"Project Team Coordination" by Kim Coates, Mark Line Industries, Inc.

In his article titled "A New Focus for FBS" in the September/October 2000 issue of Factory Built Structures, Randy Holler explained the commercial modular building process. Coordination of the many interrelated tasks is at the heart of any successful building project. As with site construction, a different independent member of the building team often holds primary responsibility for each phase of a modular building project. The modular building team often includes a dealer, a manufacturer, a transporter, and a site installation (set-up) contractor, and may include additional subcontractors who perform site preparation and install utilities.

Point position on this building team is held by the dealer. The dealer:

- holds the contract from the customer,
- contracts with the other members of the modular building team,
- serves as the primary contact for the customer and clearinghouse for all information passing between the customer and any member of the building team,
- directs customer input about construction of the building to the manufacturer,
- helps the customer to interpret shop drawings assuring that the manufacturer and the customer share expectations for construction of the building,
- may secure or help the customer secure any required building permits,
- coordinates scope of work between the manufacturer and site contractors to assure that responsibility for all tasks is assigned without overlap,
- and coordinates schedules between the manufacturer, transporter and site contractors.

In a sense, the manufacturer is the foundation of the modular building team. From the customer's perspective, the manufacturer is often hidden from view, but the factory-built modules are the primary component of the finished building. The manufacturer:

- creates shop drawings to convey how the module(s) are to be manufactured to production workers,
- obtains plan approval from regulatory authorities,
- purchases materials,
- manufactures the module(s),
- and ships finish materials in accordance with defined scope of work for use by the set-up contractor.

The transporter delivers the module(s) from the factory to the building site. The transporter:

- relies on input about size and weight of each module from the manufacturer to obtain oversize transport permits,
- is responsible for negotiating a maze of physical obstacles to deliver a cumbersome load undamaged to a site often having marginal access, while being limited to daylight travel in accordance with limitations that vary from state to state.

The set-up contractor, possibly in conjunction with subcontractors sets the modules on the foundation and completes all remaining finish work. The set-up contractor:

- likely sets foot on the building site for the first time when he arrives with crew to install the modules,
- in some instances sees a set of shop drawings showing how the building is built for the first time when he finds the set shipped in the first module delivered to the site, relies upon the dealer to define the line between manufacturer and set-up scope of work,
- relies upon the manufacturer to complete its assigned scope of work,
- and often has the final direct contact between the building team and the customer.

At this point, you are likely wondering if my train of thought has a caboose. I will try to locate it.

Our dealers report a preponderance of satisfied customers. One of the essential team members, the manufacturer, likely has no direct contact with the customer. Another essential member, the set-up contractor may have only cursory knowledge about the building before arrival on site to begin installation. How then are we able to deliver the building expected by the customer? Just as in basketball, the play is initiated by the person in the point position. The dealer interprets and communicates the customer's expectations to the manufacturer. The dealer arranges for a site inspection to assure that it is accessible and free from surprises for the set-up contractor. The dealer coordinates scope of work between the manufacturer and set-up contractor, and oversees the project schedule. All team members strive to achieve excellence in performance of their individual role. With close coordination of the activities of every project team member the customer realizes a satisfactory modular building experience.

We are fortunate to have many industry veterans who can point to a long unbroken list of customers who are extremely satisfied with their modular building experience. By keeping in mind the roles of each team member, and investing the effort required to assure successful building projects, our satisfied customer list will grow without limit. These satisfied customers are the backbone of our industry-wide public relations campaign.

Kim Coates serves Mark Line Industries as president.