Dealing with a flood of change orders from a client. Are you ready to navigate the storm?

Las órdenes de cambio deben de ser gestionadas de una manera ágil y expedita con cada uno de los interesados, ya que impacta de sobre manera el alcance, el costo, la programación y puede tener un impacto significativo en la calidad, ya que muchas de las órdenes de cambio al no ser parte de un presupuesto, para cubrir ese coste se cae en el grave error de sacrificar calidad.

It is of paramount importance to comprehend the ramifications of change orders on a construction project, as they can influence the scope, budget, and schedule. It is of the utmost importance to meticulously evaluate the impact of change orders, conduct a cost reassessment, implement changes in a structured manner, and delineate the anticipated consequences. To effectively manage change orders, it is imperative to prioritize, engage in negotiations with the customer, and maintain composure while maintaining open communication at all times. Comprehensive documentation of each change, a comprehensive analysis of its impact on the project, and the formulation of decisions based on this analysis are equally crucial.

When faced with a flood of change orders from a client, it's crucial to assess their impact comprehensively. Each change order can significantly affect the project's scope, budget, and timeline. As a construction manager, analyze these variables to understand how the changes will alter the original plan. This involves revisiting your project's critical path, recalculating costs, and communicating with your team about potential shifts in responsibilities. Think of it as piecing together a new puzzle, where every change is a piece that must fit seamlessly into the overall project without causing disruptions.

La gestión de órdenes de cambio en el contexto actual "BANI" (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) refleja la naturaleza volátil, incierta, compleja y ambigua de los entornos modernos, especialmente en proyectos y organizaciones. Adoptar un enfoque integral y dinámico permite mantener la agilidad del equipo y la coherencia del proyecto, asegurando una respuesta efectiva a la volatilidad e incertidumbre del entorno. La capacidad de adaptarse rápidamente a los cambios es una ventaja competitiva crucial que toda organización debe tener en cuenta.

Clear communication is paramount when navigating a flood of change orders from a client. It's crucial to maintain open channels with your client to fully grasp their needs and expectations. Discuss each change order thoroughly, outlining its implications for the project scope, schedule, and budget. Simultaneously, communicate effectively with your team to ensure they are informed about the changes and understand their roles in implementing them. This collaborative approach not only prevents misunderstandings but also keeps everyone aligned with the project's evolving objectives. Regular updates and transparent dialogue are key to managing change orders smoothly amidst project complexities.

Clear communication with clients also means understanding their knowledge base and adjusting our terminology to suit their understanding and experience in construction.

Uma comunicação clara beneficia a construção de um ambulatório médico ao estabelecer expectativas precisas e reduzir erros. Utilize plataformas de colaboração em tempo real, como o Microsoft Teams, para manter todos atualizados. Realize reuniões diárias rápidas para alinhar atividades e resolver problemas imediatamente. Envie resumos semanais por e-mail destacando decisões e progressos. Estas soluções práticas garantem que todas as partes interessadas estejam informadas e sincronizadas, minimizando mal-entendidos e aumentando a eficiência do projeto.

To optimize the point of communication, I consider it essential to have a format where the impact on budget and time is summarized. This is so that each party is aware of the variables that condition their workflow. Para optimizar el punto de la comunicación, considero que es esencial tener un formato con folio donde resuma el impacto en presupuesto y tiempo. Esto con el fin que cada parte esté al tanto de las variables que condicionan su flujo de trabajo.

Keeping all lines of communication open and being there for your team to help navigate the stressful flood of change orders is crucial to minimize stress and minimize the impact.

Any document helps well in making a chronology of event as it contains a set of small events that happened sequentially and the good documentation helps to keep the merit of the delay .. any document that anyone sees it as its not important keep it and one day you will find it its really important and that doesn't happen unless i have a good documentation

Follow up every negotiation and conversation with written documentation. It helps concrete the agreements, confirm everyone heard the same information and is you lifeline should you unfortunately end up n a legal battle later in the project.

Para documentar tudo de forma eficaz na construção de um ambulatório médico, utilize softwares como Microsoft OneNote para notas detalhadas, SharePoint para armazenamento centralizado de documentos e Asana para rastreamento de tarefas e cronogramas. Integre Autodesk BIM 360 para gerenciar desenhos e modelos em 3D, garantindo que todas as especificações estejam atualizadas. Essas ferramentas permitem uma documentação completa, acessível e compartilhável, garantindo que todas as partes interessadas tenham acesso às informações necessárias em tempo real, aumentando a transparência e a eficiência do projeto.

Uma comunicação clara beneficia a construção de um ambulatório médico ao estabelecer expectativas precisas e reduzir erros. Utilize plataformas de colaboração em tempo real, como o Microsoft Teams, para manter todos atualizados. Realize reuniões diárias rápidas para alinhar atividades e resolver problemas imediatamente. Envie resumos semanais por e-mail destacando decisões e progressos. Estas soluções práticas garantem que todas as partes interessadas estejam informadas e sincronizadas, minimizando mal-entendidos e aumentando a eficiência do projeto.

DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT. The most important part of construction paperwork is documentation of what has happened, what issues have been resolved, how they were resolved and what the cost was. Without proper documentation you will end up with major problems.

Contractual agreements are limited by their text, not a party's assumptions. Definitions and processes for everything from scope of work to remediation of tort and breaches is essential. In construction, scope expansion can contribute to a legal argument in favor of change orders. Therefore, once terms are agreed upon, operational risk can then be appreciated during the planning phase of a project. If excessive risk is identified in one area of a construction project, conduct more research and planning to minimize the surprise of change orders.

Negotiating terms effectively is crucial when dealing with a deluge of change orders. You must navigate discussions to achieve terms that are equitable and feasible for both your team and the client. This could involve renegotiating deadlines, costs, or even the scope of work to align with the new requirements. The objective is to secure an agreement that ensures the project's successful completion while maintaining quality and financial stability. Approach negotiations as an opportunity to find common ground amidst challenging circumstances, akin to seeking refuge in turbulent waters.

Negotiating with the client is crucial when their demands affect the project timeline. Approach these discussions focusing on finding a compromise that satisfies the client's needs while maintaining the project's integrity. Be prepared to suggest alternative solutions or scope adjustments to keep the project on track. In these situations, both parties may need to make sacrifices - that's the commercial reality. If future projects are lined up, it's often beneficial to accept some losses on both sides and move forward. Remember, a small concession now can result in greater gains in the future, especially if it maintains a positive working relationship with the client.

In the context of a multitude of change requests, it is of paramount importance to reach fair and workable agreements when negotiating timelines, costs, and scope. This is essential for the successful completion of the project. It is of the utmost importance to maintain clear communication with the client and to manage changes in a documented manner. Evaluating the impact of each modification, presenting alternatives, and negotiating to reduce scope are key steps in this process. It is of the utmost importance to include clauses in the contract that address excessive change requests and encourage team collaboration to prevent frequent problems.

Be fair with your negotiations and remember, not doing this properly and fairly could end up in a loss of a client and a tarnished reputation.

Em qualquer processo de projeto e obra, temos desafios que podem impactar em prazo e custos. Manter-se flexivel não significa deixar de seguir cronograma, perder prazos e elevar custos. Estar atento para algumas necessidades que surgem, buscando soluções ao longo do processo de forma a gerenciar as adequações necessárias, de forma ágil e colaborativa com toda a equipe envolvida. Isso evita frustrações e ajuda a evitar o stress.

Staying flexible is essential for navigating through the shifting tides of a construction project inundated with change orders. When faced with a flood of alterations, it's crucial to be adaptable in your plans and processes. This could involve reallocating resources, adjusting schedules, or implementing new approaches to accommodate the changes effectively. Flexibility enables you to respond promptly to evolving requirements, mitigate disruptions, and maintain momentum towards project completion. It's akin to adjusting the sails to steer through uncertain waters with agility and resilience.

Amidst a flood of change orders, maintaining flexibility is key to navigating the evolving landscape of a construction project. This involves adapting plans and processes, such as reallocating resources, adjusting schedules, or implementing new methodologies as needed. By staying flexible, you can promptly and efficiently respond to changes, thereby minimizing disruptions and ensuring continuous project momentum.

To be flexible in every situation specially in a critical project, is very important. It only means that you are prepared and ready for this kind of case or situation. But bear in mind that being flexible is not that mean that you will absorb all the burden and weights. It should be clearly indicated always in the approved contract or documents like understanding the impact.

Mantenerse flexible es importante, siempre y cuando no afecte al cronograma y costos de la empresa, ya que pasa que algunos clientes piden favores que resultan en gastos no presupuestados a la empresa. Por eso es muy importante tener todo documentado.

Manter-se flexível é essencial para navegar pelas marés inconstantes de um projeto de construção inundado com pedidos de alteração. Diante de uma enxurrada de alterações, é fundamental ser adaptável em seus planos e processos. Isto poderia envolver a realocação de recursos, o ajuste de cronogramas ou a implementação de novas abordagens para acomodar as mudanças de forma eficaz. A flexibilidade permite que você responda prontamente aos requisitos em evolução, mitigue interrupções e mantenha o ritmo rumo à conclusão do projeto. É como ajustar as velas para navegar em águas incertas com agilidade e resiliência

Trabalhei em uma obra onde realizamos mais de uma centena de mudanças. Do estrutural à iluminação, tudo foi modificado. Nessas horas, você precisa ter um relacionamento muito transparente com a sua equipe para que todos entendam as mudanças e executem os pedidos sem estresse e sem irritação. É extremamente difícil, eu concordo, porque seu cronograma vai por água abaixo. Mas manter-se calmo e manter a calma da equipe são fatores cruciais para alcançar os resultados pretendidos.

One of the best tools that is needed to deactivate stress at the change order peak stage is... resource planning. That is, when deployment is defined, a task force needs to be made available and accounted for that stage. Dedicated extra resources may seem costly when planning but will pay off once this increased and complicated workload hits the project team.

Gerenciar o stress de toda a equipe é fundamental e para tanto achamos necessário o envolvimento de todos nas discussões e nas decisões, de forma a todos entenderem o processo.

El estres es un sentimiento o emoción que los humanos sentimos en muchos ámbitos de la vida, ahora bien, aprender a gestionar nuestras emociones, nos da la capacidad de maniobrar en momentos retadores y sacar el mejor provecho de los obstáculos que se presenten en el camino hacia el cumplimento del objetivo. Aunque suene simple, no lo es, pero este proceso requiere de aprendizaje y práctica.

Dentro del manejo de un proyecto implementando un sistema de gestión integral SGI, es claro que todo cambio del tipo que fuere genera un impacto puede ser negativo o positivo, ineludiblemente en tiempo, en costo y eventualmente en calidad y riesgo, por eso ante los cambios solicitados por el cliente debe documentarse claramente mediante un control de cambio todos los impactos anteriormente mencionados que apliquen al cambio solicitado, haciendo participe al cliente en la parte de aprobación y responsabilidad e inversión.

Apart from change in project cost, construction schedule, scope of work, change order sometime may also require additional manpower as well as deployment of additional construction equipments either to contain the construction schedule in the already envisaged work schedule or any specific work. Therefore, overall implication in cost and project completion time due to change order should be mutually agreed prior to its implementation. Further, sometime it may be more beneficial for the client engaging any other construction agency rather than change order in view of the performance of existing construction agency not being satisfactory.

Embrace the influx of change orders as an opportunity to enhance your project's resilience and adaptability. Foster a culture where changes and errors are seen as learning experiences rather than setbacks. Encourage your team to view each change as a chance to innovate and improve processes, ensuring future projects benefit from the lessons learned. By integrating this mindset, you create an environment where flexibility and continuous improvement are valued, making it easier to navigate the inevitable changes that come with any project.

Excessive changes to the project does not reflect clear and comprehensive scope of work and execution plan on the part of the client. Contractor must call the attention of the client and must jointly review again the project objectives and execution strategy. Contractor must present all contractual implications and agree with client to align expectations moving forward.

One of the reasons why change orders are keep on coming and eventually piling is the lack of understanding of the client to what are objectively needed for the project. Objectivity is always the first casualty everytime a new guy from the client's side demands a revision or a sudden change plainly because he/she wants it. I think, it would be better to include such change orders to be tested first on the level of project objectives. Stipulating this in the contract would save everybody's time and resources.