Best Practices for Home-Building Project Communication

Project meetings, agendas, and record keeping are vital for managing expectations and ensuring a successful project.

By Greg Woleck

Courtesy Fine Homebuilding magazine, published April 7, 2023

The success of a construction project is often looked at through the lens of the creative architects and designers, the hands of the skilled craftsperson, the understanding of the specialized tradespeople on the team, or the desires of the client. Every one of these people plays a crucial role, and they all have specific communication methods and requirements. It is vital that somebody on the team hold the responsibility for effectively managing communication in all its forms, with all the members of the team, and it’s the builder who can benefit the most from doing the managing. Areas that are especially at risk for bad outcomes from poor communication are changes to scope, comprehensive drawing details, and unresolved design decisions. The following processes can help builders avoid unnecessary problems and set the project up for ultimate success.

Set up regular project meetings

An easy way to manage communication and keep everyone informed and on task is a routine project meeting. The frequency of this event can be determined by the size of the project, but it should be scheduled with some regularity (weekly, monthly, etc.). It should include the design team, the build team, and relevant trade partners, and it should at least include an invitation for the homeowner or client. I’ve found that having the client involved in these meetings sets everyone up for the most success. This is certainly true when it comes to open design decisions and being very clear about the product to be delivered. It’s a perfect opportunity to prepare and share mock-ups of details, paint colors, tile samples, etc.

I generally prefer having these meetings on-site and in-person, but with the technology readily available, teleconferencing is also an effective way to facilitate. Either way, preparation for the meetings is similar. First, look over the minutes of the previous meeting to make sure there is nothing outstanding that needs to be addressed before the next one. Next, check in with the design team as well as the site supervisor, if there is one, prior to the scheduled meeting. This check-in provides a gentle reminder that they may have open tasks, or it gives them a chance to add anything new to the agenda. It also doesn’t hurt to take stock of any communication from the homeowner or other team members since the last meeting and to capture that in the agenda and follow-up minutes. A successful outcome of these meetings is clarity in the areas of schedule, budget, issue resolution, and ownership of any to-do or task items.

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