Leading a crew through a hard week
Keep a construction crew focused and safe through a high-pressure week with an honest Monday briefing, three priorities, planned long days and recognition.
Leadership, handover, closeout and continuous improvement
Finishing a project well is its own skill, and so is building a team that finishes the next one better. These lessons cover leadership on site, the last month of a job and what happens after handover.
Delegating to a new assistant superintendent
Hand a new assistant superintendent a defined area with clear authority, a shown standard and check-ins that shrink as they prove it is under control.
Closeout without chaos: the last month
Plan the last month of a construction job around closeout documents, inspections, training and payment conditions, with an owner and a date on every item.
Operations and maintenance manuals the owner will actually use
Assemble operations and maintenance manuals by system, with the right documents for each, a clear index and a draft the facility staff test before handover.
As-built records: keeping them current during the job
Mark changes on the as-built drawings as they happen, so buried services, reroutes and RFI answers are still accurate when the building is handed over.
Handover day: walking the owner through the building
Plan a building handover walk that transfers keys, systems, training and open items to the owner, and ends with a record both sides sign and keep.
Warranty calls: logging, responding and closing them
Log every warranty call, check coverage against the contract and product warranties, send the right trade, and close each call with a record of the repair.
Project records: what to keep after closeout, and for how long
Decide which project records to keep after closeout, and for how long, from your contracts, the tax authority's rules and your accountant's and lawyer's advice.
The post-project review: turning one job into a better next one
Run a post-project review that compares plan with outcome on cost, time, quality and the client, and ends with named changes for the next job.
Mentoring the next superintendent
Mentor a future superintendent with a year-long plan of experiences, a weekly conversation and responsibility that grows as they show they are ready.
