There are numerous roadblocks that can slow down or cause headaches during the design/build process. Instead of merely tolerating them, taking the time to streamline these pain points can result in improved efficiency in your operations and a better overall experience for your clients.
While the weather will remain out of your control, other common culprits that cause setbacks can be addressed.
Permitting Delays
Permitting is frequently the first hurdle you’ll face when it comes to schedule delays.
If the design/build project features a structure like pergolas, involves utilities, or is considered a land disturbance, permitting is typically required. A good rule of thumb is to assume everything requires a permit and be pleasantly surprised when it is not necessary.
While before the pandemic a designer could walk a permit in a day, now the minimum wait is three to four days, but in other cases it could take three to four months, depending on the nature of the permit and project.
The best way to expedite the permitting process is to make sure your permit packet is clear, concise and thorough. Even small errors like typos or missing information in a required field can cause an issue. If one of the departments ends up flagging an issue where you must resubmit, every department has to review the permit packet again.
Let your clients know upfront what the typical permitting timelines look like and explain that they can vary depending on the scope and location of the project. If issues crop up, provide updates quickly. Leaving customers in the dark can cause them to believe you’re not following your word.
Poor Project Handoffs
Once the design has been approved and permitted, how well your team passes the baton over to the production department can play a major role in how smoothly the installation phase will go.
These meetings help minimize miscommunication and missed timelines. Being proactive during this part of the process can help ensure key components aren’t overlooked, and the team stays on the same page with project expectations.
While you may have clients eager to break ground, it’s best not to rush this step, as team members need time to ask questions and review ordering and milestone timelines.
One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of a project handoff is addressing risk. Consider elements such as crew safety, the likelihood of property being damaged, water drainage, who to contact in case of a site emergency, and the load and weight of supporting platforms.
Other elements your team should discuss are client requests, access to the job site, material availability and lead times.
To ensure each project handoff is beneficial and there are no oversights, it’s best to have a standardized process. Create a checklist of what should be covered, who needs to attend the handoff meeting and an agenda for the meeting.
Some elements for a project handoff meeting checklist include:
- Designs and design details
- Job planner forms: materials, labor summaries by scope, equipment needs
- Customer feedback form copies of the pre-install checklist (Parking, permissions, preferences, etc.)
- Electronic job profile introduction, including site photos and walk-through videos
- Any permitting and regulation details
- Estimated job hours, quantities and prices of materials
- Plan dimensions and pictures for specific features like outdoor kitchens or water features
It’s recommended to send the agenda out at least three days before the meeting with key topics, so attendees have time to make notes and come prepared with any questions they may have.
Another best practice is to document all the relevant information in a shared folder for each client so team members can deposit and access information as needed.
Subcontractor Scheduling Issues
Another common challenge is aligning your work schedule with that of your subcontractors. While it may be tempting to hire any subcontractor who matches your availability, it’s critical to vet and only hire reputable subcontractors.
Even though they are the ones performing part of the install, if they rush or provide low quality work, this will reflect back poorly on your own company’s reputation. Utilizing contracts can also help mitigate issues with them cutting corners or missing deadlines.
The more frequently you work with your trusted subcontractors, the more likely they will be accommodating to your schedule. Communicate with them early on to gauge their availability versus letting them know at the last minute you have a project for them.
In some cases, it may be better to consider bringing specific trades in-house if you cannot find a reliable subcontractor and are frequently at the mercy of their work schedule.
“If you’re spending half a million dollars subcontracting your deck work to a carpentry crew, you could contemplate bringing that in-house because you can have a good crew set up with a truck and crew leader and laborers,” says Peter Guinane, CEO and co-founder of Oriole Landscaping Ltd., based in Toronto, Canada. “You can have better control over your schedule and have better control over the quality and consistency.”
Supply Chain Shortages
Even though supply chain shortages are nowhere near as bad as they were during the height of the pandemic, it’s still best to have a proactive strategy to avoid being vulnerable to various current events.
Some of the ways you can mitigate issues with material delays or shortages include buying in advance, paying suppliers quickly and sourcing and stocking alternative products. If you have the yard space for it, building up an inventory of some of your most commonly used materials can help.
Diversifying your vendors and seeking those who are local can also ease your dependence on one specific supplier.
Be transparent with your clients about any supply chain issues you’re encountering.
If a certain plant material is unavailable, discuss with the client the reason why and offer alternatives. In some instances, certain companies have opted to install temporary plantings and come back and replace them with their desired plants later.
Frequent Change Orders
The occasional change order typically isn’t a problem, depending on the scale, but if clients are frequently changing the scope of the project, it can bring productivity to a screeching halt.
The first step to minimizing these from occurring is to fine-tune your design process. Collaborate closely with the client to discover all their wants and needs up front and hone the design to their budget constraints from there.
If a client does still end up requesting a change in the middle of a project, have a policy in place for how you’ll handle these and whether you will charge them for these adjustments.
Stopping work until the client has signed off on the new estimate is one way to ensure they understand their request has costs associated with it. This may prompt them to continue with the original project or to confirm their desire for the added feature.
In some cases, if a change order will affect the completion of projects already on the schedule, the new request may need to be scheduled for a future date, especially if you already have a significant backlog.
Postponed Final Payment
When you’ve completed a successful design/build project, you naturally want to close the book on it and collect your final payment, but some customers can withhold this, claiming they aren’t satisfied.
Conducting a punch list process near the end of the project can help alleviate this issue by giving the client a clear time to make their voice heard on anything they still want taken care of.
What you should review during your punch list walkthrough will vary based on your services, but anything that is not meeting the client’s expectations should be addressed while crews are still on site, so you don’t have to redeploy them at a later date.
After resolving these punch list items, the client knows their next step is to pay the final invoice.
While no project will ever be completely free of holdups, many of the most common delays can be reduced or eliminated. With the right systems, communication, and planning in place, you can spend less time reacting to problems and more time delivering a seamless experience for your clients.
