Yesterday was a day resolving c-suite issues to save clients, contractors, and the builder.
Yesterday was also a day where we delivered 13 units of profit on our investment.
Yesterday was also a day where big and small clients, the new ones, had a profoundly positive response for their first experience - confidence to start on their own before our reply. That is simply epic!
More on that later.
For now, let’s break down the construction industry, starting with part one - grass roots, where all the magic happens, on site.
The thought is common among us family builders, the daily head roll. Where has common sense gone? How did building get so damn hard? My projects at the other end of the country are running smoother with me managing from Melbourne, than the projects I’m seeing locally. How is this even possible?
It’s pretty convenient having a dad as an international builder, a brother as an engineer, and all of us with a solid dose of common sense, and high achievers. Safe to say, when others say you can’t, we say, you can.
It was my first day on a new contract of a very profile builder, and coming from a very successful, yet humble as pie family builder with 50+ years in dad, and 15 years, or closer to 30 if you count my nappy years on site with dad, our properties span across Australia and New Zealand, and our retention rate is near perfect.
When we say humble, we know our trade, and we know what is most important, community, and communication in the industry, to have successful project delivery.
My first day on site, the entire team, and contractors have failed to notice no allowances for drainage in the concrete - ummmmm…… and the slope………..
Anywho fast forward a few days, then I realise the contract was never actually signed, and there’s no permit. Good lord.
Instead of having a discussion about all of these situations, the gloves were out - and the blame game began.
Growing up on site with a builder, and having had a mother as a commercial lawyer, really gave me so much more than what university or school could offer.
It’s safe to say, the next few days to follow, my role was pushed up to a ‘yet to be decided’ speaking with the parent company, the clients, the funding partners, but where the core was lost, is they all forgot about the people on the tools.
If your Construction Manager isn’t across your projects, there is a major issue to be had. The Project Manager, well, really had nothing to be inspired by, and management can’t expect what they can’t deliver themselves.
The Site Manager was absolutely overwhelmed, with no support, only pressure - lucky I arrived, so suddenly they could breathe fresh air again. The not-so-great ripple effect.
Common sense = toolbox meetings exist for a purpose.
Common sense = project meetings exist for a purpose.
And that purpose is not to drink coffee and talk about your weekend and the footy.
The basic concept of project management, step it out…. project + management.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re like my dad, 70 and leading the boys on tools because you absolutely love your trade, or my age and a tech freak to do things a much smarter way - strategy and systems are in place to ensure all of the above major incidents, do not happen.
Let’s just say it took a week to relieve the site manager and supervisor of their headaches, with programmes and task lists, they knew who, what, where and when, and after that, there was no further issue.
Communication… the key element.
The client, happy. The builder, happy. The trades, happy. It really is that simple. Another day of ‘who are you? And where have you been all my life?’
We are the difference between a bankrupt builder, and projecting $27million per month in eight weeks.