Project Closeout: An Integral Part of Project Success
From inception to completion, each phase of the construction process is important for successful project completion. However, the significance of the closeout process is often underestimated in terms of how it defines the project’s success. Factors such as a project’s scale, complexity, and schedule play a role, but communication is critical to closing out a project. At ICS, we redefine the construction closeout process. It’s not just a final step; it’s woven into the fabric of every project phase. Let’s explore how our team does this:
Project Development Phase
The project development phase can be an exciting time when ideas start coming together, and a dream starts to move to reality. At ICS, we don’t rush into developing a project but begin by stepping back from the excitement to look at the plan and engage project stakeholders in long-range planning practices. Our goal in this stage is to identify your short-term and long-term goals and what aspects of your project will help you achieve them. The ICS team can guide you through all steps of the long-range planning process, including:
Perform on-site visits to assess your building’s systems and overall facility conditions and needs.
Develop reports on your facilities.
Create a 10-year plan, including budgets.
Meet with you to develop and adjust priorities.
Thoughtful project planning allows us to understand our client’s needs better and helps set clear expectations with project stakeholders on following progress based on accurate information. This helps create fewer surprises and questions at the completion of the project.
Design/Preconstruction Phase
The next step in planning for project closeout happens during the design/preconstruction phase. Like the project development process, clear communication and expectations are vital. During this phase, ICS is fully immersed in discussions with the owner and design team, which helps us meet scope and schedule expectations. To create project buy-in, we actively involve project stakeholders throughout the design/preconstruction process to aid in the creation of the spaces and the selection of materials. This is expanded to the fine details of the project that will be used to build the spaces and create a facility that meets the needs defined in the process.
“We have a saying at ICS – projects are won or lost in the design/preconstruction phase,” added Brett Baldry, the Vice President of Construction at ICS.
What this means is that we must be diligent in reviewing construction documents, providing constructability reviews and estimates, reviewing types of materials for durability and maintenance needs, and being detail-oriented to minimize the issues we face during construction and closeout.
Construction Phase
The construction phase is where the “rubber hits the road,” and planning becomes a reality. There are many moving parts during the construction process, but they all feed into the closeout of a project. By looking ahead to project completion, ICS implements a series of processes to ensure that budget, schedule, and quality are at the forefront of our tasks. These items include quality site observations, daily logs, progress meetings, RFIs & submittal tracking, photo documentation, and more. By managing the project closely, we ensure that expectations are met, and that communication is continuous. This helps the appropriate information be in place once the official closeout process begins.
Project Closeout Phase
Finally, the moment arrives – closeout. But it’s not a single event; it’s a process:
- Step 1 – Punch List: Our team verifies that the appropriate materials and installation procedures were followed and completed.
- Step 2 – Review of Project Modifications: Our team ensures all project modifications have been captured, and any appropriate change orders are issued and executed.
- Step 3 – Project Manuals: Our team collects, reviews, and compiles all operations and maintenance data to ensure appropriate documentation is provided.
- Step 4 – Client Communications: Our team presents the information gathered to the client and reviews any outstanding items.
- Step 5 – Tracking: Our team tracks the completion of any outstanding items and gathers feedback from the owner.
- Step 6 – Contract Closeout: Once all items have been verified, completed, and confirmed with the owner, our team closes any remaining contracts.
- Step 7 – Warranty Review: Our team schedules warranty walkthroughs.
- Step 8 – Feedback: Our team gathers feedback on the project and discusses lessons learned to continuously improve our delivery on future projects.
By integrating close-out considerations into every project phase, we ensure success. At ICS, it’s not just about simply building buildings; it’s about building relationships and delivering excellence every step of the way.
Are you ready to redefine your construction close-out process? Contact us today to learn more about how we can seamlessly integrate close-out considerations into every phase of your project. Let’s build something remarkable together!
