[James Pennock]

By: Richard A. Haughee

In executing projects it is important to determine the scope and then work the scope; no more, no less. A typical cause of cost growth is “scope creep,” which can be defined as the performance of work (tangible deliverable or intangible activities), not required for the safe and complete implementation of the work required to satisfy the project’s objectives. When the team has performed unnecessary work, or has failed to completely perform the work required to meet the project’s objectives, the client is right in saying that the team has failed to “accurately and dependably perform the agreed-upon work.”
Keys to accurate and dependable performance:
1. Listen to what the client is saying and repeat what you are hearing back to the client for verification.
2. Record what the client is saying with clear and concise published meeting notes or conversation records. Meeting notes and conversation records should document the issues discussed, decisions made, and actions to be taken. Action items should be organized and tracked on an Action Item list that is made accessible to team members.
3. Distribute what the client is saying to the team. Meeting notes, conversation records, Action Item lists and other documents should be distributed to the team members. Meeting notes and conversation records should be published within a few days of the meeting or conversation.
4. Verify that the activities being performed and the documents being created are not only technically accurate but are also in alignment with the client’s instructions. This verification process does not occur just prior to being submitted to the client; it begins as soon as inputs are collected to perform the work. The verification process continues as leaders instruct subordinates as they ensure the requirements and expectations are understood by those performing the work. Finely the verification process concludes by checking the work to ensure that it is technically accurate, understandable, and complete.
Everyone must work together to accurately and dependably perform the agreed-upon work. Our corporate quality policy, under the “Customer Satisfaction” heading, says that we “will work diligently with our clients to define, understand, and align with their requirements and expectation.” The quality policy continues under the “High Quality Deliverables” heading by saying that we “will apply the quality process to systems and work processes with the mindset of meeting the requirements the first time every time.”
Sustained success in this area truly requires a “mindset;” a mind that is set on listening to the client, passing on that understanding, and diligently managing against the project’s objectives and the client’s expectations.

Richard A. Haughee
S&B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd.
Project Manager
rahaughee@sbec.com

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