Page 17 - Landscape SA 98

FEATURE

productivity of the project, causing it to JH: Delivery on time is a vital component of times in managing the project, and good
be shut down for a period of time. The key any project, from the building contractor relationships established with the client
disciplines must be enforced at all times. to the landscape contractor. The latter from day one. Continuous meetings should
EF: The pandemic needs to be managed often have to work at the mercy of the be held as to any changes that need to be
along with health and safety officers, former and this can hold up delivery. If this made, and the reasons for the changes.
ensuring compliance with Covid-19 happens, the client needs to be informed They, and any extensions needed, must be
measures amongst all staff. Weekly tool so that the contract can be extended, but well communicated to the client.
box talks and Covid signage around one’s not as the fault of the landscape project Delivery instructions could be held up
stores facility are good to have, and daily manager. It’s important to maintain a good by climatic constraints which impact
screening processes must be adhered to relationship with the client at all times. heavily on the completion of projects,
before commencing daily works. DW: Most contracts allow for delays in the and sometimes contract document
completion date if this can be motivated instructions are unclear and ambiguous.
Q: Do landscape project managers with enough evidence an as soon as the The project manager needs to handle this
understand the complexity of delivery, delay becomes apparent. The solution to in an unemotional way so that the client
as opposed to the detail laid out in the the delay should also be communicated so understands exactly what the issues are in
contract document? that everyone on the team understands the running the project.
JB: This is something that both the effect of the delay and what can be done DW: Flexibility in one’s approach is
landscape architect as well as the to move forward. Good communication something that the project manager must
landscape contractor has to understand, between the contracted parties is key to a be able to practice on a daily basis. Things
but few of them do. successful project. NEVER keep quiet when don’t always go according to schedule,
JH: This is difficult to answer because a delay has come to light. so there must always be a Plan B. The
a project manager should be able to EF: With a deadline you need to deliver project manager should be professional
understand the complexity of delivery. no matter what and the staff is key to this. and proactive enough to accommodate
However, many project managers are lax However, you can only do as much as your any such changes (within reason) to
and expect the team leaders and sub- human resources on site allow. ensure that the relationship with the client
managers to run the project efficiently. remains intact.
This is a problem and some project Q: How does the project manager EF: If changes are required on site, we need
managers need to be carefully trained handle changes in delivery and contract to ensure that we are issued with updated
as to exactly what their responsibilities document instructions? drawings from the landscape architect,
are when managing the delivery of large JB: You have to be on top of these indicating what these are. In addition, we
landscapes. matters. We had a contractor who recently need to ensure that any instruction coming
DW: The one goes hand in hand with the withdrew from a project because the client from the main contractor is issued to us in
other. The contractual obligation of the had not signed the contract document the form of a written site instruction or
project must be understood in order to be when he should have. variation order. The contract document
able to deliver the result of the installation. JH: Project managers in general have to is a complex thing, as although we deal
EF: It’s important to understand the be very flexible. Things do not always go directly with the landscape architect, our
project specification detail document according to the contract, which is often client is actually the main contractor who
that basically outlines the standard unrealistic in its delivery expectations, is responsible for paying us. LSA
for each activity to be done on site. so there needs to be consistency at all
Although contractual agreements can
be quite detailed and confusing, a basic
understanding of them is required. Motivated team with good project manager relationship.
Photo courtesy of Joanne Hilliar
Q: For the purposes of running a
successful contract, what are the key
areas that the project manager should
focus on?
JB: Meeting deadlines and double
checking with teams on co-ordination.
JH: Understanding the contract document
in its entirety, checking on conditions
laid out by the client, ensuring staff
are correctly trained in how to deliver
a landscape, sometimes using plants
on site for splits and divides, ensuring
good relationships from team leaders
downwards so that staff are motivated
to get the job done, and handover of the
project in accordance with the contract
stipulations. If there are any changes,
these should be communicated in writing.
EF: Quality control and production on site
by teams.

Q: If the project manager is not able to
deliver on time, how is this dealt with and
how can the situation be turned around?
JB: Landscaping is always the tail of the
project – if anything is running late, it
usually affects the landscape completion.

Landscape SA • Issue 98 2021 15