How can you manage risks and uncertainties during construction, and communicate them effectively?

1 Identify and assess risks

The first step in managing risks and uncertainties is to identify and assess them. This means analyzing the project scope, site conditions, design specifications, budget, schedule, and contract terms to determine the potential sources of problems and their impact. You can use a risk register to document and prioritize the risks, assign responsibilities, and plan mitigation actions. A risk register is a table that lists the risk description, category, probability, impact, response, and status for each risk.

3 Communicate effectively

The third step is to communicate effectively with your clients, contractors, and stakeholders about the risks and uncertainties. Effective communication can help you build trust, resolve issues, and achieve alignment on the project goals and expectations. You should define the communication objectives, audience, and message before using various channels and formats such as meetings, emails, phone calls, presentations, and documents. Additionally, it is important to use clear, concise, and consistent language when providing relevant and accurate information. Visual aids and examples can help illustrate complex or technical concepts. It is also important to listen actively to others' concerns and perspectives, ask for feedback and confirmation, and document the communication outcomes and actions.

5 Learn and improve

The fifth step is to learn and improve from the risks and uncertainties during construction. To do this, you can use various techniques and tools such as lessons learned sessions, surveys, audits, evaluations, and feedback forms. Additionally, there are several best practices for learning and improving that should be followed. These include conducting lessons learned sessions at the end of each project phase or milestone, inviting all parties involved to participate and share their experiences, documenting and summarizing the key findings, recommendations, and actions, implementing and monitoring the actions and improvements, and sharing the lessons learned and best practices with other projects and teams. By following these steps, you can enhance your skills, knowledge, and processes while avoiding repeating the same mistakes or issues in the future.