Getting the Most Out of Construction Field Visits

💡Staying humble and asking questions when you're in the field will help build trust and strengthen relationships 💡

I ask lots of questions when I'm on site because:
1. I'm not going to pretend I know how to execute a project better then our construction staff 🚜
2. It gets people comfortable and removes the "know-it-all" engineer perspective 🧮
3. Everyone has some knowledge and expertise to contribute. I make it my duty to discover that expertise 🧠

I understand integrity planning, metallurgy, and materials science, but the detailed steps it takes to actually execute projects is not where I excel.

It's amazing how construction managers and field superintendents can plan the tactics and the hour-by-hour ⌛️work to keep a crew of 20+ people moving in harmony. I try to learn about that to inform how I can beat support the field in the planning phase.

❓My favourite things to ask are:
HOW do you do it?
WHY do you do it that way?
Does it ever go WRONG?
Are there any RISKS?
What can I do from the Calgary office to make this EASIER or BETTER?

Comment below with how do YOU do field visits? How do you get the most out of them?

#construction #planning #execution #fieldtrip #newgrad #EIT