A White Paper by Milender White Relationships, Expectations

and TrustThe Core of Successful Construction Projects

MW White Paper September 2020

At Milender White, we pride ourselves on the fact that a large portion of our yearly volume is with repeat customers. In 23+ years as a Colorado and Southern California General Contractor, we are always excited to see projects with familiar clients.

This is not always the case, however, and many projects we see are with completely new clients, and a long-term relationship has yet to be devel-oped. Thus, it makes sense to take a moment to outline the importance of relationship building, setting expectations and building trust. After all, these are the primary vehicles used to navigate moments of adversity during our projects.

Relationships

We all have people in our lives, both personal and professional, with whom we feel comfort-able enough to share our most challenging moments. In an ideal world, the General Con-tractor / Project Owner or Developer should be no different. After all, both are working together, taking a large amount of risk and investing a large amount of human and monetary capital to see a project from concept to completion. The relationship supporting this endeavor is the key

factor to the success of the project. A strong re-lationship is one that can overcome challenges, has an open dialogue, and looks for solutions…rather than for blame.

Relationships can be inherited but are not au-tomatic. Construction and Development is very much a human issue and it takes time to forge a bond between entities or firms.

This bond is made up of a few critical parts, as follows:

Building relationships with MWBE trade partners (Feb 2020)

Expectations

At Milender White, we believe all parties have good intentions. However, if expectations are not defined at the outset of a relationship, they will NOT be met. It is at these moments that the opportunity for project success begins to be compromised. It is important to take the time at the early outset of team engagement and talk about expectations with all project stakeholders. These expectations can (or should) include:

Communication Strategies and GuidelinesIt should be made clear by all parties that with-holding communication(s) for fear of repercus-sion or other reasons is discouraged. Rather, all parties should stress the importance of concise and timely communication regardless of its nature or potential impact. This communication expectation should extend across all levels and all disciplines of the project including but not limited to:

• Safety risks or incidents occurred and the measures taken to avoid

• Implementation of quality plans and account-ability to meet them

• Changes to project design and the relating impact (positive or negative) to the project

• Overall budget status including buyout strat-egies, gains and losses, contingency uses and forecasting

• AHJ Inspection needs and/or issues• Completion plan

Relationships built on trust lead to meaningful moments (Rose Andom Center ribbon-cutting)

MW White Paper September 2020

Attitude Communication strategies can be highly affected by the overall attitude of all project team mem-bers. Attitude can change the way any piece of information is given, received or even if it is transmitted at all. A positive or negative atti-tude can be infectious. Despite the occasionally overwhelming challenge to see through project adversity, all parties should bring an attitude that reinforces teamwork, a willingness to engage and understand issues and a commitment to handle oneself in a way that promotes problem solving. Essentially, projects are difficult enough without having to deal with an unhealthy attitude from a team member.

RespectRegardless of one’s level on a project, no one deserves to be treated with disrespect. As a project team, we must all understand that a disrespectful workplace is a toxic workplace. Regardless of the challenge, all team members

should take an oath to respect everyone on a human level.

Respect not only extends from one team member to another but also to situations. For example, the General Contractor must absolutely respect the fact that the project owner has strict needs for adherence to project budget and project schedule. All parties must respect the fact that changes to a project’s budget or schedule impact overall project success. Likewise, the owner must respect that the General Contractor and its team has a tremendous task in front of them, and it will be littered with challenges and ad-versity. Having respect for each other and these varying situations will provide a foundation for navigating through the project in a way we can all be proud of.

MW White Paper September 2020

Trust

Trust is the last building block of a project partnership. Without it, expectations cannot be set or met, and relationships cannot be forged or solidified. During preconstruction, the contractor is often asked to forecast and predict costs in both the present and future. This often requires a substantial amount of creativity and foresight in the context of limited critical project informa-tion. Milender White prides itself on being very accurate in its estimating abilities, and we strive to continually trend project costs throughout preconstruction and even into construction. At times unexpected costs can arise. While no one likes the idea of reporting or receiving impactful changes to a project budget, the challenge we face is to report these changes effectively, time-ly, and precisely as we work towards a solution to mitigate.

During Construction, the project team must have a level of trust that all project team members have the same goals in mind….to complete the project with the highest level of quality, with strict adherence to the project budget and schedule, and in a manner that we can all be proud of for years to come. Adversity will pres-ent itself in many ways, but a high level of trust among the team members will provide a stronger opportunity to navigate through the project.

In conclusion, establishing relationships, meet-ing expectations and developing trust are the primary vehicles to navigate successfully through a project. If these key building blocks are set at the highest priority from the very beginning, there isn’t a problem that cannot be overcome.

Conclusion

in

LOS ANGELES950 E. Third Street, Gallery 1ALos Angeles, CA 90013P: 949.724.9531

ORANGE COUNTY 1401 Dove Street, Suite 410Newport Beach, CA 92660P: 949.724.9531

CORPORATE OFFICE12655 W. 54th DriveArvada, CO 80002P: 303.216.0420

Visit MilenderWhite.com for more projects & info

MW White Paper September 2020