Project Planning

“Planning is where project dollars are really spent.”

For good or bad, the planning of any capital improvement project establishes the construction and performance standards that ultimately define project outcomes and costs. Said another way, there is no project manager or contractor that can eliminate the negative consequences of a bad plan. No such magic exists. Therefore, before devoting community resources on project design, it is important for HOA Boards and their design team to:

• Be clear about the outcomes they expect from the project.
• Determine those outcomes are possible.
• Determine those outcomes are reasonable.

Once the HOA has decided to proceed, it is imperative to create technical specifications that define construction tasks, methods, materials, and processes that the successful bidder must bring to your project. Aside from the importance of setting project standards that all bidders must follow, the specifications – in conjunction with other bid materials – are the primary, legal documents of your project once work begins.

Ultimately, project plans need to work in the real world. That is, “you plan to build, and build the plan”. At Community Planners, we take this responsibility seriously. Our success is measured not just by immediate project outcomes; but also, how our projects have served our clients over the test of time.

“If it ain’t written, it don’t exist”

Aside from being a “tool time” event, capital improvement projects are also important business interactions where behavior and rules matter…a lot.

To that end, there needs to be a portion of any project plan that speaks to these ideas.

• Length of the Job:

  How project time is computed and the consequences of not meeting project timeline.

• Contractor Insurance:

  Who/what is insured and for how much.

• Contractor Payments:

  How payment information is presented, when invoices are paid, and whether a portion of invoices are retained (held back) until project completion.

• Change Orders:

  What constitutes a project change and how that work is approved, billed, and paid.

• Owners Property:

  Contractor’s use of the owner’s property and responsibility for it.

• Regulatory Considerations:

  Contractor’s responsibility to demonstrate compliance with regulations…building permit, environmental, etc

• Job Oversight & Job Documentation:

  Contractor’s responsibility to supervise work and demonstrate (prove) they have performed the work per the technical specifications.

These are but some of the many business details that need to be part of a project plan. Bidders need to understand they are part of the job and they need to understand this fact before a Contract is signed and before any work begins. For projects of significant consequence and size, Community Planners includes a General Conditions section that sets forth these ideas and more. Remember, even “simple” construction tasks can lead to massive headaches when rules are not clearly defined.

We take this task and responsibility seriously. You should too.

“Just because you think it, doesn’t make it so…”

Planning a project is a major investment of time and resources for any HOA. Even when you do everything right, there is the potential for setbacks and surprises that can jeopardize the project.

To ensure that the community benefits from its investment in planning, Community Planners urges clients – as part of the planning process – to formulate alternate approaches to the work…i.e., alternate materials, construction assemblies, and project timing. These ideas become part of the overall project plan and bid.

In this way, HOAs have set the table for receiving the information that makes comparative bidding, informed decisions, and determining value possible. They have also created the tools they need to efficiently proceed with work commensurate to available community resources. No small matter.