In this discussion, imagine you are the owner of a midsize general construction

In this discussion, imagine you are the owner of a midsize general construction company. What is one management strategy or practice you would implement to avoid future issues and reduce claims? Explain how this strategy proactively helps avoid issues in the future.
The goal of this discussion is to generate a number of different practices, so try not to duplicate a previously posted response.
Respond to the two classmates below (1-2 paragraphs each) evaluating the effectiveness of their suggested strategies. If you were the owner of the company, would you implement the same strategy? Why or why not?
Classmate #1
Manny
If I owned a construction company the one management strategy that I would implement is documentation. Having the proper documentation can and will save a lot of time when dealing with issues. For example, if a subcontractor installs new siding on a house and the customer or owner does not like how it turned out having documentation will avoid issues with the subcontractor as well as the customer. The kind of documentation I would collect from this scenario is the owners selection of siding (color, size, type), the contract agreement between the home owner and I stating what the work is going to be done and if there are any change orders included in the contract, the contract agreement between the subcontractor and I stating what work they will be fulfilling including if there are any change orders in the contract, a detailed schedule plan of when the work started and when it will be finished, a detailed list of the material that was ordered and delivered, and any transcriipts or notes of communication between either the home owner or subcontractor with me. There might be more forms of documentation that could be involved, but the point is having the proper documentation will help avoid issues and could even help solve issues as proof shown
Classmate #2
Jocie
There are many things a contractor can do to avoid issues and claims on projects. One way to prevent issues is to have a conservative schedule. “Fast-track or schedule-driven projects have significantly more claims than conservatively scheduled projects. We found that 33 percent of aggressively scheduled projects have claims as compared to 7 percent of conservatively scheduled projects” (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. p.36). One key aspect of creating a conservative schedule is to include float into the schedule. “Total float represents the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the overall project duration. Total float is measured as the difference between the early and late start dates or the early and late finish dates. Critical Total Float refers to the total float value in the Critical Path of current and baseline schedule” (Chandrakumar, 2021). Including float into the schedule will allow for unforeseen delays without affecting the schedule or critical path. The scheduled float can account for weather, material, labor, and equipment delays. The contractor can then schedule other non-critical path tasks during these delays such as clean up. A couple more ways to prevent issues and claims during the scheduling process is to use resource leveling and look-ahead scheduling methods. According to procore.com, resource leveling is adjusting the schedule to minimize resource usage variations to use the resources the best way possible. Look-ahead scheduling is to study the projected schedule a few weeks in advance to determine the upcoming work and what resources are needed to manage the schedule effectively (2023). Regardless of the methods used, having a conservative schedule will minimize issues and claims in projects due to an effectively planned schedule.

Chandrakumar, J. J. (2021). Accurate schedule performance analysis using critical total float method and comparison with conventional methods. Australian Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Engineering, 17(1), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/14488388.2021.1922131
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Reducing Construction Costs: Uses of Best Dispute Resolution Practices by Project Owners: Proceedings Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11846.
The Ultimate Guide to Construction Scheduling. Procore. (2023, October 31). https://www.procore.com/library/construction-scheduling
To complete this assignment, review the attached Discussion Rubric.