Change management process in the construction industry is normal. Learn more about the process and how it takes place in the industry.
Change is natural and it is inevitable. You would be surprised to see a sector where change never takes place. And unfortunately, if there exists any sector, it would almost be dead. Because change is a natural process and it needs to happen. However, it is most prominently visible in the construction sector.
The catch point is how the construction sector is going to handle the change. The key purpose of change management process in the construction sector is to ensure that proper and concise communication is passed between multiple parties involved and the air is cleared about the same. When we say information, it can be about any variations from the already accepted specifications, any impact on the already agreed-upon timeline, and what the cost will be for any of the changes that need to be made.
How does change management take place in the construction sector?
There are three steps involved in the process of change management in the construction sector, and they are very simple.
- Requesting the change
- Evaluation of time and costs for the changes
- Implementation of these changes
Whenever a change happens, the management process needs to be legally binding and it would ensure to override an existing contract so that no confusions occur. Usually, construction organizations develop a form with all the required relevant information for any change request.
The information needs to be in this format:
- The name of the person making the request and their current title
- The reasoning behind the request and why it is needed
- The functions that will be required to make the change
- All the implications from making the change
- The names of the people who are responsible for making the change
- The people who will test and accept the changes
So what is the next step?
When you have the information written, it needs to send to the person who is authorized to review it. Maybe the change will get approved, denied, or will be sent back for additional changes. This depends upon the authorized person and the need for change in the organization.
The change is usually accepted because this would be for the benefit of the organization and its business.
The person reviewing the change request will also perform the following:
- Calculates the resources that are required for the change
- Determine the time allocation for the change
- Determine the costs that will be associated with the implementation of the change
While approving the changes, it is normal for the reviewer to ask questions that would be raised while returning the change form. And the relevant communication regarding the same would be kept back in the same form along with a tracking number.
What is the next process?
Once the authorized person approves a change, it is added to a prioritized list of changes, which is part of the construction change management process.
And as the outcome, it is entrusted to a team or a single member who has to accomplish it within the fixed period. And once it is done, the change becomes a part of the process.
Change management in the construction industry is easier these days as the program will alert everyone when a response has been received for a change request or when one has not been responded to yet. Also, it is easier to keep a track of the changes with the latest technology. This saves you from keeping a paper note of everything.
The change management process in the construction industry is much easier and efficient these days and it also helps construction firms to bring in better outputs with regular updates.