Calling Audibles: Giving Your Construction Project Managers Confidence in the Field
By Ryan Gaiss, Enterprise Account Executive, Document Crunch
Great quarterbacks call audibles to change the play last minute when they know it won’t work. They make quick decisions on the field that set their team up for success. Project managers (PMs) have a similar responsibility in construction. Their playbook is the contract their company signed. Their job is to execute per the contract, but there will always be unforeseen circumstances that affect that plan. They’ll face inclement weather, shipping delays, labor issues, and more throughout every project. A construction project’s success does not depend on everything going according to plan, because that’s nearly unheard of. A construction project’s success depends on project managers pivoting, communicating, and adjusting quickly in the field to keep stakeholders informed, protect budgets, and minimize schedule impacts. In order to do so, PMs need the resources, and authority, to call audibles on the job site.
When should project managers call audibles on site?
Project managers are responsible and accountable for keeping projects on track. No matter how good the playbook, you can never fully predict the defense.
Throughout a construction project, PMs are likely to face:
Inclement weather and weather delays
Material shipment delays
Labor issues
Budget issues
Design mistakes
Construction mistakes
For all of these construction issues, PMs not only have to identify the issue, they have to know what constitutes an actual issue per the contract. Then, they have to know how to give notice regarding the issue, in what form and when, and who needs to be notified. At the same time they are communicating the issue, they have to start resolving it, through change orders, contingency funds, reversing mistakes, and more.
Like a quarterback, it’s not enough to call the audible, PMs have to execute the new play successfully before anyone gives them a high five.
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Like a quarterback, it’s not enough to call the audible, PMs have to execute the new play successfully before anyone gives them a high five. 〰️
How often do PMs call audibles on site?
As one risk manager put it recently, “All the time and not enough.” Project managers frequently contact company legal resources to double check the contract. While the precaution is well-intentioned, it can delay time spent addressing the issue and initiating risk management protocols. Without a thorough understanding of the contract, it’s easy for project managers to underestimate or overestimate issues that need legal input. This can lead to slow approvals for change orders, schedule extensions, and more. Discerning when to call audibles on the job site, and when legal resources need to provide input, is critical. Understanding contractual obligations (or levers) is easier said than done. It takes time, which PMs are already short on. Luckily, AI and modern software solutions can support them getting up to speed on contract documents and referencing those documents quickly when needed.
How can PMs become more confident in calling audibles?
Making game-time decisions takes competence, authority, and confidence. Project managers have the competence to run the projects they’re assigned and the authority to make decisions that align with the contract. The factor most often missing is confidence, not in their ability to manage a project, but in their knowledge of the contract terms. Instead, they enlist legal resources “too often and never enough.”
PMs need to be able to do the following to truly understand the contract and make confident decisions against it:
1. Read and categorize the contract terms that expose you to risk
How to do this with Document Crunch: Project Playbook
Document Crunch automatically identifies and extracts the key provisions and critical dates that matter most. This ensures you always have full visibility of deadlines you must meet to protect your entitlements—whether it’s submittal schedules, notice requirements, or progress payment timelines.
2. Quickly search and reference key clauses for information and confirmation
Need to quickly verify the notice requirements? Or double check the installation sequencing requirements? Quickly ask Chat and get the answer in seconds.
3. Map contingencies or decisions that impact other terms within the contract
How to do this with Document Crunch: Checklist
With the Checklist, you can make custom prompts that can map contingencies and related decisions within a contract by automating the process of identifying interconnected provisions. For example, if a delay provision affects the completion schedule or payment terms, Document Crunch will flag these dependencies, giving you a clear view of how changes or contingencies in one area could impact other critical obligations. This way, you can make informed decisions and manage risks more effectively.
4. Interact with the contract to ask questions and get clarification on terms
When do I need to give notice for a weather delay?
5. Flag any areas of potential risk that will need legal input should issues arise
How to do this with Document Crunch: Playbooks
Document Crunch generates an AI-powered Playbook with summarized key provisions as soon as the contract is Crunched. Your legal team can then review and customize the Playbook, adding your company’s specific requirements and detailed instructions to provide even greater protection and clarity.
Understanding the contract leads to confidence. Confidence gets change orders approved, schedules extended, respect granted, and results in safer and more profitable projects. Confidence comes from understanding the contract better than anyone else on site, and calling audibles that show it.
With a tool like Document Crunch, PMs can get up to speed on lengthy contracts quickly. They can use AI chat to answer questions or clarify terms they might be hesitant to ask their boss or in-house counsel. They can weigh decisions without waiting on feedback, and know when they need feedback the most.
While calling audibles on a construction site may not be this entertaining, it’s imperative that project managers have the authority to do so. NFL quarterbacks may call dummy audibles or outrageously named audibles to distract the defense, but construction project managers only call audibles to keep their construction teams on track.
Software like Document Crunch gives PMs the confidence and contract knowledge they need to make those decisions in the field.