Site meeting

Site meetings are an important part of the successful management of construction projects. Regular site meetings between the different stakeholders on a project can help facilitate better communication and a shared sense of purpose making it more likely that the project is completed successfully. Project failures are often attributed to inadequate management, with a key factor being a lack of proper communication.

Meetings should be regular and formerly scheduled, perhaps on a weekly or monthly basis depending on the parties involved, although the size and complexity of the project may necessitate a more regular schedule. They are used as a means of reporting progress, enabling discussion of any problems or issues, and allowing the proposal of solutions. They provide a good opportunity for two-way discussions of any issues that have arisen or that are anticipated.

Holding meetings on site enables the stakeholders to see progress for themselves (rather than relying on a report for another party), and to look at problem areas, discuss quality issues, assess mock-ups, and so on.

Construction progress meetings are a specific sort of site meeting during which the contract administrator receives progress reports from the contractor and consultant team, cost reports from the cost consultant and other more specific information such as sub-contractor reports, progress photos, and so on.

In order to be able to provide the correct information at construction progress meetings, the contractor may previously hold a progress meeting with sub-contractors sometimes called a production meeting.

Meeting minutes should be prepared, with a requirement that any disagreement with the items recorded in the minutes is raised within a pre-defined period (perhaps one week). Progress meetings may also result in the preparation of a construction progress report for the client.

On construction management projects, the construction manager holds regular construction progress meetings with trade contractors to discuss on and off-site progress against the programme and to co-ordinate the release of information. It may sometimes be appropriate for these meetings to take place at the trade contractor's premises. On large projects the construction manager may hold a daily logistic meeting on site with trade contractor foremen to organise, schedule and co-ordinate on-site shared services such as deliveries and off-loading, hoists and cranage, scaffolding, safety issues, rubbish clearance etc.

Similar meetings may be held on management contract projects between the management contractor and the works contractors.

Other meetings held on site might include safety briefings and toolbox talks which are held to ensure that workers properly consider health and safety issues on site.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Briefback.
• Construction progress meeting.
• Construction progress report.
• Construction site inspection.
• Safety briefing for construction workers.
• Site induction.
• Site meeting v technical meeting.
• Toolbox talk for construction workers.

Comments