Name: Walter Begg
Employer: Miller Construction
Project: Union Square, Aberdeen
Contract: SBCC
Incorporating a total of £44m in 654 separate client variations, many of them structural changes, while still completing within the original programme and without compromising quality is Walter Begg’s astonishing achievement. His secret? There wasn’t one – it was, at it always is, all about the team.
Like every great construction manager, Walter built a superb team, led them, guided them, directed them and enthused them. And what made the team so outstanding was, as it always is, strong communications. He ran regular workshops with the client, design team, his own team and the subcontractors to ensure clarity of requirements.
Walter set the tone, constantly reinforcing honesty and openness as the key principles of communication externally as well as internally. ‘It’s easier to manage the truth, no matter how unpalatable, than to manage a lie,’ he points out.
He fostered a can-do reflex among his staff, and encouraged them to explore solutions within the extended team. He championed a culture of personal responsibility with management support that freed his team to achieve the goals he set. With some managers living away from home, he organised regular social events to build team spirit, frequently inviting client, designers and subcontractors too.
By building a happy, empowered team that took pride in what it did, Walter laid the groundwork for success. He constantly reviewed the programme to incorporate the cascade of variations, and kept all parties informed of what was needed to hit the common goal: delivery to the original contract date so that the project’s tenants could maximise their Christmas trading.
Value: £118.5m