Death by a Thousand Cuts

It’s the Small Things that Kill You

As construction moves toward completion, owners and the operational team start paying attention and asking questions. Where are the wiring and controls for the sound system, TVs, internet? Do we have power and data for the POS at the host stand? Who is handling the fire alarm connection? Do we have a doorbell and viewport at the receiving door? When are the beer system and soda system installers scheduled? And, of course, there will always be the “added” bar appliance (frozen drink machine) or new kitchen machine.

Many of these activities are performed by the owner’s vendors, outside the scope of the General Contractor which means management and coordination of this work is often unclear.

On a well-managed project, these details are addressed during the Design Programming phase and responsibilities are assigned by the Project Manager. Weekly OAC meetings (owner, architect, contractor) address these issues and catch them early in the design or construction process. But smaller, less formal projects omit these details, take a casual approach to managing the overall development, and suffer the consequences.

Checklists, structured RFIs (Request For Information) and a clearly defined chain of communication work well regardless of the size of your construction project. When these missing pieces must be added late in the construction process, they cause delays and increased costs. Finished surfaces may need to be modified and design features may need to be altered.

Changes and adds are very common. Concepts get refined, new ideas create new opportunities and the demands of the market may evolve.  Some last-minute revisions cannot be avoided. But many can and should be known well in advance and built into the construction schedule.

Manage your construction projects with the same high level of detail and documentation regardless of the size or complexity. It’s the little things that, if overlooked,  will “kill” you.