Logical fallacies are situations where poor definitions and/or poor associations occur that create incorrect or untruthful situations. The formula might look something like this:
If X=Y and Y=Z then X=Z, duh
An overly simple example in a construction trailer could be - RFI's are questions and asking lots of questions is good so lots of RFI's should be submitted. The reality is that the additional info gathered would probably be minimal but significant schedule impacts and frayed relationships would pile on until the final product suffered. Something similar could be applied to a situation where an engineer asks an abundance of questions to an experienced super or a super asking an abundance of backend financial questions of a PM. Assuming sound processes and systems are in place, much of the information anyone should need on a regular basis should be at their fingertips. If not, or in unique situations, a question should then be asked.
Often, these types of fallacies and logic aren't so clear and straight forward from their start to finish. There's a ton of variables in construction and if one is changed then there can be a chain reaction up, down and around the project. Hindsight and wisdom can help identify intricacies of our work that could lead to bad decisions and poor performance.
For example crew size and schedule durations. Assuming the same productions per manhour, a large crew should get more done than a small crew. Most jobs want to go fast. Adding more craft pros to a crew could make things go faster. Production per MH might also drop if supervision can't properly manage extra workers, equipment costs might skyrocket if additional, but inefficiently used, equipment is needed and the focus task or others may suffer inefficiencies due to congested or conflicting work areas. Overall project duration might improve if managed correctly (or luckily) or it could suffer if a critical path activity is delayed.
Other logical fallacies that could occur in construction are when people have different understandings of a term or process. An example of this could be client coordination. Contract documents might say coordination of a shut down or certain type of work must occur with client representatives prior to starting. On a city project, the project administrator might coordinate water shutdowns or road closures with other internal departments or the contractor may be responsible for coordinating directly with the necessary people. In this instance, contractor may assume that coordination means communicating with the project administrator who will close all the gaps but the project administrator might assume coordination means that the contractor will reach or to and work directly with other departments.
These kinds of fallacies creep up to negatively impact projects when definitions and expectations aren't clear enough at the start of the job. This why prior experience with a client is so valued. Levels of trust and understanding are high because everyone has the same process definitions and expectations.
To finish with an obvious logical fallacy and oversimplification, I used to work with an erection superintendent that emotionlessly said, "If it holds for 30 seconds, it will hold for 30 years," while getting in his truck after making a tough connection or splice fit up with drift pins and erection bolts. A new client rep was appalled because the fallacy was so obvious but quickly got over their shock when the straight faced superintendent's crew finished the connection per the spec.
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