Carlos Delgado

DC&R
23rd of December 2021

Communication in Construction

What has made the human being what it is? We are not the strongest and we are not the
fastest; we do believe to be the most intelligent, but to take advantage of that intelligence it
has been necessary that we act in a coordinated way.

Thus were made the pyramids and empires, so came man to the moon and has launched
ships that have landed on Mars. It is the ability to act in coordination what allows that
intelligence, which the human being considers as its main asset, to transform ideas
scattered in multiple individuals into concrete products and services that improve the
situation of society.

 “… the information
industry has been
the initial cause of
the acceleration of
technological
change over the
past two hundred
years”.

-Daniel Headrick

It is the speed and precision of human communication that has allowed the exchange and
enrichment of knowledge and the coordination of actions. This is why Daniel Headrick
points out: "Knowledge is the cause and e ect of economic growth, and the information
industry has been the initial cause of the acceleration of technological change over the past
two hundred years”1.

The engineering and construction industry is not an exception, but rather a clear example of
how proper communication allows the achievement of truly extraordinary endeavors, from
the aforementioned Egyptian pyramids to the Panama Canal.

Thus, we have to recognize that the construction industry is highly dependent on

communications between customer, supplier and various stakeholders, including civil
associations, therefore the design of clear, timely and e ective communications systems is
the fundamental basis of any project to be executed.

Too often, as projects are implemented through multinational teams and in multicultural
environments, communication problems increase and are no longer unique to the
customer-supplier relationship or among diverse and heterogeneous stakeholder groups,
moving into the internal structure of the project team.

Evidently, the project team and its leader are the focal point of all communications,
therefore it is essential that the design of the communications plan should consider ways to
mitigate any potential source of distortion generated by the natural dynamics of
construction projects, the distance between the headquarters and the work site, the
technical language, the cultural and organizational background, the native languages of the
team members and other particular factors.

1Daniel Headrick, “Technological Change”, en B.L. Turner II et al. (eds.), The Earth Transformed by Human
Action: Global and Regional Changes in the Biosphere Over the Past 300 Years, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, 1990, p.59

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 The project’s Communications Plan, therefore, becomes an indispensable tool and must
consider, with particular importance, the contractual documents that usually include: the
contract, the general and special conditions, the design documents and any other
referenced documentation with speci c requirements for records and reports.

The language of the project must be de ned, as well as any speci c need for o cial
translation and, in case of discrepancy, which version prevails. While this may, and should,
be de ned in the contract, it is possible that in international projects the project team might
include members native in languages not considered in the contract, therefore the
Communications Plan should resolve language-related issues taking into consideration also
the native languages of the team members.

Given the enormous amount and variety of information that is generated and managed
during the execution of a project, it is essential to ensure that each team member and any
stakeholder receive the speci c information they require and no more. Otherwise, the
overabundance of information will impede e cient work, slowing it down and preventing
appropriate and timely decision-making.

In addition, it is necessary to recognize that the construction industry has speci c

documentation requirements related to labor, the environment, social responsibility and
social issues that must be addressed.

For these issues, communication matrices and checklists are often very helpful.

The ability and communication skills of the project leader are essential. It is necessary to
deploy e ective communication, with varying degrees of depth and adjusted to the
audience, with a project team often diverse and multicultural.

It should be recognized when there is a lack of communication skills in order to take

corrective measures in a timely manner. The use of specialized translation sta , as well as
the professional services of public and community relations consultants, are often very
helpful.

Within the management of communications, meetings cannot be disregarded. De ning the

types of meetings needed, their frequency, attendees and the use of agendas and
schedules are of vital importance for achieving e ciency and protecting the productivity of
team members.

One of the most sensitive issues within the communications planning of an engineering
project is the de nition of the construction communications work ow, from requests for
information (RFI) to change orders. The exchange of information between the design o ce,
project management, construction contractor, suppliers and the owner may a ect not only
the scope of the work contracted, but also the deadlines committed, with the risk of claims
and con icts. Contractual documents usually de ne much of the mechanics for the
communications work ow and special care should be taken with respect to noti cation and
response times.

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 In that communications work ow, daily reports are especially useful. These documents are
daily records of site conditions on various topics: weather conditions, resources on site,
work in progress and progress achieved, tests, instructions received, etc. They are
generally of great value when separating responsibilities, quantifying claims and supporting
causes of changes in scope and schedule modi cations.

Another issue of particular importance are early warnings. In Latin American countries there
is often a tendency not to give bad news and to wait until the last moment to report a risk,
despite there are contracts that explicitly require early warning. This raises serious
problems.

An early warning is actually very helpful, as it allows other stakeholders to take their own
mitigation measures in a timely manner or at least assess their potential implementation.
This is part of the concept of "one team": The success of a project is a success shared by
all stakeholders, while failure will surely have serious consequences for most, if not all, of
the parties involved.

Finally, the use Information and communication technologies in the engineering and
construction market covers the entire spectrum of work from design and construction to
facility operation. The use of BIM (building information modeling) technology to integrate
the design and its application for VDM (virtual design and construction), as well as virtual
reality applications and software for planning and control, risk management and information
management are only the most recent stage in humanity improving its ability to act in a
coordinated manner to achieve goals.

In times of change, when agility and economy are needed at all levels, the use of specialized services
provides that precise mix of capacity, e ectiveness and e ciency that organizations need to succeed.

At DC&R we are able to meet these requirements with professional solvency and the experience of
more than 25 years in complex engineering and construction environments for heavy industrial
markets of high demand such as mining, gas & oil, or energy, as well as for infrastructure and
commerce.

DC&R also o ers technical assistance services to businesses that need to interact with engineering
and construction companies, from tender and project management to contract administration.

carlos@delgadoconsultores.pe +51 998 070 145

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