OML Features OMSC Partner, Cooper Project Advisors

OML, through its Oklahoma Municipal Service Corporation (OMSC) strategic partnership program, showcases numerous companies offering the highest service and products to our cities and towns.  Today, we are featuring one of our OMSC partners, Cooper Project Advisors.

Cooper Project Advisors, an Oklahoma City-based company, is an owner’s representative and construction consultancy firm with the experience and expertise needed to ensure building projects are successful.  As a representative, they provide the leadership, team building, oversight, accountability, and controls that get construction projects started right and keep them on track to their conclusion.  As a trusted advisor they offer unbiased analysis and opinion, enabling their clients to make quality decisions about their projects.

To find out more about how Cooper Project Advisors can assist you, please contact Steve Cooper at 405.229.1930 or by emailing steve@cooperpa.com or visiting their website at http://www.cooperpa.com.

Building Better: How Strong Teams Make Construction Projects Run Smoothly

You’ve spent years planning your major construction project. You’ve built momentum in the community, raised money, chosen a talented architect and good contractor. But after even before you break ground, things go awry. Budgets are increasing, unwanted revisions are needed, time is passing, the schedule is slipping.

If you’ve been involved with a construction project in recent years, you know that all too often, this is the norm. 

Industry research mirrors your experience, showing that 73% of construction projects finish over budget, and 70% finish behind schedule[1]. The Building SMART Alliance estimates 50% waste during the construction phase. 

We can do better than this. But how?

It Starts with the Owner

A recent Price Waterhouse Cooper white paper[2] identified key reasons projects overrun time and cost. The takeaway is clear: It starts with the Owner.  Every decision—from selecting team members to process organization and communication—either drives the project toward success or toward inefficiency.

So how do Owners help projects succeed? 

Building Strong Teams

The Construction Industry Institute conducted a study that asked a simple question: “How do we maximize project success?” They identified three key factors that predicted success: team integration, group cohesiveness, and transparency.

Integrated teams were united and personally invested in the project. Cohesive groups had good chemistry and were willing to compromise. And successful owners opted for transparent contracts with the right people, choosing to hire based on qualifications rather than price. 

It really is that simple. 

If you choose the right people, help them work well together, and communicate with transparency, everyone wins. And it’s the difference between project inefficiency and smooth sailing. 

[1] Cain, Clive Thomas. Profitable Partnering for Lean Construction

[2] “Correcting the Course on Capital Projects”