The construction industry tends to be the recipient of much criticism in the public and the press. It’s nothing new; lack of productivity, too many safety issues, behind schedule and over budget. These are all common refrains and many in the industry have grown so accustomed to them that the criticism seems to be falling on deaf ears these days.
If you are in the industry, or connected in any way, you have heard it: there haven’t been any gains in productivity in decades, our safety record is among the worst of all industries, and projects are constantly over budget and behind schedule. We read articles about it that often offer much criticism but no solutions, or they offer complex or even whimsical solutions that often show a real lack of understanding of the industry.
I listen to the criticism, I read about the issues, and I see them in the field. I also see the industry adopting many “modern” solutions to help improve. This ranges from Lean methodology to the adoption of digital workflows. Most are great solutions, and I have helped clients adopt many of these solutions over the years. I talk about them in my courses on LinkedIn Learning. I write about them in posts and articles. And I lecture about them to in-person groups at training sessions and conferences.
