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I had a very interesting discussion with an experience project manager this morning. He voiced an endemic problem in the industry which he dubbed 'the last 10% problem'. This is being experienced at the extreme end of the industry on the biggest scheme of recent years, Terminal 5 - the team are in a bit of a panic to hit the March 2008 deadline according to Building. The problem is pretty simple - project teams lose enthusiasm near the end of the project, just when the need for effort and focus is at its greatest.
"As an industry we see the structure going up and the building take shape and we think 'that's largely finished'. Teams then want to move on," says my PM friend, who then gets a bit exasperated. "But it's not finished!" he exclaims. "It becomes very very difficult to get teams motivated to get the job done properly in that last phase."
And of course the last 10% is arguably the most crucial part of the project. Obviously getting a building that stands up and doesn't leak is pretty crucial, but as the project manager points out it's the services that the user is really interested in. "Do the plugs work, can I get my computer connected? is what they want to know," says the project manager. And the last 10% is when you can start to work closely with the users to iron out any niggles. "They see things that the builder doesn't see," the project manager adds.
Clearly when it comes to services and the way the building is used then the last phase, and post completion, are about as important as it gets when trying to implement energy efficient systems and behaviours. Unfortunately the industry is geared up to moving on, having been paid most of its fees/contract before it's finished. Surely some kind of post-completion budget/fee is crucial to change such a culture?
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