Construction Project Meetings - Part 1 Be prepared

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​Most projects have weekly or biweekly meetings with the client or their representatives. If the client has not scheduled meetings, it’s good practice to request them. Minutes of meetings should be circulated to all attendees
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Client meetings are often run to an agenda prepared by the client. The contractor should be free to add agenda items which they believe are relevant to managing the project successfully.

Preparation for construction project meetings

Project Managers often go into meetings ill prepared and without information previously requested, resulting in items remaining on the minutes week-after-week. This reflects poorly on the contractor, and the Project Manager, because these minutes are usually circulated within the client and managing contractor’s organisations and are often read by senior people within these organisations. Items which aren’t closed out tend to irritate the client and managing contractor, giving the appearance that the contractor is ignoring them, and administrating the contract unprofessionally.

The day before the meeting:

• Read the minutes again
• Ensure you have answers and information for questions raised in the previous meeting
•  Make notes of necessary corrections to the minutes
•   Make note of new items that require discussion at the next meeting such as:

                o   outstanding drawings or information
                o   client delays
                o   correspondence not replied to
                o   overdue payments
                o   any new or potential problems 

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​Site meetings are often ideal places to resolve issues or bring them to a head.
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​This article is an extract from the author's book 'Successful Construction Project Management: The Practical Guide' which is packed with construction project management tips and advice.

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Do you want to learn how to manage construction projects successfully?

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​Paul Netscher has written several easy to read books for owners, contractors, construction managers, construction supervisors and foremen. They cover all aspects of construction management and are filled with tips and insights.
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The books are available in paper and ebook from most online stores including Amazon.

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