If you notice in our list of services, conflict resolution is part of our job description. In any construction project, conflict is bound to pop up in a variety of areas. There can be conflict among team members of a construction crew, between different crews, between different contractors, and yes, between the homeowner and contractors. These conflicts will happen, and our job is to resolve them so they do not cost you or the contractors any more money.
We are going to take a look at conflicts and how they can be prevented and resolved without the entire project going down the tubes.
Don’t Let Anger and Frustration Get the Better of You
This applies to everyone involved. This can be a very alpha-male environment, often leading to chest-thumping and screaming. Once we get to that point, the only direction this goes is down. Everyone here has to realize that each party is focused on its work, and sometimes one contractor’s work interferes with the work of another contractor, which can put them behind, resulting in an upset homeowner. The next thing you know, we have three people yelling at each other.
As project manager, our job is to see these conflicts coming to a head and work them out beforehand. There will be times when these conflicts get heated, but it is imperative that you keep your cool and work through them rather than getting into an argument that results in delayed construction or worse, a contractor just walking off the job altogether.
This is going to take some calm heads to prevail. We all have to sit down and listen to everyone’s concerns to get to the heart of the problem and fix it without causing delays or excessive costs.
Conflicts Between Construction Crews
This will, without a doubt, happen at some point, especially if there is an unsuspected delay for some reason, such as weather. When we start construction, each contractor gets a schedule of when they start, what they need to have done, and when they need to have it done. If Contractor A falls behind, it could impact Contractor B’s starting time, resulting in a beef on the construction site.
This is not something you generally want to deal with as the homeowner, which is where the residential construction project manager comes in. To prevent such conflicts, you need someone used to dealing with these crews as well as someone to be at the construction site daily to monitor these situations. When on-site, we can often see these situations developing and address them before they get out of hand or even occur.
For some of our clients, this aspect of the job alone is reason enough for bringing us aboard. We are part supervisor, psychologist, and, yes, even parental at times. Whatever it takes to keep this job on time as well as keep morale on the site up. If you are interested in learning more about our residential construction project manager services, click here for more information or give us a call at 888-402-4180.