How to avoid giving bad projects as presents

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Will your customer be satisfied with their project?
Children in many parts of the world will be getting excited that Christmas is near. Time to receive presents. I’m sure we all remember receiving presents as kids – whether for Christmas, a birthday or another holiday occasion. There’s always the anticipation of what we’ll get, and the excitement of unwrapping the present. Some adults still get excited at the thought of receiving a present. Tearing open the paper to see what we got. But all too often disappointment follows! It’s not that new train set or computer – just some boring socks, or maybe another multi-hued tie? Or, if it is a new computer, it isn’t the model we wanted? Then there are the presents that don’t fit, those that break after the first few uses. Some gadgets and toys require loads of batteries and they are more expensive to run than they were to purchase. Sometimes even when we get the present we were hoping for we become bored with it and it eventually lies forgotten at the back of the cupboard or ends up on the trash pile.

How often are we disappointed when we open our presents?

When your customer receives their completed project they’ll be just as excited. Will that excitement be followed by disappointment, just the same as that little child who didn’t receive the present they were really hoping for?

What will your customer receive when they get their completed project?
It’s important that our customers are happy with their project. Disappointment will linger long after the customer moves in – sometimes even for the life of the project. It’s often the contractor that will be blamed for this disappointment. This disappointment may lead to the customer withholding money, calling the contractor back to rectify defects and problems and the customer not using the contractor on their future projects. In some cases the customer may even institute legal action against the contractor, and of course, in almost all cases the customer will harm the contractor’s reputation by telling everyone how disappointed they were with their project and the contractor.

So what will your customer receive?

1. Will they get a quality product? Customers expect they’ll receive a quality product that will be free from defects and will comply with all the specifications and standards. Moreover, they’ll expect a product that looks good. Contractors need to ensure that they implement quality controls and employ people with the requisite skills to deliver what their customer is expecting.
2. Will they receive value for money? This is complicated, and customers have differing expectations of what’s value for money. It’s important to understand your customer – what is their notion of value for money? In many cases, it’s necessary to explain the cost of processes and materials. Often contractors deliver good value but customers still feel that they have been robbed. Customers want to believe that they’ve been treated fairly, that they’ve received a good deal or a bargain price.
3. Will they be hit with additional construction costs in the form of claims and variations? Sometimes contractors submit variations claims at the end of the project and customers receive an unpleasant surprise when the project costs more than they were expecting. It’s important that the contractor works with the customer to minimise extra costs and continually communicates with their customer so there aren’t any unexpected surprises at the end of the project. Inevitably there will almost always be extra costs, but a good contractor will manage the variation claim process in such a way that their customer will understand these extra costs and pay them with minimal fuss.
4. Will the project be completed on time? You don’t want your customer to be like the little child that didn’t get their present at Christmas. You don’t want to be that Christmas Grinch who took Christmas away! Picture the disappointment when there’s no present on the designated day. Make sure your customer receives their project by the contractual completion date. If there are delays communicate with the customer so they aren’t surprised when the project is finished late. Work with your customer to minimise delays. Ensure that the customer understands how their actions can delay the project.
5. Will the contractor still be working on the project completing defects long after the project is handed over? Far too often projects are completed and yet the contractor’s employees remain long afterward attending to defects. The customer wants to be rid of the contractor and able to use their project as they expected and not inconvenienced by construction work, or have sections of the completed project closed to rectify defects and be tripping over construction  tools, equipment, and materials. It’s a bit like receiving a present that’s missing a few parts and can’t be used as expected!
6. Will they have ongoing maintenance costs? Contractors shouldn’t include materials and equipment in the project that could have ongoing maintenance and repair issues – that continually break down. Customers expect to receive a product that will work. No child wants to receive a present that breaks on the first day – picture the disappointment and tears.
7. Will the project perform as expected? A new homeowner expects to turn the heater on and have a warm home in winter, they expect to turn the air-conditioner on in summer and have a cool house. The owner of a new process facility expects the facility to deliver a quality end product in the quantities that the facility was designed to deliver. Anything less will be a disappointment. Where contractors have a hand in designing and specifying products they should ensure these will deliver what the customer is expecting. A failure of even a small portion of the project will lead to disappointment.
8. Will they be proud to own the project?                           .....Continue Reading......​

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