Something about my favorite Bowie song and his passing always makes me think about the nature of design and construction. I’ve never seen a project get fully built precisely according to the drawings.
Changes are simply part of the project, but when ill-
conceived are disasterous:
The most common changes happen because of :
a change of heart, such as ” we just don’t like the stone veneer and want to change it to brick”.
a change of need, ” our office is going to need an extra 2 exam rooms due to the additional patients we’ve taken on”.
a change of budget, “capitol spending this year has been cut 20% and our ability to fund the additional parking lot”
a change of regulations, “Did you hear, they just created a moratorium on house teardowns?”
Or a combination of changes…”how are we going to pay for the additional bedroom when I just got laid off?
When changes occur it’s best to tell everyone concerned as soon as possible to minimize costs, annoyance, delays, and convey the notification simultanelously.
Talk about the issues with an open mind, discuss the consequences, give everyone a moment to digest and respond-snap judgements though attractive, are seldom the way to go-since so many factors can be overlooked and then come back to haunt the quick-trigger-a-hole that pretends to lead from a position of authority.
Get all the facts possible-establish a deadline for action , consider all the alternatives, reflect , evaluate, analyze but don;t overthink and create a new issue. A good decision in a timely manner is better than a perfect decision weeks later.
And for those procrastinators consider this chart below:
