Mini case study

Construction firm's revision process leads to continued development

A nationalUK construction and regeneration firm has reported significant improvements in customer and staff satisfaction levels, following the implementation of a bespoke post project review process, provided bychange management consultancy, Revision.

Lovell is a specialist provider ofbuilding, refurbishment, and regeneration projects across the UK, working in partnership withhousing associations, social housing schemes, local authority partnerships, and other public sector partners to provide a range of services includingland procurement, design and build projects, mixed tenure, and maintenance projects.

With such a high number of projects and clients, Lovell needed to move from a business with an unstructured approach to project assessment, adopting a more consistent and fixed approach. In turn, providing the business with the ability to fully understand its clients' objectives, while successfully monitoring performance toassessthe overall success of each project; an evaluation model, which allows staff to learn from past projects in order to continually improve processes and working practices.

A practical example of an improvement made relates to Lovell's technical team, which was often not involved in the early stages of a project bid, leading to a lack of united communication across the organisation. Prior to working with Clare Hall, Organisational Development Consultant at Revision, the business acknowledgedthe company's evaluationof projects lacked consistency, with reviews not always taking place or alternatively not being acted upon.As a result, it was widely accepted that the business needed to implement an approach that would ensure communication and assessment were central considerations for every project.

Speaking about their decision to employ the services of Clare Hall and Revision,regional Director Nigel Yates comments:"Lovell has a long and established working relationship with Clare Hall, who previously worked for us as our regional training manager. As a result, Clare hold a comprehensive knowledge regarding our business which meant she was the obvious choice for helping us to take the business forward."

A bespoke solution

Working with the management team, Clare examined the existing review process, accessing the elements which worked well and those which needed improvement. As a consequence of the assessment, Clare was able to devise a bespoke programme which better suited the needs of Lovell. The implementation of Revision's post project review means Lovell now has a three stage process which every project now goes through, which includes planning, implementation, and review.

The structure of the post project review consists of a one-day highly interactive workshop. This involves all members of the project team, and gives them the opportunity to discuss and evaluate the completed project. It also provides a platform for staff to identify strengths and weaknesses, pre, during, and post project. The interactive workshops now provide the company with the perfect framework to conduct an honest, open and constructive review internally, where staff are encouraged to be candid and straightforward in regards to the project.

Concrete results

The result of each post project review means the project team can now collect its findings in one simple and accessible document, which sets out key, measurable objectives which the whole team can work towards.

Commenting on the benefits the post project review, Nigel Yates continues,"The success of the post project review has been significant. The structured and open assessments now mean we can clearly identify objectives, allowing issues to be addressed immediately. This has worked extremely effectively, giving the team the focus needed for continued learning and development. The receptiveness of the team has been very encouraging, and the result of the structured post project review process means all employees are on board with any change project from the beginning."

Beyond the significant improvements Lovell has witnessed in its own internal processes, the post project review has also helped to further cement the company's already strong relationships with clients and external partners.

Nigel Yates adds,"The new process means that Lovell can also involve clients in the post project review where appropriate, providing an open dialogue between the company and our partners. This is a key part of the learning process, helping us to identify potential issues, in addition to highlighting individual project strengths. Our extensive portfolio of clients means we do not have the time or resources to make mistakes. Clare's post project review has provided a strong foundation on which we intend to build upon. The feedback from both clients and staff has been extremely positive, and as a result, Lovell will continue to work closely with Revision as we continue to grow."

-ENDS-

About Revision

Revision is a change management consultancy which believes in using proven tools and techniques to manage change, manage people, and grow organisations.

Clare Hall has two decades of experience working in construction, housing and the private sector and is passionate about delivering tangible benefits to her clients. Devising solutions that are bespoke, effective and realistic, Clare Hall Organisational Development looks at businesses through a fresh pair of eyes, constructively challenging thoughts, processes and viewpoints.