CHANGING THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE: TOP NEGOTIATING TIPS

Negotiations for schedule adjustments are some of the toughest in any construction process. Workers have made their plans, assigned resources and spent money in order to perform their duties at the assigned times and then things change.

Nobody appreciates change but it is to be expected in this line of work. Instead of playing hardball when it comes to negotiating the changes, it is best to rely on cooperation to get to the end goal and, in turn, avoid severing valuable relationships. This is particularly important when you consider that most changes are minor, for example, switching an activity to another day, are not worth damaging positive relationships over. When relationships are healthy, these minor changes should amount to business as usual.

Some changes, however, require much more input from the affected parties. You can choose to dig your heels in and drag everyone with you to the finish, or you can begin negotiations.

Successful negotiations have the following traits:

• Compromise
• Joint Problem-Solving
• Creative trade–offs
• Mutually beneficial results

DEALING WITH PERSONALITIES

All parties arrive at the negotiating table with their own experiences, expectations and opinions regarding the matter at hand. This can cause personalities to come into play.

Some people will choose to be manipulative, while others will seek mutually beneficial outcomes. Some simply want to win, while others can see the big picture.

When negotiating, focus on people’s behaviour rather than immediately move past it and being willing to alter your approach accordingly. For example, perhaps changing negotiations from verbal to written form.

TRY OPTIONS FOR MUTUAL GAIN

When the negotiations come to a halt, find out why, whilst sincerely trying to understand the difficulties the other person is facing in attempting to accommodate the change. This will allow you to explore possibilities that will account for their needs along with the schedules.

Collaboration is always the best approach. Giving others the opportunity to offer solutions helps you reach agreements that work for everybody, delivering what both the schedule and end goal need.