INNOVATION May-June 2017

fea t ure s

Effective Communication A Critical Requirement in Every Successful Project

Project Yellowhammer involved about 2.4 million cubic metres of excavation and 1.4 million cubic metres of fill placement, with up to 50,000 cubic metres of material moved each day.

Michael Yuan, P.Eng.

On a blazing August day in 2015, near a small town in northern Alabama, a massive site-grading construction project kicked off and would continue for the 200 days. Welcome to Project Yellowhammer (PYH). The project involved rough grading of a 200-acre site—roughly 150 American football fields—to design grades to provide a relatively flat plateau for future development. The project consisted of clearing and grubbing vegetation, stripping topsoil, construction of access roads and both permanent and temporary sediment-detention basins, excavation and fill placement, and creating positive drainage. The earthworks required about 2.4 million cubic metres of excavation and 1.4 million cubic metres of fill placement, with up to 50,000 cubic metres of material moved each day. Effective communication was integral to every component of every task, every day.

In a construction project, effective communication is a two-way process of conveying information so that all parties understand the big picture, know the daily objectives and details, and are aware of expectations and requirements—it puts all parties on the same page. If a project were a puzzle with many complicated pieces, effective communication would be the board on which the puzzle is built. It underlies every aspect of a project, and makes the project’s successful completion possible. Effective communication doesn’t just happen. Studies show that about half of all project failures are due to poor communication, and it can occur at any level along the chain of command. The consequences of poor communication can result in delays, lead to non-compliance in finished construction, and cause significant financial losses.

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