How do you document and communicate construction project changes?

First of all, you issue a RFI - "Request for Information" if there is something on site that requires clarification or a change is anticipated. You only use a Change Order when the owner and all parties are in agreement to the change.

Documenting and communicating construction project changes is a critical aspect of successful project management. Effective communication ensures that all stakeholders are informed about the changes, minimizing misunderstandings and potential delays. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to document and communicate construction project changes: 1.Change Order Form 2.Identify the Change 3.Impact Analysis 4.Cost Estimate 5.Schedule Adjustment 6.Document Everything 7.Approvals 8.Implementing the Change 9.Ongoing Communication 10.Closeout Documentation 11.Lessons Learned Remember that clear and timely communication is essential for managing construction project changes effectively.

In construction projects there should be -Good communication among stakeholders -Transparency -Skills - Controlling and Monitoring - Priorities for the projects needed to be done first

When tradesmen encounter a significant issue that requires review and approval by affected stakeholders to proceed with construction, it is the dawn of a construction logjam. Tradesmen recognized the need for a tool to maintain momentum, avoid extra labor cost, cost overruns, and possible lawsuits, designed an app for phones to quickly take a picture with written concerns requesting stakeholders’ directives & signed approval and send it off with a simple tap on send. Data captured by the app including directives taken by stakeholders are then immortalized in a central server for quick reference if needed in the future, reducing the cognitive load of all stakeholders through the efficient collection, preservation, and retrieval of data.

This step is crucial in determining who is financially responsible for a change. There are many variables that go into identifying responsibility but generally will fall into one of three categories: 1. Unforeseen Conditions: this generally is involved in renovations or tenant improvements that involve demolition. Until we develop x-ray glasses this will continue to occur. :) 2. Change for Convenience: This could be for the benefit of the contractor or owner. 3. Design Issue: these are generally viewed as issues that could have and should have been contemplated during the design phase. Of course, there are other causes of changes in orders but these are the ones that I have experienced most in my career.

This step generally takes an all-hands-on-deck approach. The design team will develop a plan on paper on addressing the change and the contractor will take that plan and first determine if it is possible and cost-effective. In the event that it is not, they will provide their suggestions, based on the physical world, and work with the design team on a feasible solution. This entire process should be documented step-by-step to ensure all avenues of possibilities have been researched, and also provide a clear "visual roadmap" for the project stakeholders that explain to them the reasons behind the change.

We provided feed back for the changes needed and provided documentation on how those changes would improve the delivered product and jobsite procedures. This included some in depth lab work and the creation of tools our production team could use to facilitate the use of admixtures to improve concrete longevity.

Changes in construction project cannot be ruled out. For change in construction project, it often starts with site queries; when site queries' are generated it allows for documentation; some of these queries can result to significant design changes, hence and MOC (Management of Change) is needed which in turn gives room for documentation of changes. These two Site queries and MOC are very important tool that helps in evaluating, tracking and avenue for updates as progress is being made in projects.

In my career its always nice to be in budget ,but when the stamp of change by the owners and in some cases are ridiculous . You then say if that is what you want here are the estimated costs and charge the extra over to the original cost.

Receiving this Team "buy-in" for the change is a critical step to moving forward with a united front. Without it there could be a waste of time when presenting the "official" change order for execution and risks going back to refine the change order.

Some changes were implemented immediately since they fell within the current specification guidelines, the rest needed to get formal approval from the engineer. Once approved, we continue to monitor.

Our changes are in a state of continued evaluation and are adapted as needed to the changing conditions. The approval to make these changes has been secured and the project is moving along much smoother.

THE KEY The building construction industry is likened to the lumber industry during the eighteen hundreds. Like logjams on the rivers which caused tremendous damage to the industry stakeholders, the natural environment, and river property owners, stakeholders in the construction of buildings suffer through similar fates when there are project logjams which is a common occurrence. Seasoned lumberjacks knew that removing a couple of THE KEY logs in the early stages of a logjam would quickly unlock the logjam reducing the logjam effect. The question is, who has THE KEY for unlocking logjams in construction to avoid the loss of momentum and employee morale along with increases in labor costs, overall project costs, and potential lawsuits?

THE KEY The building construction industry is likened to the lumber industry during the eighteen hundreds. Like logjams on the rivers which caused tremendous damage to the industry stakeholders, the natural environment, and river property owners, stakeholders in the construction of buildings suffer through similar fates when there are project logjams which are a common occurrence. Seasoned lumberjacks knew that removing a couple of THE KEY logs in the early stages of a logjam would quickly unlock the logjam reducing the logjam effect. The question is, who has THE KEY for unlocking logjams in construction to avoid the loss of momentum and employee morale along with increases in labor costs, overall project costs, and potential lawsuits?

Following "Management of Change" process is the key for any changes during lifecycle of the project. Well structured MOC process not only minimize the risk but also helps multidimensional evaluation while decision making and also to keep the track of records for each and every pieces of changes considering the fact even one small change may lead to changes in multiple engineering deliverables and sometime re-HAZOP might be also needed for respective process stream/node. Usually changes during construction phase follows the "Field Change Notification" process which then further goes through all respective affected disciplines for review & evaluation such as Engineering, HSE / Fire, Operations / Maintenance team etc.