Late-Game Changes: How to Handle?
First a quick reminder: don’t forget about our Project Planning Workbook and Punchlist Spreadsheet, and our consulting services! Targeted, useful, practical, and developed over my 20 years in the industry…take a look!
If you’re an architect or GC, your familiar with a client making late-game changes. It can be frustrating if it means redoing work or stalling progress, but it’s important to remember that you’re there to work for them, and part of that means helping them navigate changes professionally.
If you’re an owner or developer, whether it’s your own house or a big investment project, you will have to make changes as the project goes along. Even if everything is perfectly planned, things still happen - and sometimes, they’re good things!
This post is addressed directly to architects and GCs, but owners, take note: this is how your architect and GC should be reacting to you, and handling changes on your project!
Remember, construction is a team sport.
Alright, so here’s what an architect and/or GC should do when the owner/client proposes a late-game change:
- Treat your clients like adults.
- Explain the implications.
- Coach them through decisions.
- Give your professional opinion.
- Talk about money and time. All the time. Every time. Early and often. DO. NOT. WAIT.
- Understand that they're stressed and overwhelmed. They're spending a ton of money, learning tons of new info every day, and holding their lives together while you've torn up their house or their business.
- Understand that construction - all types, not just custom residential - is very emotional. That's ok. We are emotional animals. Work to be a beacon of calm competence and unruffled productivity and a trusted resource.
- Don't think only about what's best for you. They are the client, and the owner. If they want to delay the project a month and pay a bunch more money to make a late change, help them do that. It's *their project.*
- Document, document, document. These conversations get lost in the fog of war, and it's *vital* that meeting minutes, emails, CA documentation, etc record decisions.
- Remind the client why they made the original decision in the first place. Again, the fog of war and the stress of construction causes everyone to forget the solid, smart decisions made before the project started. Be the historian, reminding the team why things were decided in the first place.
- Don't take it personally.
- Don't take any abuse. Just because they're stressed doesn't mean they can treat you like poo.
- And remember, construction punishes the ill-prepared. Whatever you can do to be prepared - at every stage, in every way - will be rewarded. It is 100% possible to have good relationships with clients even thru the hardest projects!
Thanks for reading! Your support means the world, and makes it possible for me to continue this work - please consider subscribing or sharing!