Construction has the potential to be a costly game of telephone. Take the “tree swing” illustration as an example, it begins with the client’s initial request portrayed as a multi-seat swing. The designers then propose a simplified single-seat swing, reflecting their interpretation of the request, clearly different than what the client had anticipated. When formalized in the construction documents, the swing design changes again, highlighting alter-ations due to the practical constraints of the design identified in the drawings. The engineers’ execution further results in an entirely different swing, indicating misalignment due to technical issues and/or communication gaps. Onsite installation adds yet another layer of design deviation, resulting in a final product that is far from the client’s ideation. All this costs time and money.
Ultimately, the client’s end goal, a simple tire swing, shows how each stage of the process can lead to significant divergence from the original idea. This reoccurrence highlights the importance of clear communication, team alignment, and project understanding. Let’s dig into why this happens and what we as con-struction professionals can do to prevent this.
MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER
Over two decades after its creation, the cartoon remains highly relevant today. It humorously yet accurately depicts the per-sistent and ever-growing challenges we face as an industry. Despite significant advancements in technology, project complexity is at an all-time high due to myriad factors. Often there is involvement from a magnitude of stakeholders, operating in different time zones, with contrasting cultural differences, and inde-pendent expectations. Increased regulatory and compliance demands add layers of docu-mentation and procedural steps that can com-plicate the execution of the project. While technological advancements have propelled the industry forward, the intricacy of projects has also increased, making miscommunication,…
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