A Short Handover Is Not Enough by Marlon Amele

The construction industry needs new people.

That is obvious.

But it also needs to make better use of the experience it already has.

Too often, someone carries the same workload until their final day and is then expected to pass over years of knowledge in a few meetings.

That is not really a handover.

It is just a change of name.

A list of live projects is useful.

So are files, notes and contact details.

But they do not explain everything.

They may not explain why something was done in a certain way, what failed before or which issue needs watching closely.

Some knowledge should be written down.

Some should be passed on through mentoring.

Experienced people should be given time to explain what worked, what failed and what they would do differently.

They should also be used to review work, support younger staff and point out problems before they are repeated.

This is not about saying every old way was better.

It is not about holding back new ideas.

It is about not losing useful knowledge simply because nobody made time to ask for it.

Every generation should be able to move things forward without having to repeat every mistake made before them.

Construction leaves physical things behind.

People retire, but the buildings remain.

Their names may never appear on those buildings, but their decisions remain in the work.

The good decisions remain.

The poor ones do too.

That is why the handover should begin long before the final week.

Experience should not disappear in one afternoon.

It should be passed on while there is still time to ask questions.

Life. Construction. Legacy.

Thoughts on life through construction and the built environment.

Marlon Amele MCIOB

Founder of BuildionX