Four steps to unleash opportunity in complex construction projects

Mace is no stranger to complex construction projects. We’ve applied our experience and ex-pertise to some of the most challenging in the UK – from the Shard and Tottenham Hotspur FC Stadium to the Battersea Power Station redevelopment and Paddington Square.

But throughout these builds, what have we learnt? With so many moving parts, logistical challenges and stakeholders, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. However, there are four golden rules to keep in mind from the outset.

The sheer level of complexity involved in projects like these heighten the risk of missing both deadlines and targets. So firstly, the key to mitigating these risks lies in the all-important, pre-construction planning phase. 

The pre-planning process is a thoroughly detailed evaluation of the scheme to give the entire project team a comprehensive understanding of the scope of work, characteristics and constraints for the site, the resources needed and supply required, the risks, interfaces and impacts on stakeholders, as well as costs.

Providing clarity is crucial. In Mace’s 2020 report A Blueprint for Modern Infrastructure Delivery we looked at 10 ways a major project or programme can guarantee success – and topping that list was ‘clear outcomes’.

The report found that organisations and projects that had a clear and coherent stated outcome and success criteria were most likely to succeed. With this in mind, this outcome should be as simple as possible and clearly communicated. 

Of course, outcomes and success criteria cannot be defined in isolation. Detailed technical input from the various stakeholders – which in turn shapes the project team’s composition – is essential. Development managers, specialists and the supply chain must collaborate with clients from the outset – to maximise efficiencies, but to also gain a true understanding of intent from the early stages. 

The beginning of the planning process also marks the moment where significant cost and time savings can be identified, quality and safety risks can be reduced, and carbon reduction measures can be expedited. Ultimately, success depends on setting out a stall as early as possible and taking the entire project team on the journey.

Pre-planning is, in itself, a major undertaking and can take two or more years to complete. But its importance cannot be overstated. Too often, inadequate time allowance for pre-planning sows the seeds for complex projects to go wrong. 

With a strong and engaged team onboarded, it’s vital to establish the right environment to foster creativity and innovation. So with a major and complex programme, thought must be given to creating and nurturing a culture that encourages ideas, solutions and personal growth. 

Senior business leaders (in both client and contractor organisations) hold key roles of influence here. They can play a part in supporting this mindset and encouraging teams to think differently to how they might usually. It’s vital to expect the unexpected, as, despite the importance of pre-planning, not everything will follow suit. 

A growth mindset must be harnessed, working on the basis that nothing is impossible and that there are always solutions. On multi-faceted programmes, it’s common to assume someone else will have already thought of something or that the expectation is to ‘stay in your lane’. That’s why it is important to promote a culture of transparency and curiosity. In reality, nothing is 100% new or unique – most things have been done in a similar way before.

Crucial to the success of any complex project is continual learning and improvement. In his book Black Box Thinking, British journalist Matthew Syed posits that in a complex world, failure is investable. But the question is, do we learn from mistakes or conceal and self-justify them?

Syed compared the airline industry, which hadn’t had a single fatality in 2017, to the healthcare industry, which had registered casualties at the rate of two jumbo jets crashing every 24 hours – all due to errors or mistakes.

Syed proposed that the difference between the two sectors was their approach to those errors. The aviation industry encouraged people to own up to mistakes and learn from them, something healthcare was found to do less. The hospitals that reported the most errors and near misses were in fact the safest, because they were open and honest about any oversights. 

These lessons can be equally applied to a complex project. It is critical that on any project, errors are identified early and lessons are learnt, with those lessons then shared across the wider team for full transparency.

Lastly, always think of the bigger picture. Think of complex projects as more than a series of risks and difficulties. They’re a chance to make innovative use of materials, construction and delivery methods, collaborative approaches and lateral thinking. Always look for new perspectives and contemplate what can be co-opted from alternative approaches. 

By their nature, complex projects are challenging. But with broadened horizons, a collaborative and transparent culture and a shifted mindset, engaging contractors earlier and having a comprehensive pre-planning phase, they can become an even greater opportunity to redefine the boundaries of ambition. And to reimagine what a development can become – injecting new dynamism into places, leaving a legacy for generations to come.

This article was originally published on Mace Group’s Perspectives. Andrew Jones is construction director for major projects at Mace.