#4: Too Green – Too Few

I have seen a lot written recently about project failures and there seems to be a few popular opinions circulating that are polar opposite to what I have learned over the last 22 years in the trenches.

I am often called in to build recovery schedules. I have seen my fair share of project failures – or at least projects that were failing at the time of my arrival.

I believe that project failures in most cases stem from poor staff management. Not having the right people on the bus, not having enough people on the bus, or both. I call it; Too Green – Too Few. And you see it at every phase. Meaning, if the design is the weak link, you find it was designed by Too Green – Too Few. If the construction management is troubled, you find it being run by Too Green – Too Few.

Some industry professionals tie this back to the theory; that because it’s not NASA, (life threatening), corners are cut and risks are taken.  And that the costs required to substantially improve a project’s overall success, are not justifiable. They say that project success levels have reached a plateau.

However, what I see every day, are planned profits being dumped into projects to cover constructive acceleration costs, coming down the home stretch. So what do you think? Do you believe that projects can succeed at much higher levels? Can they succeed in all three categories; cost, schedule, and performance. You bet your ass they can!

W. Edwards Deming promoted the idea that as quality gets better, costs and schedules improve. I know this notion runs contrary to the classic project management mantra that says - you can’t have all three; cost, schedule, and performance. You have to pick only two. I have heard a similar statement made about the restaurant industry; that you can’t have quality food, reasonable price, and fast service. You have to pick two.

It is a cute little theory I guess.  In fact, thinking in general terms, it may even be true. But isn’t there a word for restaurants that deliver on all three – quality, price, and service? We call them our favorite places to eat – likewise with other businesses. Building businesses are not any different in my mind. And the builders that deliver across the board again are industry stand-outs.

What am I missing? It seems obvious. More experienced people with reasonable workloads perform at higher levels. It follows, that higher performance levels offset additional overhead staffing cost. And schedules are better performed by more competent staff.

There are some builders that understand that investing into the CM team makes for a more legitimate and more attainable project plan. These builders stand out from the rest.  5 years ago, I was a PM for a mid- size GC. During a project managers meeting, the whole staffing conversation came up and the operations manager said: We can’t afford to staff the project like that, only big generals can afford to staff projects like that. I left the meeting talking with a colleague; pondering the question:  Do companies typically get big and then staff their projects properly – or do companies staff their projects properly and then get big?

I have been a student of this industry long enough to have seen well run companies stagnate or even fail, and poorly run companies succeed. And we both know there are many reasons. Some that are well beyond the control of the individuals running the company.

Having said that – I understand staffing requirements for different types and sizes of projects is a skill-set in and of itself. Yet, the individuals responsible for staffing projects often do not realize that the project can only be as successful as the construction management team is well fitted to the project. It’s easy to blow through 1-2% of project cost in construction acceleration fees, why not spend the money on the front-end. Bolster your CM team’s capabilities. Gain all the trickle-down benefits of proactive construction management.

If you lack specialized employees in-house, consider using consultants.

I don’t know how many times that I have heard owners say they can’t afford to staff the project any deeper, yet they can always afford constructive acceleration in the fourth quarter of the project. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends.