Building Success: Key Steps to a Successful Construction Project

22nd November 2024 | Liz Clarke | Reading Time: 4 minutes

A successful construction project doesn’t happen by chance — it’s the result of clear thinking, detailed planning, and excellent collaboration between all parties involved.

As our Managing Director, Mark Dyer puts it:

“Construction is a relatively simple process, often made more difficult by people.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way. By taking the proper steps at the right time, many common problems can—and should—be avoided.

In this article, Mark shares his insights from a career in the construction industry, exploring the essential areas to focus on to ensure your project is delivered successfully—on time, within budget, and to the quality you expect. Read on to discover the key steps to a successful construction project.

Develop a Robust Client Brief

The client brief forms the foundation of every project. Whether it’s a hospital, school, or data centre, the brief outlines the performance criteria and functional requirements the building must achieve. Yet this is often where projects first go off track.

Mark summarises this common challenge:

“The client needs a building, usually has a limited budget, and engages his professional team to deliver a building that matches his expectations. Unfortunately, it is often the case where the design progresses, but along the way, a disconnect occurs where the design does not reflect the budgetary constraints and the client not getting what he thought and having to make concessions or compromises to make the project affordable.”

Common Challenges of a Poorly Defined Brief

Overly ambitious designs: This may be a sweeping generalisation, but architects are visionary and creative, whose designs can, if not channelled, sometimes compromise budgetary constraints. This may result in a stunning building that, when priced, is unaffordable. This often leads to delays and additional costs or, in extreme cases, postponement of the project when a more comprehensive and controlled understanding of the client’s brief would have delivered a building meeting the expectations and requirements of the client.
Unrealistic client expectations: Clients unfamiliar with the design process may struggle to visualise the finished building or understand the complex commercial procedures involved in procurement and delivery, leading to misconceptions or misunderstandings later.

Steps to Create a Strong Client Brief

When working with a client, the design team should ask detailed questions to fully understand the client’s needs and expectations. For example:

What is the purpose of the building?
What’s most important—appearance, functionality, cost, or sustainability?

Skilled professionals should guide clients through the design process, clarifying the implications of decisions as the brief evolves. This allows essential requirements to be prioritised while managing client expectations realistically.

Clarifying the brief as early as possible reduces misunderstandings and avoids costly redesigns or changes later in the project.

Careful and Comprehensive Design Coordination

Construction projects involve multiple elements—substructure, superstructure, cladding, MEP services, and internal finishes—all of which must be coordinated to work together. Poor coordination results in delays, unexpected costs, and compromises on quality.

This means the design team must work collaboratively to create designs that improve buildability.

Mark explains:
“The design team needs to ensure everything fits together—structural, architectural, and internal systems. If that coordination doesn’t happen, you’ll see the challenges on-site resulting in delays and additional costs.”

Common Design Problems

Lack of detail: Design gaps lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and rushed decisions.
On-site clashes: Poorly coordinated designs mean building elements conflict during construction.
Increased costs: Resolving issues on-site is more expensive than addressing them during the design phase.

The Solution

Full coordination and review: Ensure every aspect of the design is reviewed for compatibility. For example, can the heating and ventilation systems fit within the allocated space? Increasingly, clash detection software is helping reduce coordination issues.
Practical expertise: Involve contractors early in buildability assessments to identify potential issues before they become costly site problems.

Mark’s comment nicely sums up the importance of early contractor involvement.

“Nothing’s impossible for the person who hasn’t got to build it.”

Prepare a Comprehensive Tender Pack

Tendering is a critical stage in any construction project. However, incomplete or unclear tender documents create risks for everyone involved. Ambiguity forces contractors to make assumptions, leading to inconsistent bids that are difficult to evaluate.

Keys to a Successful Tender Process

Be precise: Provide a detailed tender pack so contractors understand what’s expected, making bids easier to compare.
Level the playing field: Remove ambiguity so contractors can focus on preparing accurate bids rather than guessing.
Encourage engagement: Clear, structured tenders build trust and confidence, resulting in better-quality submissions, reduced risks, and improved cost and programme certainty.

A well-run tender process benefits everyone. Contractors understand the expectations and price accordingly, while clients receive realistic bids that can be fairly compared.

Manage Risks Effectively

Risk management is at the heart of a successful construction project—but unknown risks, particularly ground-related ones, remain a significant challenge.

Mark shares an example:
“Ground conditions can range from zero issues to £2m of unexpected costs due to contamination or hidden risks. You can’t control what you don’t know, but sufficient ground investigations help reduce uncertainty.”

Key Considerations

Ground conditions: Contamination, hidden structures, or voids can cause significant problems.
Utility mapping: Identifying live and redundant services early prevents costly delays.
Site history: Understanding a site’s past use reveals hidden risks such as old fuel tanks, contaminated soil, or archaeology.

Risk Reduction

Invest in surveys: Topographical studies, boreholes, and service mapping reduce uncertainty.
Share the risk: Openly discuss who takes responsibility for unknowns; ultimately, the client pays the cost of these risks directly or indirectly.

Bring Contractors on Board Early

Early contractor involvement (ECI) brings practical insights that influence designs, making them more cost-effective and easier to build. Contractors involved early aren’t just solving problems—they’re preventing them.

The Benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)

Practical design input: Contractors ensure designs are buildable and align with budgets.
Fewer surprises: Early collaboration reduces significant changes during construction.
Stronger relationships: Working together from the start builds trust and shared goals.

Build Strong Relationships

Collaboration is key to successful construction projects. Teams focused on solutions rather than problems experience fewer delays and conflicts.

What Makes a Good Relationship?

Open communication: Transparency resolves issues quickly.
Clear responsibilities: Everyone should understand and fulfil their role.
Mutual respect: Collaboration fosters a positive environment and better results.

Create Certainty for Delivery

By the time construction begins, most preparation—figuratively speaking—should be complete. A thorough pre-construction process ensures:

Predictable costs: Realistic, achievable budgets.
Clear timelines: Reduced delays caused by poor planning.
Confidence on-site: A focus on delivery, knowing risks have been addressed.

Mark’s Summary for Success

There’s no magic formula for a perfect construction project, but clear steps can greatly increase the chances of success. From setting a robust brief to managing risks and fostering collaboration, focusing on these fundamentals avoids unnecessary challenges and delivers projects that meet—and even exceed—expectations.