We have a lot to pack in and not a lot of time to spare, so here’s a quick recap of the first two days of build week at the Constructionarium Australia Seymour Whyte All-Female Story Bridge Build.
Refreshed, rejuvenated and reunited our cohort returned as one team to take on guild week with the goal of delivering their project safely, on time and to budget. It sounds so easy on paper.
Our first session was vital as Gary Parkinson, Harry and Rychelle provided our team with feedback on their respective tenders. As mentioned in our last wrap-up, only a couple of points separated our teams, who both delivered exceptional presentations and submissions to our panel, especially as this was the first time the majority of our cohort had been involved in a complete tender submission.
Spurred on by positive and constructively critical feedback, our team were ready to plan their week and we were joined by lean construction guru, Christina Levinson for a master class on lean construction principles, last planning and the development of their last plan. Armed with new information and a rainbow of stick notes our team got to work breaking down their key tasks for the next three days and ensuring that the whole team was familiar with their last plan.
We were delighted to be joined by another Constructionarium Alumni, Bridget Lamb, who participated in last year’s all-female build, for our lunch and learn. Bridget shared her expertise on Infrastructure Sustainability and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s, Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating scheme.
The afternoon was spent launching the project and finalising the numerous plans and procedures that the team will be utilising over the coming days. From SWMS to Inspection and Testing plans our team could feel confidently prepared for construction.
Bentley’s Luke Read joined us for an important session on project controls, cost management, site diaries, finalising the team’s approach to their all-important schedule and budget. There was also time for the cohort’s first daily results to be analysed to track their first measurable day of activity.
Tuesday began with a safety toolbox which impressed Seymour Whyte’s Mark Coucher (our safety guru for the week) who was encouraged by the team’s approach as they held a full-cohort and teams pre-start so that everyone knew the site-wide approach as well as the special safety requirement for the role they were to undertake on-site.
And it was on to the site for construction to commence. One of the interesting things we see between cohorts is the different approaches each one makes to communication, leadership, consultation and direction. Some teams are the tortoise – slow, steady and methodical - while others are the hare – fast, all action and enthusiastic noise. And like in the fable, productivity seems to be the direct opposite of speed of achievement. Slower teams speed up, faster teams slow down. We have a tortoise on our hands for this build, as the team slowly, methodically and thoroughly discussed, planned, checked and rechecked every action they took in the assembly of their first span. Following a morning’s work, we headed to our lunch and learn with the cohort having achieved much but a little way behind their schedule.
We were joined by AECOM’s Karen Walters for a session on the commercial and legal realities of contracts. Let’s say for our cohort this session was eye-opening as they looked at the various clauses contained in their contract and what their activation would mean for profitability and the financial success of their project. With a wafer-thin margin and a small contingency in their financial plan, the commercial realities of project cashflow and sector sustainability became apparent. But thanks to Bentley Synchro, our cohort also has a complete record of their site activities, from which they quickly established that they have grounds for claims and variations from their client.
It was then back to the site to recommence construction. And as per prior tortoise teams, everything suddenly clicked and we witnessed a well-drilled team, with everyone knowing their task and role, get to work finishing their first span and rapidly assembling their second. By the end of construction, the team were confidently ahead of schedule and it was back to the office for the daily wrap up and role changes ahead of construction tomorrow.
