Whether it’s responding to an emergency such as an embankment failure, or carrying out planned works, the quality of the outcome is generally proportional to the quality of the project communications.
A bit like apple pie, everyone agrees that effective communication is a good thing. But what does it really mean in the context of delivering civil engineering projects in the digital age?
Clarity
Projects involve many stakeholders. What is being communicated must always be clear and unambiguous. It must be clear who is responsible for communicating and where project-critical information can be found without having to ask every time. Clear lines of communication are central to our projects:simplifiedapproach to delivery.
Site-specific WhatsApp groups allow our teams to instantly share updates and quickly resolve minor issues. Designated site managers, project managers and engineers are included in these groups as well as senior staff including technical, commercial, HR and H&S leads.
Local managers are empowered to resolve onsite issues quickly, and there are clearly defined escalation routes and responsibilities where needed.
On each project we use Re-flow to deliver site inductions, provide project briefings, store Toolbox Talks, manage site diaries and record site inspections. All site operatives have instant access to the information they need including direct access to project-specific documents and briefings.
Purposeful Meetings
Meetings are inevitable. They can even be valuable. But they need to be focused and have a purpose to be worth everyone’s time. Progress updates are not a good reason for having a meeting. Modern technology allows you to check progress in real time and receive updates more or less anywhere and on any device.
Meetings should really be for problem solving and important decisions that need discussion and input from several people or organisations. Project walk-throughs as part of early contractor involvement are an example of meeting time used effectively. They clarify work dependencies, highlight potential clashes and collaboratively address problems before they happen.
Regular change summary meetings allow our project teams to analyse current and future risks and agree the optimum course of action.
Overcoming The Unexpected
It’s not unusual for the exact situation onsite to differ from expectations. When issues are identified and communicated early on they can often be resolved without incurring delays or additional costs.
When Suttles Projects was awarded the contract for long-term stabilisation works to Langport Embankment our team identified that powerlines were lower than specified in the original design proposals. A new design and methodology were quickly devised and accepted without revision – keeping the project on track.
Similarly, at our Stokes Bay East Seawall Replacement in the project debrief, our client highlighted that our collaborative approach and open communication were key successes factors for the project, adding “Suttle Projects demonstrated a proactive attitude, offering effective solutions to on-site issues and their open and consistent communication throughout the project enabled timely resolutions of both site and commercial issues and that our team’s dedication was instrumental in delivering this project on programme. Their support with design adjustments along the way added significant value and contributed to the project being completed to a high standard.”
Multiple Stakeholders
As part of our stakeholder consultation planning we identify relevant parties, which could include environmental and local history groups as well as local authorities, the Environment Agency and other public bodies. It’s essential to thoroughly plan the what, where and when of communication to ensure everyone who needs to be is informed and consulted.
Large numbers of stakeholders and project partners typically provide the sternest test for project communications. This was the case with the refurbishment of the surface-level Crescent Car Park in Taunton city centre.
The car park and its access routes serve a variety of retail businesses and residential properties. The scheme involved completely resurfacing and marking out the car park with a range of textured and coloured pavements, as well as installing 19 EV chargers and associated services. It also involved reconstructing a section of highway at the access, with a mini roundabout, street lighting improvements, tree pits, and new street furniture.
Despite the complexity of the works and problems such as contaminated land to deal with, we managed to keep 50% of the car park open throughout and ensured the project was completed on schedule. This was largely down to having clear and purposeful communications between all partners and stakeholders.
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