Construction is a very volatile industry. One small mistake can cause incredibly serious problems. During a job, issues and questions will almost always come up out of the blue. If these problems come up, you need to be ready to handle them, or they might change how the project turns out. You will need a plan for dealing with issues quickly and effectively.
Issue management is all about finding problems and fixing them. These could be staff or supplier problems, technology problems, or a lack of materials. If you can identify and solve the problem at hand, you can avoid unnecessary disagreements, delays, or even failure to achieve what you need to.
In this article, we will show you the steps to handle issues in the best way possible. But first, let us get back to the basics.
Defining an Issue
During the planning phase, you and your team must be able to forecast and consider all potential problems and setbacks that could happen with the project. If your team had been thorough in the planning phase, you may have already thought of the problem and a way to fix it.
However, different issues can have various levels of effect. They might only affect the short-term growth of your project or its success as a whole. That is why it is important to stress that problems are always present, and you need to be prepared to make choices and solve them as efficiently and accurately as possible. If you wait too long to make a choice, then it can quickly escalate.
What Is Issue Management?
As mentioned earlier, issues are events during construction that divert you from the original base plan. Risks, on the other hand, are items that have already been outlined that may or may not be issues.
Solving issues in a construction project starts with a plan that lists tasks and rules for handling and controlling problems that come up during the project.
Difference Between Managing Issues vs Managing Risks
In a nutshell, a risk is a possible issue or problem, while an issue is something that is happening right now in the project. Both are important for managing projects, and knowing the difference between them is essential.
Issue management is all about dealing with problems that are already affecting a project. This reactive method works well for dealing with problems that come up unexpectedly. Problem logs, root cause analyses, and corrective action plans are some of the tools used in problem management.
Risk management is the process of finding, monitoring, and dealing with possible issues that might positively or negatively affect a project in the future. This preventative method involves looking ahead and making plans to avoid problems. Risk records, risk assessments, and risk mitigation plans are all tools that can be used for risk management.
The Importance of Issue Management in Construction
When it comes to managing construction, an efficient and effective issue management system can help ensure your project’s timely and quality delivery.
Managing issues is essential because it keeps projects stable and running smoothly throughout their entire lifecycle. To deal with problems in the right way, a project manager needs to be very aware, flexible, and quick on their feet. The key is to find the right balance between speed and accuracy to use analysis and reaction frameworks that are made to help them deal with problems quickly.
The ability to solve issues is critical for project managers because it helps them find, evaluate, and fix issues that might affect a project’s goals, quality, timeline, or scale. It helps keep a project stable and running smoothly while reducing the damage that problems can do.
In our fast-paced, digital world, managing issues is becoming increasingly important. Mishandling or avoiding problems can attract insufficient attention, especially now that everyone is on social media. Luckily, you can utilize the power of technology, such as construction management software, to keep track and stay on top of things.
What Are the Main Categories of Issues in Construction?
Of course, the first step in managing issues is identifying and determining them. Many issues can occur, and some of them fall into these three groups.
Major Problem
One that needs immediate attention because it could stop progress or the job from being finished successfully.
Opportunity
Only some problems are good, and some can bring about unexpected opportunities. Even though this is not a big problem right now, you should keep an eye on it because it might add value to your project or make it worse and need your attention again.
Circumstantial
This is another issue that could be a worry or a big problem, but it changes based on the circumstances. Problems with a staff of suppliers, technology failures, material shortages or delays, and very successful advertising are all examples of these kinds of problems.
Common Issues in Construction Management
Even though the subject of possible problems is always broad, it is possible to list the most significant issues that construction management faces every day.
Insufficient Information
Lack of information can often lead to project failure. It is hard enough for departments to talk to each other, but construction managers have to work even harder because feedback and project progress are crucial to them. Everyone must be on the same page and have access to the same updated information.
Unclear Goals
Not having clear project goals is likely one of the biggest problems in building management to date. Stakeholders either cannot agree on something or need to know what they want from a project. Different things could be to blame.
Scope Creep
Scope creep is a big construction problem that it has its name. It happens when goals aren’t clearly defined, and many projects go over budget or schedule. Construction management needs to tell stakeholders how important scope is and what delays and budget increases could happen if the problem is still fixed on time.
Lack of Accountability
Another surprising big problem in building management is who is responsible for what. Construction managers have to give goals to different teams and ensure that people are accountable for meeting those goals. It is critical to ensure everyone is responsible for their part of the job. If they fail to do this, the whole project could fail in an instant.
Not Enough Feedback from Stakeholders
Another common problem in construction is not getting comments from people who have a stake in the project. The number of stakeholders involved affects the number of delays and reworks that the whole team will have to deal with at some point during the project’s execution.
Construction project managers need to ensure that all stakeholders give regular comments so that there are as few problems as possible.
Having Trouble Managing Risks
Managing risks is another important issue in construction, and sometimes, it is one of the most important problems. There are a lot more big and expensive risks in the building than in most other fields. Project managers must always look for problems before they cause the project to be late or cost more than planned.
Tips on How to Keep Construction Issues Under Control
Managing issues is like managing a project in that you need a process and a plan to put the strategy into action. These steps will help you set up an issue management framework that will help you handle problems as they come up in your project.
Create A Clear Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a tree map that shows all the steps needed to complete the deliverables of a project. To do this, list all the tasks that need to be done and any risks that might come with them.
Utilize an Efficient Risk Management Strategy
A risk management strategy tells a company how to find, evaluate, deal with, keep an eye on, and control risk. It usually includes rules, steps, risk tolerance levels, and decision-making criteria.
Identify and Document the Issue
Finding problems and writing them down in a document is the only way to start responding to them and keeping track of how far along the process is. You can utilize the power of cloud-based construction software to make the document collaborative online. You might keep track of risks or changes in a log or register, and you should do the same for problems.
Set up a Plan of Action
Next, set up an action plan and put a name next to it so that everyone knows what they are responsible for. Problems can only be solved when there is clear ownership, someone who is in charge of finding the problem, keeping track of it, and closing it. You need a point person who is in charge of everything related to that problem and only moves on once the issue is closed.
Check on Progress
Do people follow through on their action items? Check the status of the issue often. If the problem has been solved but resources are still working on it for no reason, that is another problem. You want to be completely open to avoid wasting resources on issues that you do not need.
Accept the Resolution
Problems should be checked again after they have been marked as solved. Someone in charge of the process should ensure that the work fits with the overall project and the company’s strategic goals. Once everything is ready, the problem can be closed.
Finalize Post-Implementation Review Report
Once the issue management plan is finished, it is essential to get the team together for a post-mortem. This is a chance to discuss what went well and what didn’t during the project. The report from this post-implementation review will include learnings that can be used as a reference to make future projects go more smoothly.
