The Skywalk Collapse & The 5 Decision Questions Every Construction Leader Must Train Their Team On

Train your team on decision-making: Explicitly teach your team, from project managers to lead carpenters, frameworks for making informed decisions, as most have zero formal training.

Utilize pre-construction for decisions: Shift as many project decisions as possible to the pre-construction phase to reduce on-the-fly, high-pressure, and costly decisions during construction.

Understand the 'cost of indecision': Recognize that delaying a decision can be more damaging than making a quick, even if slightly imperfect, one. Procrastination often amplifies problems and costs.

Apply the 40/70 rule: Empower your team to make decisions once they have 40% of the necessary information, but don't wait past 70% to avoid analysis paralysis.

Think three steps ahead: Encourage a 'then what?' mindset. For any proposed action, consider at least three subsequent consequences to proactively identify and mitigate potential issues.

Involve the right people: Before making a decision, identify who is accountable, who has the technical expertise, and crucially, who owns the risk if things go wrong, to ensure proper consultation.

Define the desired end result: Always clarify the optimal outcome in terms of safety, budget, schedule, and client satisfaction before choosing a path, then work backward to achieve it.