Riad AlhammoudProject management| LanganAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
In our project, we're facing a conflict between a quantity surveyor and a site inspector over overlapping roles in quantity surveying tasks. The client specifically requested the site inspector to work alongside the quantity surveyor. However, tensions arose when the site inspector, detailing his weekly tasks, indicated he was reviewing payments and other tasks typically under the purview of quantity surveying. The quantity surveyor responded by asserting that the site inspector was merely "learning and not reviewing". This led the site inspector to lodge an official complaint about the quantity surveyor's response. How do you think as peroject manager should we address the complaint, and resolve the communication breakdown between them? Saving Changes...
Sort By:
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Working on clearly define three key point for the role: process, tools and skills. After that agree it with the client and communicate to put it in place. Saving Changes...
Given that the conflict has already occurred, it would help to engage all involved parties in a clear definition of roles, responsibilities and "jurisdictional boundaries" to ensure that each side knows who does what but also to ensure that specific activities aren't lost in the cracks.
A RACI or similar table could be used for this or potentially even a process diagram showing the engagement points between the different parties.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Riad
Payments verification, and progress review are typically within the QS scope of work. You can meet with both, go over their role and responsibilities, and then clear the conflict. There is obviously a misunderstanding of the responsibilities from the Site Inspector’s side, and the response from the QS is a bit on the aggressive side.
Considering that I am not a stakeholder, but if it were me, I would weigh the pros and cons from these three points: the functional weight of the project stakeholders, the interest relationship between the project stakeholders, and whether the customer is God. Saving Changes...
First and foremost, as a project manager, you must ensure that you understand the nature of the conflict. Once you know what both sides said and did, you can begin to identify the root causes of the conflict. This could be anything from misunderstandings to personal differences. Saving Changes...
I would say you should review the whole job, make sure that everything is clear for everyone. Sit with them and clear the situation. Tasks, responsibilities, etc. should have been defined clearly. Saving Changes...
Community Champion
