Construction Fails: When Projects Fail

Construction projects fail when you fail to plan, organize, or pay attention to critical factors. In this blog, I’m going to walk you through the exact steps that will lead your construction project into disaster. But don’t worry, we’ll have a bit of fun and humor along the way. If you’re taking notes, get ready to jot down the key points that may be affecting your project without you even realizing it.

1. Don’t Have a Master Builder

One of the easiest ways to tank your project is to hire a builder, superintendent, or project manager without the necessary experience. Construction is not a “learn-as-you-go” field. If your team doesn’t understand how to manage the complexities of a project, expect failure to follow.

2. Don’t Build a Cohesive Team

Successful projects are often the result of strong, cohesive teams. Take Frank Crowe, the man behind the Hoover Dam, who led a loyal and skilled team. However, if your goal is to fail, forget about team-building. A disjointed and poorly coordinated team will definitely help you on that path.

3. Don’t Take Time to Plan

Want your project to crash and burn? Then skip the planning phase! Avoid dedicating sufficient time to plan the project thoroughly. Failing to identify problems in the early stages will ensure you face costly and morale-killing issues later on.

4. Don’t Analyze Risks

Why bother thinking about risks ahead of time when you can deal with them in the middle of construction? Failing to identify potential risks during pre-construction will lead to confusion, delays, and skyrocketing costs down the road.

5. Don’t Learn from Past Projects

If you want to fail spectacularly, ignore the lessons from previous projects. Don’t take into account what went wrong in the past and just assume that history won’t repeat itself. This is an easy way to make costly mistakes.

6. Don’t Focus on Building the Team

Treat your team like they’re just numbers. Don’t care about their well-being or professional development, and certainly don’t bother getting to know them personally. Ignoring your team’s needs will ensure you’re leading a disengaged and demoralized workforce.

7. Don’t Find Your “Lego”

Repetition and prefabrication are your enemies if you want to fail. Don’t look for ways to create repeatable processes or find areas to optimize. Treat every task as if it’s brand new and ignore opportunities for efficiency.

8. Don’t Make Friends

Why build good relationships with inspectors, owners, and designers? Instead, focus on creating an adversarial atmosphere. Making enemies with key stakeholders will help guarantee your project’s failure.

9. Don’t Use the Right Systems

Stick with outdated systems like CPM (Critical Path Method), even though industry data shows most CPM projects fail. Ignore modern techniques like lean construction, tact planning, and Scrum that could improve your project’s success rate.

10. Don’t Ask for Help

Thinking you know it all is a surefire way to fail. Don’t ask for help, don’t hire consultants, and don’t seek out fresh perspectives. Try to tackle everything on your own, and watch your project spiral out of control.

11. Don’t Say No

When asked to do something counterproductive or illogical, just say yes. Don’t push back on bad ideas from clients, designers, or corporate leadership. Following bad advice without questioning it will certainly tank your project.

A Contract with the Construction Industry

Now that we’ve had some fun discussing how to fail, let’s switch gears and talk about how to succeed in construction. Here’s my “contract” with the construction industry for how we can improve and avoid failure:

1. Mandate Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
2. Reduce Design-Bid-Build Contracts
3. Recruit, Hire, and Train Continuously
4. Improve Scheduling Methods
5. Use Procurement Logs Effectively
6. Involve Trade Partners Early in the Design Process
7. Let Builders Plan the Project
8. Hold Risk Review Meetings Before Starting
9. Limit Changes After the Early Stages
10. Use Prefabrication as the Default
11. Provide Respectful Work Environments
12. Expand Training for Construction Workers
13. Get Leadership Closer to the Work
14. Reintroduce the Role of Field Engineer
15. Move Away from CPM Scheduling
16. Encourage Diversity in Construction
17. Promote Information Sharing Across Projects

By implementing these changes, we can improve the construction industry and ensure projects are successful. If you need help getting your project back on track, we at Elevate and Lean Tech are here to assist. Remember, investing in consulting and training will save you money and prevent project failure in the long run.