4 Ways to Prepare a School Community for a Construction Project

Preparing a school community for a construction project is no simple task. There are various stakeholders in a project. You must communicate with every stakeholder and engage them. Highlight the benefits of the project.

This can seem intimidating, especially if you have never managed a construction project before. Follow these tips to ensure smooth sailing.

Maintain Seamless Communication with Project Stakeholders

First and foremost, identify project stakeholders. Project stakeholders usually include students and their families, staff, alumni, donors, community members, trustees, and neighboring communities. Once you have identified project stakeholders, choose effective communication channels.

Come up with an effective communication plan. When designing your communication plan, evaluate the background of the project. Consider what-if scenarios, for example, what if someone is not reachable. Define the objectives of your communication plan. Set a budget.

Use emails to keep stakeholders posted. To ensure anyone who would like to keep themselves informed has easy access to information they’re looking for, post project updates to the school’s website regularly. Hold meetings geared toward specific groups.

Discuss the Long-term Impacts of the Project

Many project stakeholders will be wary of negative impacts of the project. To quell these concerns, communicate the long-term benefits of the project.

Explain project benefits to stakeholders. Use design renderings to help them focus on the end result and the positive effects the new construction will have on the students, facility and community as a whole.

Communicate Challenges That the Community Can Face During Construction

Before starting the project, tell all the stakeholders what to expect. Explain to them the nature of the disruptions they can expect to encounter.

If you are expecting increased traffic, noisy activities, parking problems, or would want some community members to relocate temporarily, let them know beforehand so they can plan for these disruptions.

Plan Workflow with Your Contractor

Set up a time to discuss the project with your school construction company in Sonoma County. Are there certain times of the day you would want the contractor to stop work due to noise and safety issues? For example, if the construction site is close to the student pickup/drop-off point, it makes sense to halt construction during student pickup and drop-off timings.

Discuss the nature of invasive works with your contractor. If a long school break is coming up, consider finishing these tasks during the break to avoid disruptions once kids return after the break.

Need help on your construction project? Look no further than Holly & Associates. We have extensive experience managing complex construction projects. Our expertise, know-how and experience give us an edge over the competition. To learn more, call 707-541-0700.