COLL ABOR ATION FOR A CURE
PAUL AMORT Assistant MEP Manager McCarthy/Andersen Most projects that I have been on there are powers that be and they more or less control any changes related to the process or the design. This approach feels more like collective decision-making: empowering individuals who typically wouldn’t have the authority to make design- and construction-related decisions. I’d tell myself, “Don’t be afraid to run with an idea, and trust your training, trust your instincts and understand that if it doesn’t work out, you won’t be punished for it.”
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Prefabrication of our server racks is one example. It’s not revolutionary that we would fabricate these units off-site in a controlled environment, but it was uncommon to get all of our subs to build all the components in an integrated system. Normally people will prefabricate only their specific component. In this case, Cherry City Electric, JH Kelly, and Siemens all worked together off-site. If there’s an ongoing challenge, I think it’s getting the field trained and incorporated into the design intent. That would empower them to make decisions on the fly for the benefit of the project. That’s not an argument against IPD, but rather that we should take it further.
JULIET ANDERSON Project Accountant McCarthy/Andersen I’ve never worked so closely with an owner before. That’s been a lot
different: the closeness you have not only with the owners but the subcontractors. Sometimes it can feel very compartmentalized on a project and people don’t want to share things. They’re not as open. On this project there’s nothing hidden and no “let’s not mention this.” It’s just very upfront and honest. Especially numbers-wise, I think it works better when people know where we stand. The owner and the joint venture are really open. I also feel like it helps the subs to be more comfortable. It’s been a really positive experience.
BRIAN ANTHONY Superintendent McCarthy/Andersen I learned early in my career to work with the trades and try to be humble because everyone survives together, just like when I was in the Marine Corps. Lean and IPD teach you that it’s about people and relationships. I was involved in the interviews of all three steel subcontractors and their fabricators. For some reason, they were really close, and the team was having a hard time deciding. The guys with the lowest bid just didn’t feel right. If you looked at value, they were the furthest from it. We ended up choosing a less experienced partner, and they’ve had their challenges, but they’ve been great to work with. And I think they’ve learned a lot. This was a big job for them, but they said, "We’re here to work together." And they have. Like I said, everyone survives together.
BRAD BARCROFT Interiors Senior Project Manager McCarthy/Andersen Everything we do is really about supporting the team, and making the people on the team feel valued. And when they feel valued, you get buy-in and establish trust. Once people are committed to the goal, they will work twice as hard to get there. In so many other jobs, the subcontractors and the general contractors are about themselves and making money. On this job we were all focused on the good of the team, and the good of each individual company was secondary. That was the difference that allowed us to win. When a challenge comes up, the question becomes, “How do we get there the most efficiently? Is it easier for me to do it, or for the electrician to do it?" It’s not whether it’s part of my scope or your scope. Whoever can do it the quickest, the easiest, the best: that’s who does it. We have done a lot of things on this job to promote the good of the team. You’ve got to genuinely care about the people you’re working with. Someone might say about coworkers, “I don’t have to like them.” But you do. And that comes with face-to-face contact. It gives you that sense of context. Life is happening to people. You’ve got to care about their well-being. When you trust each other, that’s when the innovations start to happen. There’s a level of vulnerability when somebody puts his or her idea out there. But because of the relationship and the environment,