We start with some light chat touching on “the crud,” night-snacking kids, and nosey people who tell you to eat salad.    Then we get to today’s substance: how to fix a stalled project.   Smooth progress determines profitability. So we try to work ahead, but before you know it… here come the RFIs.   Next comes a list of items that can hold a project hostage:  

• Operating-room lights
• Operable partition walls
• Decorative curtain walls 
• Design elements tied to seismic regions
• Grid lines that disagree

Then the questions arise: 

• Who gets the last look? 
• Which teams can start early? 
• Who already did start early and got the cart before the horse? 
• What can team x do while waiting for team y to do their thing?

So why do these tensions and timing misalignments occur? Of course, the exact answer to that is different every time.    The effect of these stalls goes beyond logistical havoc. It drains motivation and trust. It affects how likely you are to work with a given contractor.    Our guess as to how often this happens? At least 1 in 5–at least 20%.     Eddie talks about the popular contractor-grudge game he calls “You Gave Me an Excuse.” Projects that aren’t moving forward smoothly end up being pushed even further to the back burner because. Most contractors are looking to spend their time on something that brings in money.    And thumb-twiddling doesn’t bring in money.    This means that there’s the legitimate stall and there’s the “snow job” stall, when one party is just not even trying to get you back on the front burner.    Eddie discusses the different types of project managers and which ones simply know how to get things done.   So, what do we do? 

1. Pick your people very carefully. 
2. Get to know your people–know them well enough that you can read their stress levels and navigate problems together. 
3. Use finesse. In other words, know where the questions need to go; know who's back needs to be scratched. 
4. Communicate about communication. Ask people who have the answers you’re seeking.
5. Work on developing instincts. Start with humility; then study interactions and learn. 
6. Be a helper. When you’re helping those above and below you in the project, you’ll generate an atmosphere of smooth progress. 
7. Evaluate yourself when you’re about to ask a question. Measure the importance of your request before you proceed.

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