JCDM Church Builders

Construction Clinic With Ray Robinson

Posted on: 08/01/1999

Construction Clinic With Ray Robinson

Ray Robinson is VP of Sales & Marketing for JCDM Church Builders, Joplin MO, a full service design build firm. The company provides a multitude of construction needs including site evaluation, architectural and engineering design, 3-D renderings and walk-throughs, general contracting, construction management and financial plans.

CB: What is the most common mistake churches make when they embark on a building project?

RR: The greatest mistake is underestimating the time required to properly plan, design and build the new facilities. This occurs when the church waits until their internal growth (lack of seats) or external growth (lack of parking facilities) forces them into fast tracking their design/build process. Normally, under these conditions the building committee is placed under pressure to get through their process in order to meet the present growth needs of the church. The church needs to understand that it takes from three to six months to meet with each department of the church. This would include the senior pastor and his ministry team to the janitorial staff and everyone in between. This would not include possible time for land acquisition, zoning requirements, site impact studies, required EPA environmental audits, stewardship campaigns and other major items that need to be completed prior to any drawings or ideals from the architectural or design build firm. Project management is a must and required for this pre-design phase.

CB: What is the most common cause of project delays and how can it be avoided?

RR: Project delays are the result of a failure in the project management systems. Typically the contractor is blamed. However, project delays are usually a combination of events that have not happened the way they were projected to happen. In their book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management, authors Sunny and Kim Baker give four reasons for project failure, another term for project delays:

• Not enough resources available to complete the project
• Not enough time is approved to complete the project.
• Unclear project expectations lead to inappropriate or incomplete results.
• Disagreements among principles regarding the expectations for the project lead to dissatisfaction with the end results.

If ample consideration is paid to each of the above issues, then most delays can be avoided or eliminated.

CB: In your experience, where do churches misdirect their funds?

RR: Most churches prematurely hire their consultants prior to understanding the scope of their project. They are more concerned about the cosmetic and superficial elements of their building and do not spend enough time giving thought to the structural and mechanical systems of their project.

CB: If you could offer one piece of advice to church building committees, what would it be?

RR: Take the time to understand all the necessary components required for the execution of a successful project. Have a planning workshop prior to the start of any anticipated project.