Project Communication

One of the most important factors in ensuring that a project runs smoothly and accurately is effective communication. As an architect, whether the project architect, project manager, or another supporting role within an architecture firm, it is vital from the very beginning that along with establishing a positive and professional relationship with the owner, a straightforward approach to communicating ideas back and forth to all major parties (owner and contractor) is also established.

The best way to begin work on a project is to initiate an effective dialogue. This can be done informally, either with a phone call or a brief meeting. The key is to build an avenue of trust between the architect team and the owner. Once there is a foundation of mutual trust, the architect team should assign a central person to be the communications contact on behalf of the team. This person, usually the project architect, will be the individual who communicates with the owner on a day-to-day basis. Placing a single person in charge of the communication (updates, feedback, and announcements) between stakeholders helps to avoid misinformation and possible delays in scheduling.

MEETINGS

Meetings are a major component of communication for any project. This is where information is shared, ideas are exchanged, possible issues are brought to light, and important decisions are made. An initial meeting should be held to introduce the project team, determine a set of rules for communication, and explain the overall administrative process. Usually, one meeting will suffice, but for larger, more detailed projects, sometimes more than one introductory meeting may be required.

As a project continues, meetings will be scheduled based on what best suits the project. For smaller Design-Negotiate-Build or Owner-Build projects, the project architect may schedule meetings as needed, and the only people in attendance may be the owner, architect, and contractor. For a larger, publicly funded project that uses Design-Bid-Build, the project manager should set up regularly scheduled meetings to ensure that the people who should be in attendance are present. In this type of project, the owner, architect, consultants, contractor, subcontractors, and material suppliers may all need to be in attendance. For a Design-Build project, meetings may only need to be scheduled by the design-builder periodically, and the owner, design-builder, architect, consultants, subcontractors, and suppliers should be present.

Once construction has begun, meetings usually take place at or near the project site. Depending on the size and type of project, meeting rooms can range from formal conference rooms, to smaller venues such as a trailer on site.

It is not required that every project participant attend every meeting. To guarantee that meetings are as productive as possible, they can be broken down into various types so that the focus for each is on a particular aspect of the project. Sometimes a meeting management plan is put into place to better define who is expected to attend a meeting and what will be discussed. This plan separates meetings into sessions to ensure each aspect is addressed appropriately. Meeting management plans are organized as such: executive sessions, project design meetings, general project meetings, coordination sessions, and redline work sessions.

Executive Sessions - When decisions need to be made about the direction of a project, only key participants should be in attendance. These sessions usually include the project architect, owner, and other primary project members in order to determine who will make decisions about aesthetics, scope, cost, and schedule.

Project Design Meetings - When designs are presented for discussion and approval, it may be more effective to have only the owner and the project architect present. Owners are usually more engaged in meetings with fewer professionals present. Often, many people with expertise want to have their input heard. For this reason, these types of meetings tend to run more smoothly with fewer people.

General Project Meetings - During this type of meeting, design, scope, cost, and schedule are discussed at length with most or all of the project team members. In order for the meeting to be productive, an agenda should be accurately prepared so that participants can stay on track and not run over the allotted time. This means, the agenda should be broken down into timed segments in which certain topics will be discussed. Before the meetings, select attendees should be appointed to record the details of issues for discussion in coordination sessions should they arise.

Coordination Sessions - These meetings, also called consultant work sessions, are held so that issues related to building systems and other aspects of a project may be addressed and resolved. Depending on how comfortable the owner is with long, detailed meetings, or how actively involved in the project in general, the owner may choose whether to attend.

Redline Work Sessions - These are the most intricate of the project meetings. The arrangement and coordination of building elements are discussed in detail. When topics are focused and only a few participants are present, these sessions tend to be the most successful. Typically, the only items on the agenda are the drawings and specifications.

Although it helps to have an organized system implemented when a meeting is in progress, it is also important to chronicle what is discussed for documentation purposes or future use after a meeting has concluded. For this reason, meeting reports, or minutes, are compiled so there is a record of the general discussion, decisions, directions, and possible assignments given to various people during the course of a meeting. They include the date, time, location, and weather conditions at the time of the meeting; a list of attendees, their company names, phones numbers, fax numbers, and e-mails if applicable; late arrivals and early departures; subjects discussed; and decisions reached. The project manager is responsible for distributing the reports, but another primary attendee should be assigned to record the minutes while the meeting is in session. A copy of the agenda, meeting handouts, drawings, and sketches should also be attached to the published reports. Meeting reports should be published as soon as possible so as to keep to the project schedule; they can easily be distributed via e-mail.

MEETING REPORTS

There are two types of meeting reports: narrative meeting reports and action-item meeting reports. It doesn’t matter if the project manager handwrites or types the reports, but many project architects prefer typed copies. It is important, however, that all parties have access to the reports and understand all of the information provided. Both styles are effective, but depending on the project and/or the project manager, one might be chosen over the other in order to meet particular requirements.

Narrative Meeting Report - This report functions as a straightforward narrative, or history, of the meeting. This style is often less intimidating for owners and can help provide encouragement so that they can make more timely decisions. Because the design and construction documentation phases tend to be less clear than the construction phase regarding who is responsible for what, this style of report is easy to follow and understand.

Action-Item Meeting Report - This report consists of a list of numbered items. Each item has the date and time specific to the meeting in which it was discussed. Then, the item is assigned to the project member (architect, contractor, owner) best suited to take responsibility for it, and it remains on the list until it is addressed and resolved. The items should each be given a due date so that team members are provided with a constant reminder to attend to the topic assigned.

DOCUMENTING CORRESPONDENCE

Aside from meetings, there are other forms of correspondence that need to be documented during a project, such as: memoranda, conversations, e-mails, and the use of a personal journal.

Memoranda - A memorandum further explains an assignment given to a team member who has agreed to take responsibility for it. An abbreviated description of the assignment recorded in a meeting report is often attached so that all documentation is uniform and accurate. To ensure the schedule isn’t held up, memoranda are often sent by e-mail. As long as all identifying information is stated on a memorandum, e-mail is a sufficient means by which to deliver it.

Conversations - Conversations take place consistently during a project, whether in a meeting where everyone is present, a meeting where there are only some parties present, over the phone, or on site. It isn’t necessary for the project manager to have a record of every conversation that occurs, but it is vital to the project that any conversation that may affect the project (change, correction, addition, etc.) should be documented. The project manager should have a record of who made the decision, the new direction the project may be going in, and when and where this change took place in formal documentation.

E-mails - E-mail is a quick and efficient way for project participants to communicate information. It is immediate, it doesn’t require direct interaction, and it can be prepared and sent at any time. Although this form of communication has real benefits, it also has a downside. With the implementation of e-mail, less face-to-face interaction is required, and if a client and an architect are working together for the first time, the content of this correspondence runs the risk of being misinterpreted. Even those architects who work with clients on more than one project may still run into this problem. It is important to keep this in mind when sending e-mail and if possible, schedule periodic phone conversations to maintain verbal communication.

Personal Journal - The project manager keeps a personal journal during the project that often contains very useful information regarding meetings, conversations, casual notes, drawings, sketches, etc. This item is useful to the project manager because it is an informal way to document day-to-day information. It can also be used for more formal documentation purposes, such as recalling the date and time of a project change. As participants become used to seeing the project manager with the journal, they may come to call it the project record.

CONCLUSION

In order for any project to be successful, efficient communication is required from the very beginning through to its completion. Maintaining effective correspondence builds and sustains positive relationships among stakeholders and helps to ensure a project will stay on schedule, which in turn keeps cost down. After the architect team chooses a contact person (typically the project architect), it is up to that person to keep the lines of communication open and easily accessed.