3 reasons Subcontractors love Collaborative Planning.

When we first bring up to benefits of collaborative planning to PMs there is usually a concern that subs will not be interested in this way to plan. They question whether it would make sense with their project teams. There are many reasons why subs should be interested in collaborative project planning. Here are the top three reasons that subcontractors get pumped about planning collaboratively.

• Working together to plan the project saves everybody money. The San Diego Community College District saved $13.6 million on 15 projects between the years 2007-2014. In addition to the financial benefits, the rate of change orders dropped from 7.73% to 4.43% when lean practices were adopted. These savings don’t just benefit the owners, they are passed on down to the subs too.

• Collaborative planning reduces Rework. Not only does collaborative planning reduce the money spent on a project, it also cuts down on the amount of redone work. Work is done at the last appropriate moment. This prevents sub’s work from being ruined as often happens when it is put in too early. The early preparation also keeps employees happy, because you won’t need to send anybody home. When you do this and have a smooth and steady work flow, you will schedule the right number of workers for the day.

• Subcontractors to be their own scheduler. This is one of the best benefits of being a part of the planning process, since most people prefer to dictate their own schedule instead of being told what to do. With collaborative planning subcontractors work together to create the schedule. They are empowered to give realistic work completion estimates based on their experience with their crew.

Change is hard. Convincing people to shift the way they think about construction can be difficult, but with the right information PMs and subcontractors alike get really excited about this change.

 

“…the highest form of efficiency is the spontaneous cooperation of a free people.”

-Woodrow Wilson