Contractors, Engineers, End-Users, Integrators) will assist with project planning and scheduling of tasks in order to meet milestone commitments and deadlines. This will make project participants aware of the progress being made and allow for the scheduling of related work accordingly.
Strategic planning of tasks that allow for adequate lead and delivery time for equipment. Many times we order equipment for delivery in a "just-in-time" mode of operation. If the project schedule allows for this method of scheduling, it should be used. However, there are many times where the contractors want the equipment ready and available for installation as soon as possible to allow adequate preparation for installation.
Identify the resource needs including the required experience and scheduling at the beginning of the project. Through project planning, the appropriate team members (resources) should be identified and allocated per the project schedule. By planning the project tasks, adjustments can be made if the desired or required resource is not available. Sometimes a new (qualified) team member may need to be secured or tasks from other projects adjusted in order to make the desired resource available.
For most issues and situations that cause a problem to "go south,"
adequate planning for the project should minimize the risk and exposure. Part of the planning process is to develop contingency plans to meet critical milestone commitments and deadlines. If a proactive approach is used, then the there is a better chance to reduce if not avoid such impending problems that cause a project to run into trouble.
