THE OPERATING CODE  |  001

KNOW BEFORE YOU COMMIT

It's easy to tell somebody you can get a job done. The hard part comes when you actually have to deliver on that promise.

Before I commit to a project or a deadline, I want to understand what we're getting into. I don't need every little detail figured out, but I need enough information to know whether we can realistically do what we're being asked to do.

That means understanding the scope of work, the schedule, the people and equipment we'll need, and anything that has to happen before we can get started. I also want to know who's responsible for the project, who has the authority to make decisions, and what could prevent us from meeting the commitment.

There will always be things we don't know yet, and that's part of construction. What matters is recognizing those uncertainties instead of treating assumptions like confirmed facts.

Once you've committed your crew and your company to getting something done, you're responsible for more than just your own word.

Available Doesn't Mean Capable

One of the easiest mistakes you can make when planning a job is looking at the schedule, seeing an open crew, and assuming you've got the manpower to get it done. But just because a crew is available doesn't necessarily mean they're the right crew for that particular job.

I've worked with plenty of good crews over the years, and I've learned that everybody has different strengths. Some crews can handle just about anything you put in front of them, while others may be excellent at certain types of work but lack the experience for something more complicated.

That's where knowing your people becomes important. You need to understand what they're capable of, how much experience they have, and whether the foreman can recognize problems before they become bigger ones.

Let's say I have three foremen available next Monday. On paper, that looks like three crews I can assign. But if the job requires a particular skill set or experience, I might only have one foreman who's the right fit. Now I have a different problem to solve, because having three available crews doesn't mean I have three crews capable of performing that particular work.

Manpower isn't just headcount. Capability is part of capacity.

Understand What You're Agreeing To

When somebody hands you a scope of work and a schedule, that doesn't necessarily mean you have everything you need to get the job done. Before I commit, I want to understand what has to come together to make the project possible.

Do we have the right people and equipment? Are the materials available? What about site access, engineering, inspections, outages, permits, and customer requirements? Are there other contractors working on the same site whose activities could affect our schedule?

I've seen drawings get revised, material lists come up short, and actual site conditions look nothing like what was shown on paper. Just because somebody placed a set of drawings or a material list in a shared folder doesn't mean the information is correct, complete, or approved.

You also have to pay attention to which documents you're using. The newest drawing in the folder might still be preliminary, while an older revision is the latest approved version. That's why I want to know what has actually been approved before making commitments based on it.

One of the things I pay particular attention to is identifying anything that could prevent the work from starting, moving forward, or being completed. Sometimes it's an engineering approval, a permit, a customer authorization, or one critical piece of material. Other times, it's a required inspection, an approved outage, access to the site, or having the right qualified person available.

Then there are things that require additional coordination, such as cranes, specialty equipment, subcontractors, or working around other trades. Those aren't necessarily problems, but they can become problems when nobody identifies them until the crew is ready to work.

The important part is understanding which activities depend on something else being completed first. You can have fifty items marked complete and still be unable to start because the one thing that matters isn't ready.

Don't confuse activity with readiness.

Know Who's Responsible for What

Before a job starts, I want to know who's responsible for the work and who has the authority to make decisions. That might sound simple, but when you've got project managers, superintendents, foremen, engineers, safety personnel, and customer representatives involved, communication can get crossed up pretty quickly.

I've seen situations where everybody knew there was a problem, but nobody was quite sure who was supposed to make the decision. Meanwhile, the crew is waiting, the schedule is slipping, and nothing is getting resolved.

That's why I believe it's important to understand the reporting structure before the work begins. Who's managing the project? Who handles technical questions? Who can approve changes? And who needs to be involved when there's a safety concern or something that requires additional authority?

Knowing the chain of command doesn't mean people should have to work through unnecessary layers just to get an answer. It means understanding responsibilities and making sure the right people are involved when decisions affect the work.

People shouldn't have to waste time figuring out who to call or whether the person they're talking to has the authority to help.

Know who owns the decision before you need the decision.

Confirm the Resources You're Depending On

Another mistake I've seen in planning is making commitments based on somebody else's assumed availability.

You might need a particular foreman, an engineer, a crane, a subcontractor, or a customer representative to get something done. But just because you need that person or resource on a certain day doesn't mean they're going to be available.

I've seen schedules put together around the assumption that somebody should be able to do something, only to find out later that the person already had another commitment or the equipment wasn't available when it was needed.

And this doesn't just apply to outside resources. It applies to your own people too. Just because somebody's calendar looks open doesn't mean they don't already have other responsibilities that require their attention.

If I'm depending on somebody else to meet a commitment, I want to talk to them first. Make sure they understand what I'm asking for, confirm they can support it, and then build the schedule around what we've agreed to.

Don't promise somebody else's time before they've agreed to give it to you.

Make the Work Easier Without Doing All the Thinking

I believe part of good preparation is making sure people have the information and resources they need without wasting time looking for something that should have been readily available.

If a foreman needs a drawing, an approval, or a piece of information to do the job, I don't want them spending half an hour trying to find something that should take thirty seconds. That's unnecessary frustration, and it's something good planning should help prevent.

But there's a difference between making information available and handing somebody every answer. People still need to read the drawings, understand the scope of work, recognize when something doesn't look right, and be willing to ask questions.

I've worked with people who needed more guidance than others, and that's fine. Not everybody starts at the same level. Part of my responsibility is understanding where somebody is in their development and giving them the support they need without taking away their opportunity to learn.

If every decision has to come from me, then I haven't developed a very capable team. I've created a group of people who can't move forward unless I'm there to tell them what to do.

I want the people working for me to become more capable because of the experience they've gained, not more dependent on me for every decision.

When You Don't Know, Don't Guess

No matter how much experience you have or how well you plan a job, there's always going to be something you don't know before getting started. The important thing is recognizing what you don't know and being willing to say so.

If I haven't walked a site, I'm not going to pretend I know exactly what we're getting into. If engineering hasn't answered a question or nobody has physically checked the material, those are things I need to account for before making a commitment.

I've learned that people don't always want to hear that you need more time to give them an answer. They want to know whether you can have a crew there Monday, finish a project by Friday, take on another job, or meet a particular deadline. Sometimes they're expecting an answer right then.

But I've never believed in telling somebody yes just because that's what they want to hear. If I don't know whether we have the manpower, material, equipment, or approvals needed, I'm going to check before I commit.

There's nothing wrong with saying, "Let me check a few things and get back to you." That doesn't mean I'm unwilling to take on the work. It means I want to make sure we can deliver what we're promising.

There's also an important difference between making a decision with incomplete information and making one because nobody took the time to verify what was already available. You can plan for uncertainty, but treating assumptions like confirmed facts creates problems that could have been avoided.

I've found that people generally respect an answer they can depend on more than a promise that falls apart a few days later.

A bad commitment made quickly is still a bad commitment.

The Principle

Before I give somebody my word, I want to understand what I'm agreeing to and whether we have what it takes to get the job done. That means understanding the work, knowing who's responsible for what, confirming the people and resources we're depending on, and identifying anything that could hold us up.

I don't expect to have every answer before making a commitment. Construction doesn't work that way. But I do expect to know what we've verified, what we're still waiting on, and what risks we're accepting.

And when I don't have enough information to make a responsible commitment, I'd rather take the time to get the answer than make a promise I can't stand behind.

Because once you give your word, the question changes. It isn't whether you can do it anymore.

Now you're responsible for figuring out how you will.