I have been involved with many projects in my long, varied and active lifetime. For most of the projects – something nearly always went wrong – it finished later than planned, there were cost overruns that I had to pay for, or there seemed to be the invariable organisation cock ups that needed some input to solve the issue.
And then I came across Fowler Homes, who quoted me for a substantial build at Hanley Farm for a fixed budget and a fixed timeline. Fowler Homes would handle all of the project management.
In addition, the contract noted that any delays would be the responsibility of Fowler Homes to fix. In return, we had to pay the bills at the requested time and make colour, design, and finish decisions when requested.
In addition, we were not able to make changes to those decisions if that were going to affect the logistics that Fowler Homes had already put in place.
All payment requests came with a brief explanation of the work being paid for and a photo of the completed work – in essence, Fowler Homes were proving they had done the work. This was of considerable comfort to me as I knew I was not paying for uncompleted work.
Why do I tell you this story? I tell you to show that there are businesses out there that can provide a service that is on time, on budget and hassle-free.
Even in a highly uncertain environment, Fowler Homes still offers this service – without sacrificing quality.
To this end always get a supplier that can offer you the above mixture -it is called the “Triple Constraint” – Time, Budget and Quality.
- Plan in advance and build in buffers ( still remain competitive in the marketplace)
- Use a solid request management system
- Manage the Scope of the project – incorporate adjustments
- Make Budgeting part of the Planning
- Don’t stop communicating
A recent survey noted that 43% of Project Managers said that Communication problems were a key factor in the failure of projects. Constant communication through an operational system of record will keep everyone on the same page- so maintaining deadlines, budgets and quality will be a doable balancing act ensuring the project is on budget, on time and hassle-free
What were the two other main reasons for project failure?
- 42% said that process is a key factor in failure and
- 32% said people are a key factor
As I was writing this case study I experienced another Subbie performing the ‘on budget, on time, no hassles’ experience – I needed some electrical work done – I contacted Jeremy Barr of JMAC Electrical. He delivered. I will contact him again.
If you want to discover how I can help you deliver the same experience to your customers, get in touch to find out more.
Robin Martin
P.S. This article is part of my Secrets of Success series, aimed at helping business owners and entrepreneurs with some of the key components of business success. The insights I wish I’d had at the start of my business career. I hope that by passing on these little gems of knowledge I can give you some support and help you along the pathway to growth and prosperity.
