Most contracts make your heart sink – they are devoid of personality and bland. They focus on actions not emotions. Most contracts could be sent by any anonymous global corporate. Perhaps we should change that? Read the full edition here Can your contract be a ticket of trust? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT4Z7bnjmWA
Building information modelling is often referred to as better information management. Even before we were regularly using BIM and the technology that enables the data sharing and processes, there were projects from which we could have learnt. Although I am no designer, this post merely passes on some tips from
The issue of quality is a thorny one on construction projects and covers everything from the construction process, to use and performance. The two main standards are reasonable skill and care, or fitness for purpose. Unless a contract clearly specifies a different standard, then you may have to rely on
150 years ago paper bank notes were introduced in England and were signed individually… if banking can go digital, why haven’t your contracts? Read the full edition here What are you waiting for? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6oxKmLkocI
It is quicker, cheaper and easier to learn from the mistakes of others, than to make you own. After a hot oil popcorn factory burnt down, the courts reviewed the risk analysis that the designers/installers and owners carried out when contracting for a fire suppression system. They were not impressed!
An English idiom, from the 16th century confirms that you cannot both eat your cake and have it… which has been reversed (nonsensically) into ‘you cannot have your cake and eat it’! For contracts, this means you cannot have all three core objectives in one project. You cannot have both
Contracts are not often described as user-friendly… more often they are noted as being the opposite. That may be harsh if it comes from a user, but it is feedback you need to act on if it comes from a judge. Not user-friendly In Blu-Sky v Be Caring the English
Trying to change embedded behaviours is difficult – it’s hard enough in children, never mind adults! When discussing contracts, do you consider how the terms and processes will affect the users? Do contracts change behaviours? Of course, the contract could just represent what the parties already do. But surely that
Even if you don’t want to create game-changers, at the very least your contracts should be tools to help you do business. But more often, contracts are more of a hindrance than a help. Why should we and how can we change that? Read the full edition here What does
A contract is not just a set of legal terms. Contracts include: processes such as change management deliverables and KPIs works information programming payment schedules policies and codes of conduct A completed contract is a mix of commercial, operational, legal and technical items. The difficulty for most users is finding