“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth

The perception of coordinating trades on site

Coordinating trades on site can often be seen as a daunting task. It includes managing, working and communicating with various subcontractors, material and equipment suppliers, fabricators, safety supervisors, inspectors and more. Depending on the scope, size and complexity of the project, these individuals and teams can number in the hundreds or sometimes even thousands. Coordinating trades on site permeates every facet of site work, from inductions to housekeeping, from installations right down to parking. Add to this the pressures of making sure everyone is sticking to the schedule and budget while managing relationships and workflows and it’s not hard to see why this can seem overwhelming or intimidating at first.

The risks you can face

A failure to establish and communicate clear and efficient project-wide collaborative practices can be disastrous. This has become increasingly true as project structures have evolved from the more straight-forward to involve integrated structures with complex arrangements.

When coordinating trades on site fails to be properly managed there can be hugely detrimental impacts to both the project and the teams. When clashes arise, it can leave craft workers idle as they wait for the supervisors and managers to work out a solution. For example, has enough clearance been left for mechanical and electrical services? Failing to adequately provide the correct means of access can have a domino effect on slowing and stalling work across trades. 

Talent can be wasted when poor planning leaves skilled workers spending their time on tasks that a less experienced crew could have easily completed. When trades show up at the wrong time or without the right equipment this can force other tasks to be rescheduled with complicated knock-on results. 

Depending on the project type, new build vs fit-out, industrial vs hospitality, different challenges may arise. For example, on a new build pharmaceutical facility, initial start-up and testing cannot begin until permanent power is available to all equipment. Adequate time needs to be allowed for the trades completing this work, between permanent power becoming available and the start of the commissioning and snagging.

These potential problems don’t just affect the bottom line of budget and schedule, they have real impacts on morale, problem solving and cohesion on the site as a whole. As Matthew Woodring Stover once put it “If you take out the team in teamwork, it’s just work. Now who wants that?”

The kick-off of coordinating trades on site

Whether it’s a new build, design and build, or fit-out, whether it’s the pharmaceutical,  industrial, commercial, hospitality or medical sector, there are similar elements to all construction projects. They all involve many interrelated elements and trades integrating  to produce a complex and dynamic structure and then, when the project is finished, they disperse and potentially may never work together again. Ensuring that these “temporary teams” work effectively together requires careful coordination and collaboration.  

Coordinating trades on site begins by knowing what you want and need, learning what other contractors want and need, and integrating both together into the big picture of what the client wants and needs. The best way to clarify all parties’ requirements is to begin with and maintain frank and open discussions. Objectives and goals should be shared and not just owned in silos. 

Some people can look at coordination activities as wasting time in endless meetings or as a process which will veto their individual plans and activities. They may have negative past experiences where these interactions were ineffective, adversarial or fragmented but there are some simple and easy ways to combat this perception. By presenting shared interests over your own “position” it can be easier to navigate towards a “win-win” solution rather than just a “win-lose” one. It’s far more productive to discuss needs and expectations while seeking to understand the same from other contractors than it is to spend your time trying to convince and “one-up” the other party. Firmly establishing this ethos from the outset and throughout will build trust and cooperation based on mutual respect.

Having regular toolbox talks, check-ins and huddles is a great way to get a clear overview of progress in real time and creates a space for communicating and assisting each other proactively rather than reactively. This allows adjustments to be made to workflow making schedules and goals easier for everyone to achieve. 

The game-play  

The ability to coordinate trades on site is especially important when the number of inter-dependencies between tasks increases, posing added complexity. This is when information management, important on every project, becomes paramount. 

Establishing a common data environment (CDE), where information like site inductions, methodologies etc. can be shared between the trades can improve efficiency, avoid duplication and enhance coordination. Depending on the project it may be wise to share a project specific document matrix outlining key project documents and procedures with access details clearly communicated to all relevant trades. 

One of the cornerstones of our housekeeping practice at ADCO, is to lay out and use the site space available to us as effectively and efficiently as possible with clear exclusion zones for the work. We communicate with all trades on site at every stage of the project, listening to their feedback so we can plan and adjust how the flow and floorplan of the space is utilised. This results in reduced handling easing the flow of materials, better control of tools and materials sitewide (including inventory and supplies), and improved productivity.

All trades share a mutual goal of delivering the highest quality project, on time and on budget. It’s just the route to get there that can be different. As project coordinator the most important thing is to facilitate and encourage collaboration and integration while prioritising the most efficient methods and schedules. Sounds simple right? Well as long as your “temporary team” truly feels like a team – it can be!

Keeping in touch

Get in touch today to see how ADCO can help you to achieve your vision.

We provide award-winning clean room, shutdowns, upgrades and fit-out work for the pharmaceutical sector as well as new build, fit-out, project and waste management services for the healthcare, commercial, industrial, hospitality, medical and automotive sectors.