Client / Manager Management

Coffee Pot and Water Cooler
1

How do you deal with people who just do NOT understand the PROCESS involved in specifications?

Bear with me – this may be long.

We have a major client who builds multiple facilities. They have a staff architect who provides Word based specifications. They were MasterSpec, but now they are just his edits, with Part 2 being gutted. I gave up a long time ago on pushing an changes to his edits to the criteria specs. I gave up a long time ago on doing any real thinking when it comes to these specs. Thinking goes against the Owner’s rep’s wishes.

I have been using VisiSpecs to edit the specs (because some editing is actually needed) and to assemble the project manual. The in-house engineers LOVED the switch to VisiSpecs because it makes their lives so much easier.

The Owner’s rep provides period updates to the specs. I incorporate them into the base project in VisiSpecs, keeping a log of updated specs. I have to make some changes to them – I added merge fields to some of the sections so that we don’t miss those, and I changed his notes to CMT style so they get hidden when printed. Sometimes I get dreck that is a styles mess and I have to fix it. Each section has to keep the date that the Owner issued it in the upper right hand corner so each section has its own parameter info added.

Anyhow, a BUNCH of revisions just got pushed, and it took me a few hours to update the base project in VisiSpecs. So I asked what number my time should be billed to.

I am being told that for EVERY PROJECT, I need to start OVER AGAIN with the files that are parked in the folder on the SharePoint. This will add HOURS to the spec editing. (And they already do not accurately account for the time spent on editing.)

The Project Managers will not even contemplate doing it any other way. For the last few years, I just went ahead and did it my way with VisiSpecs. But this latest update dump took several hours.

I KNOW, with every fiber of my being, if I explain about the VisiSpecs and the base project, and uploading new/revised specs as the Owner issues them, I will be told NOT TO DO IT THAT WAY. That I MUST do it EXACTLY the way the Owner’s rep wants it done.

Sigh…

2

I think you may be here to just vent, but in addition to a hug and emotional support, I’ll give my two-cents…

If you are a 1099 contractor to your client, then they cannot dictate ‘how’ you do the work. They can only dictate the requirements for the end product/deliverable that you return to them. (If you are an employee, they can dictate how you do the work.) I would remind them of this fact, if necessary.

In terms of getting paid for this recent effort, you may or may not be able to just assign the hours to the next project for them. I would certainly try to recoup the costs in future projects, whether that is increasing your lump sum fees or your hourly fees to account for the “overhead” or “admin” time in maintaining the master, or getting their approval to set up a separate project with them for ‘master maintenance’. If it were me, I would probably go the route of ensuring my lump sum or hourly fee accommodates any necessary overhead/admin work related to the client.

Good luck.

And…here’s that hug I mentioned:
HUG

3

It sounds like they are willing to work harder not smarter, so your fee should be commensurate with the effort their method requires. You could add a line in your proposal that you could reduce the fee by X amount using an improved process, and let them vote with their wallet.

4

Time to find a new client.