Getting a new fitout for your office is exciting, however, trying to manage a fitout project yourself can be a much bigger hassle than you think. But don’t just take our word for it – our local Brisbane client Brightwater Business Coaching has experienced self-managed fitouts first-hand and they’ve been kind enough to share their cautionary tale. Continue reading for more on ‘why use a project manager for your next fitout’.
The Downside to Self-Managed Fitout Projects
The landlord for the complex rented out by Brightwater Business Coaching decided to self-manage the fitout project for his complex rather than engage with professionals. The project was expected to take 8 weeks to complete and Brightwater Business Coaching had to seek out a temporary residence during this time. Just to be safe, they decided to transfer to another complex for 12 weeks to allow for a 50% buffer on the original timing estimate just in case any delays did occur.
7 ½ months into the project, Brightwater Business Coaching finally returned to their premises only to find that they still had no main front door and no tenancy door. The front entrance was also a shambles and 50% of the office walling was yet to be completed in the landlord’s section of the premises. Along with this, the tenants still had to put up with the coming and goings of tradespeople during the work day to get the job done.
Throughout the project, there was delay after delay caused by failure to order materials on time such as carpets, tradespeople not turning up to do their component of the project, and no contingency planning on the part of the landlord. A large portion of the glass ordered for the project was also broken on arrival and the replacement didn’t arrive until 8 weeks later.
Things got so dire, in fact, that the landlord decided to have a drop saw on the premises so he could do some of the trade work himself, and in the process he almost cut the top of his fingers off.
The landlord wrongly thought that he was saving money by managing the project himself, but the whole project ended up being far more time-consuming and costly than he expected all due to poor management.
Why Use a Project Manager – The Difference a Project Manager Can Make to a Fitout Project
A few months after returning to the office, Brightwater Business Coaching took advantage of our services at Future Fitouts to take care of partitioning as well as Workplace Health and Safety Compliance. These services were delivered without a hitch and any delays that occurred were no fault of their own.
The difference here is that our team at Future Fitouts does this for a living and we genuinely love what we do. We put 100% effort and attention into every fitout project we manage and always do our best to stay on schedule and deliver the required works on time.
What Can Be Learned from This Experience
As with Brightwater Business Coaching, many clients say they would never attempt to manage such a project on their own. An experience like this shows the time and money that can be wasted when an inexperienced and unqualified person is responsible for managing a complex fitout project on their own.
The only way to save time, hassle and cost is to take advantage of a professional fitout project management team who takes care of every stage of the fitout process on budget and within a set time frame. All the delays and headaches experienced by the landlord for Brightwater Business Coaching could easily be overcome if a professional project management team handled the job from start to finish.
So, if you have a fitout project planned that needs to be delivered on time, on budget and with minimal hassle, contact our team at Future Fitouts to book a consultation.
Ready to Get Started?
Are you looking to take the stress out of project managing your next fitout or want to learn more about one of our frequently asked questions ‘Why use a project manager?’ Call us on 1300 368 461 or get in touch with us online today to speak to our entire fitout solutions team at Future Fitouts!
Updated 27/02/2021