A mixed approach and better project management are key to hitting housing targets

Commenting on the conclusion of the House of Lords’ Built Environment Committee’s Meeting housing demand report, Baroness Neville-Rolfe highlights that the problem lies within a lack of skills in planning. Combined with poor foresight and communication, the result is a disjointed approach, exacerbating surrounding issues, including materials shortages and COVID disruption.

To overcome this, construction needs a more joined up approach that prioritises cultivating a ‘diverse housebuilding ecosystem’, embracing a mix of both traditional and modern methods of construction (MMC), to avoid hitting a proverbial brick wall. This needs to be complemented with a robust approach to project management, using strategies that support staff and encourage development to plug the gap around poor planning.

A diverse housing ecosystem follows the idea that incorporating different approaches helps build adaptive resilience. In other words, neither traditional construction or MMC should be heralded over the other. The same goes for large housebuilders and SMEs. By cultivating diversity in the solutions available, we can help minimise the risk of disruption from supply chain issues and skills shortages and increase our chances of reaching 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

There is, understandably, a strong appetite for prefab and MMC. The appeal of the new is undeniable and modish technologies are often tempting and full of promise. However, a balance needs to be found with proven traditional building methods, which offer more market stability and consistency in terms of material supplies and come with their own green benefits.

There is some debate about the relevance of traditional construction methods in a contemporary setting, where sustainability is king. At MPA, we believe projects which use traditional and modern methods as appropriate stand to benefit from the best of both worlds.  

“The appeal of the new is undeniable and modish technologies are often tempting and full of promise. However, a balance needs to be found with proven traditional building methods, which offer more market stability and consistency”

In her reaction to the House of Lords Report, Baroness Neville-Rolfe noted she was most surprised by the “lack of skills in planning after years of not training people”. Despite their contributions to housebuilding success, project management and planning skills are undervalued and underutilised.

We’re starting to see this change, but it needs to happen faster to keep up with the challenges threatening to bring construction to a standstill. So how can leaders support those managing project in their firms?

Firstly, they need to recognise who might be a project professional, hidden behind the guise of a different job title, whether contracts manager, site supervisor or account manager. The number of people managing projects is more than most realise. At independent property and construction consultancy Gleeds, for example, a significant 200 of 900 UK employees are project managers.

Harnessing that existing talent effectively can go a long way. Once they’ve been identified, leaders can maximise project practitioners’ effectiveness by supporting their development through formalised training, accredited CPD, recognised qualifications and chartered status. This starts to give them the recognition they need.

Employers can then further enable project managers’ work by giving them the same weight as their marketing, finance and HR counterparts. This can be built on by ensuring they have strategic influence at executive board level; possible by designating a Chief Project or Transformation Officer. By having a voice at the table, these experts can ensure projects form a critical part of strategic development and increase the chances of project success.

A project-centric approach, built on a foundation of professional recognition and accreditation, will encourage a much-needed focus on planning as a key part of the housebuilding life cycle.

Strategies implemented so far to reach Government’s ambitious 300,000 homes-a-year target aren’t delivering. While there’s neither time nor resource to reinvent the wheel, if the construction sector takes inventory of all of the expertise and tools available, it’s likely it will find it has all the materials needed to help housebuilding flourish, with some revision to the blueprints. 

Prof Adam Boddison, is chief executive for the Association for Project Management, Phil Cox is director at MPA Masonry