From any perspective, the ideal construction project is one in which the contractor shows up on your doorstep with the right price and all of his tools, people, and equipment ready to start, and builds exactly what you want for the price you want and finish on schedule. Everyone then goes away, happy as clams. This is the ideal, but it never occurs.

The world is a competitive place; to survive, contractors must think competitively in order to win work. They must find a way to complete a quality project for the lowest price. Circumstances can easily derail even the best plans and...

From any perspective, the ideal construction project is one in which the contractor shows up on your doorstep with the right price and all of his tools, people, and equipment ready to start, and builds exactly what you want for the price you want and finish on schedule. Everyone then goes away, happy as clams. This is the ideal, but it never occurs.

The world is a competitive place; to survive, contractors must think competitively in order to win work. They must find a way to complete a quality project for the lowest price. Circumstances can easily derail even the best plans and...