Name: Alexander Dietrich
Employer: Bovis Lend Lease
Project: Chiswick Park Building 4
Contract: Construction management
Alexander Dietrich’s promotion to project director for Building 4 in this business park development was a vote of confidence in his management of the envelope and fit-out of Building 5 in the previous stage. But in stepping up the career ladder, Alex encountered a much more testing set of challenges.
Foremost among them were strains that had developed in the relationship with some design team members. Misunderstandings over design deliverables, quality expectations, a higher than anticipated number of defects at practical completion of Building 5, and Building 4’s testing programme of 5,000 square feet a week from substructure up were a recipe for project disaster.
Alex’s architectural background gave him the experience and the insight to understand the designers’ concerns. His excellent team building and management skills won back their trust and confidence that the project could be delivered to high quality standards.
He carried out a lessons learnt review of all defects and design issues from Building 5 and implemented them for Building 4. Setting the construction team a target of fewer than 100 snags at handover, he developed a robust design programme and rigorous test and inspection plan that resulted in the project being handed over 10 days ahead of the practical completion date with just 17 minor defects (all of which were cleared up within weeks).
His excellent technical knowledge and outstanding relationships with the supply chain generated many simple cost-effective solutions that met the design brief and saved £800,000 on the outturn costs. For example, he replaced timber doors with metal versions incorporating a dryliner trim that created a consistent shadow gap detail that the architect was looking for. By increasing the size of the fire lobby, he was able to fully glaze what were originally solid doors; architecturally pleasing, they also saved £15,000.
Alex created project clarity and shaped a quality-conscious climate. He took responsibility for his own actions while holding others accountable for theirs. Performance was linked to rewards and repercussions, and he instilled in his project managers the need to hold subcontractors responsible for their work.
By giving his 11-strong team first-hand experience of project management in this way, Alex did much to develop their competences, and seven of them were promoted on the strength of this highly successful project.