As Abraham Lincoln knows, the more time invested into the planning phase, the more time saved during the often complex execution and delivery phases of a project. A good Tenancy Coordinator will tell you the power is in the planning when it comes to the successful delivery of a tenancy. The project planning phase is the biggest component of the life cycle of any project. Yet, in my experience, not a lot of people like the planning stage despite the often well versed phrase ‘by failing to plan you are planning to fail’.
In order to sharpen your axe as part of the project planning process I recommend paying attention to the following three factors:
- Key Stakeholders;
- Scope of works; and
- Timelines.
Key Stakeholders
Understanding your key stakeholders in retail delivery should include internal and external stakeholders. As part of the project team do you want to include the leasing, design and trades in your process – or just the key internal stakeholders like the development manager, leasing manager and project manager. Do you want the Tenant to be involved intricately with your process? Or would you prefer them to be at arms length to what can be sensitive information shared amongst the team. What responsibilities will each stakeholder carry throughout the tenancy delivery lifecycle?
Scope of Works
Ensure the scope of works is fully documented and reflected in your process moving forward. This should be formulated by the leasing team with the issue of a clear ‘Instruction to Proceed’. Any specific expectations as agreed between the leasing team and the tenant should be included in this document. For example, is the tenant expecting fire sprinkler works and mechanical works to be included? What is the handover date? How many days does the tenant have to fitout the new tenancy? These pieces of information form the ‘Why’ in relation to the delivery of the tenancy. All key stakeholders should have access to relevant scope documents to ensure they understand the ‘Why’. Some of the scope of works may be commercially sensitive, like fitout contributions. However understanding triggers like whether there is a fitout contribution present should be enough to aid in the ‘Why’ without having to disclose actual commercial sensitivities.
Timelines
Representing the key time lines within tenancy delivery also falls under the scope of works, ie the date of handover, the fitout period etc. However each stakeholder should have a clear understanding of the required times they have to complete their own Tasks. For example, the Retail Design Manager should turn the design reviews around in 5 working days, the Services Engineer should review the services layouts and provide a Services Instruction within 7 days etc. Without these clear time parameters, stakeholders are open to interpretation when it comes to completing their tasks and ultimately put the project delivery at risk.
Making the project planning process a fun, transparent and stress free one can be achieved! As part of our implementation process with our new customers we move through a stepped project planning checklist to ensure our customers question and improve their existing processes.
Read some of my earlier thoughts around using checklists here.
Contact us for more information or to book a demo of TCPinpoint and see how it can be applied to your tenancy delivery projects.