One of the more positive impacts of new technology in the construction industry is near real-time project updates for clients through web-based project management systems. Depending on the platform, building owners and stakeholders can receive project status updates, expenditures, milestones and even progress photographs.
There is access to more information than ever possible in the past. However, in many cases these are “pull communications,” in that the client must take the initiative to visit a website, log in, and view information. Certainly there are systems that also push out notifications, but the details still require a client to log in – something they may not have time for in a given day or week.
At Greenland Enterprises we have worked with several interactive project management systems over the past few years, each with pros and cons. What we’ve found is that no matter what features are included, the technology is not a substitute for personal, two-way communication. That’s not surprising to us, given the Greenland approach to communication and interaction with all stakeholders on a project.
We believe effective communication happens in a number of ways: phone calls, emails, face-to-face conversations, texts and yes, interactive project management tools. Just like a construction worker uses the right tool for the task at hand, Greenland uses a variety of communication methods on a project, depending on the immediate need, the consequences and the preferences of the stakeholder involved.
This, combined with other elements of the Greenland approach, is what allows us to complete projects on time and on budget; and respond quickly to changing circumstances (like when a 1,000 year rain event flooded a boiler plant project in Columbia, SC).
Project management and effective communication is rarely a one-size-fits-all choice. If you are considering a complex mechanical system upgrade, boiler plant replacement or similar central plant project, give the experts at Greenland a call to learn more about our project management team, and the successes we bring to owners and stakeholders.
