Written by: Lyle Charles Consulting
A crisis is a major, unpredictable event that threatens to harm an organization and its stakeholders.
When a crisis hits a company or construction project, using Interim short term management services is a way to restore order. Interim managers fill a role you don’t think you need until it’s too late.
When someone steps in as an interim manager, they are faced with tight-budgeted and time- sensitive projects. One of their most important vital functions during those difficult and tense times is dispute resolution.
Understandably, the number of disputes within a company or project tend to rise during a crisis, whether it’s between two employees, labor and management, or contractor and owner. Dispute resolution is important because the work still needs to get done. If the dispute is not resolved, then everyone ends up in court, but not as a paid construction expert witness. No one wins if a dispute goes unresolved.
There are a wide range of dispute resolution techniques. But they can all be boiled into three camps:
Negotiation or problem solving to get things back on track
Mediation or conciliation which involves a third part and possibly a construction expert witness
The adjudicative process where the final outcome is decided by a third party who can bind each party to obligations
Mediation offers several advantages over trial, but cost and time savings are the two most important. The sooner the crew can get back to work, the less money is lost!
Bio: Lyle Charles is a certified expert witness for the construction industry, specializing in both commercial and residential projects.