Underlying Causes of Changes on Projects

Start improving your change management skills by creating some categories of the underlying causes of changes your company experiences.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

Changes are a fact during construction projects, though many can be mitigated through rigorous management of the design and planning processes.

Change Management: Categories of the Underlying Causes of Change.

Some of those categories might include:

  • Project requirement changes: Remember that this project is simply there to serve as a step in the project owner's value stream. A lot changes in their business from the start of the design process through the construction process.  

  • Gaps, lack of clarity, or conflicts that occur during design, contracting, and installation phases. 

  • Value engineering, which is great for all parties

  • Unknown conditions that are unknown during design or bidding typical for underground or remodels

  • Execution variables, including schedule changes, compressed work, stacking of trades, or other factors that impact productivity

  • Back charges to or from others typically related to conflicts during installation

What are the categories of underlying causes for your company?

Which ones come up the most?

Could any of them have been identified earlier?

 


Deeply understanding the underlying reasons for changes allows you to identify them early in the preconstruction process and adds the most value to the project owner.  


Underlying Causes of Changes on Projects
Change orders are a fact of life in construction. Improve profitability, cash flow and customer satisfaction by effectively managing changes. Build a foundation for success with 12 steps to improve pricing and 11 negotiating strategies for the whole project team....

Related Training
Underlying Causes of Changes on Projects
Change orders are a fact of life in construction. Improve profitability, cash flow and customer satisfaction by effectively managing changes. Build a foundation for success with 12 steps to improve pricing and 11 negotiating strategies for the whole project team....

Planning - Integrating the 4 Key Responsibilities
Effective planning combined with regular feedback (at least weekly) combined with a structured look at how to improve each week is the key to integrating the four key responsibilities of a Foreman.
Changes - Early Identification is Always Better
Early identification of changes and conflicts is the first key to success. The capability to identify changes and conflicts early in the process is a combination of organizational structure, systems, management, training, and coaching.
Impacted Productivity - Five Elements of Making a Good Case
Contractors are continually faced with costly impacts to their labor productivity and schedule with many beyond their direct control. The best Project Managers know how to identify, communicate, and mitigate these impacts.