The Key to Better Integrated Design and Construction

Construction personnel and design personnel think differently, are wired differently and are definitely different types of people. But at the end of the day here at A M King, it’s great to see that we’ve broken down those silos. Both groups have a vested interest in providing the best integrated design and construction services, which leads to successful projects and future opportunities from existing and new clients.

Successfully unifying in-house design and construction teams was just one of the topics I discussed with Randy Wilburn, host of The Zweig Letter Podcast (TZL) in this recent episode. I think my perspective is fairly unique in that I spent most of my career focusing on the construction side of the business, and the last five years also overseeing our design group. I never really thought I’d be in this position, but it’s been rewarding to see how our integrated design and construction teams have come together to provide exceptional services and value.

I was honored to be Randy’s guest on such a respected podcast. Here are some highlights from our discussion:

Introduction

Randy: I have a great episode for you today. I have Dan Crist, who is President of A M King on the podcast with us today. Dan, how are you doing?

Dan: I’m doing great Randy. I’m excited to be here. We’re big fans of the podcast.

Randy: As a way of introduction, just tell our audience a little bit about you and your superhero origin story as it relates to A M King.

Dan: Well, I’m not sure about the superhero part but I’ve been with the company since its inception in 2004. Brian King founded A M King with two other partners 20 years ago and I was the first employee. I started as a Project Manager and after 15 years or so of primarily focusing only on the construction side, I got more involved with our in-house design group.

I’ve spent the last five years working with both our design and construction groups, which has been interesting, to say the least, but it’s been fantastic.

Industry Challenges

Randy: I was joking at the time when we had our first call and I said, ‘I’m going to call this ‘bridging the gap between construction and design.’ But there’s a lot of truth to that. I can imagine when you got into this space, you probably had preconceived notions about what things were like on the design side. Is that correct?

Dan: Oh, absolutely. I graduated from Purdue in ’99 with a Construction Management degree and never imagined that I would somehow be deeply involved with the design industry. You’re somewhat trained as a construction professional not to get along with the design groups you work with. It’s just how the industry was in the early days of my career. When a client goes out and hires a design firm and then they bring in the construction firm later on to build their project, it often leads to finger pointing and the mindset of ‘Well, I couldn’t have possibly screwed this up, it must be the designer that did it, right?’

Randy: Of course, we think that everybody should be equipped with communication skills, the ability to listen and all that, but there’s so much more to it.

Dan: That’s right. Twenty-five years ago when I graduated, the term Design-Build wasn’t unheard of, but it certainly wasn’t something that was talked about like it is today. You received your degree in Construction Management. You went to work for a general contractor, and you didn’t think about design much. Now it’s good to see a lot of these four-year construction management programs starting to integrate some design courses. Now we understand how much more popular the integrated design and construction delivery method has become.

Young people coming out of school must understand that they’re going into these projects not just as a contractor, but a lot of times they’re on the same team as the designer.

Breaking Down Silos

Randy: Can you maybe talk about how you were able to bridge the divide between your foundation in construction management as you moved over and also started working with design professionals?

Dan: Before I started working closely with our design group, I had a lot of preconceived notions of how design groups worked and their way of thinking. ‘They’re designing details that can’t be constructed in the field and they’re designing projects that can’t be built within the Owner’s budget.’ It didn’t take me long to understand we had very talented designers who could likely benefit from my 20 years of management experience on the construction side of the business. What I quickly found out is that you can’t manage a design team like you do a construction team.

Randy: You do have to be able to walk in the other person’s shoes, right?

Dan: Yes, and I had my way of doing things. You have to be tough on the construction side and hold subcontractors accountable. You can’t always be nice. And now that I was involved with the design group, I had to learn to manage them differently.

Quite frankly, Randy, this experience has changed me, not just as a manager, but as a person.

I have gained appreciation from spending the last five years with our design team and really seeing what they do day-in-and-day-out and how hard they work.

Then it was easy for me to come back to the construction side and say, listen everybody, this is how you’re going to work with our design group. They can’t be treated like a third-party subcontractor. They are A M King, just like we are. They have the same vested interests that we have. They want to take care of the client. They want A M King to be successful, profitable, and grow just like the construction group does. We all have the same goals at the end of the day.

Truly Integrated Design and Construction

Randy: You sound like a unifier. You should be running for office. So how do you manage these disparate groups that also include subs, vendors, etc. to make sure you ultimately deliver to your client what you promise?

Dan: I think the key to everything boils down to one word: Respect. You’ve got to respect what other parties are doing. We’re all in this together. The design group is not going to grow, and the construction group is not going to grow without each other. It’s been interesting to witness how our clients enjoy working with our construction group more than they used to.

The mindset of our construction group has shifted from “me first” to “team first.” It’s us, it’s A M King, and clients have noticed it.

Randy: There’s nothing better than a kinder, gentler construction management professional.

Dan: These construction superintendents and project managers aren’t as hardened as they used to be. They’ve all realized that we live in a different day and age and that you have to treat people right no matter what their job is.

Wrap Up

Randy: Dan, thanks so much for opening up the books, if you will, and sharing, giving us a little glimpse into what you guys are all about. And just some of the experiences you have had on the construction management and design side, as well as how you are viewing the future. I think other firm leaders out there will find some solace and comfort in your words and your leadership. So, we want to thank you for that.

Dan: It’s been a privilege to be here with you, thank you.

To learn more about Dan’s leadership journey, A M King’s evolution as a Design-Build firm, and the company’s positive transition to an employee-owned company, listen this The Zweig Letter Podcast episode with host Randy Wilburn. Got comments for Dan or questions about A M King? Send him a message on LinkedIn and visit our website.