It’s been seven years since I started working in construction management. When you’ve been in this field for many years, you experience all kinds of things—joyful moments, exhausting times, and difficult situations.
There have been all sorts of things, but the most difficult experience I had was when a junior construction manager who was working at the same site as me...Disappearance (so-called "running away")That's the point.
I wonder if this is my junior’s way of saying, “Stay away from construction management.” Let’s look back on that time and see exactly how my junior ended up leaving.
My junior construction manager took off
Construction Supervisor A, who went missing, was a junior colleague of mine.
Although he was a junior colleague, he was in his third year at the company, and A already had another new hire working under him; he was someone who had been entrusted with fairly important tasks.
One morning, as the construction project was reaching its midpoint and things were really starting to pick up on the job site...
A wasn't at the construction site office. Even after the morning meeting had started, he still hadn't shown up. Thinking he was probably late, I called him, but couldn't get through. At that point, I still thought he had simply overslept.
But even by noon, there was still no sign of him coming. Whether I called at noon or in the evening, I couldn't get in touch with him at all.
It was only then that I finally realized the gravity of the situation.
――Even the next day, no one was able to get in touch with A.
"Did I get caught up in an accident!?"
"Could it be that something terrible is happening somewhere...?"
Just as everyone at the scene was beginning to imagine the worst, a report came in that A had been spotted.
Panic broke out on the scene all at once
After hearing the eyewitness accounts, I was convinced.
A flew away...And so on.
The moment I realized A had run off, I turned pale. Naturally, I hadn’t been briefed on the situation at all.
The documents I had entrusted to A included photographing and managing documents, quality control, as-built management, and the management of incoming and outgoing materials, among other things. I have absolutely no idea where the material-related slips are stored or how far the work had actually progressed.
Panic broke out on the scene all at once.
The Risks of Dependence on Others Are Highlighted
A's disappearance was an incident that highlighted the risks of relying on others.
Due to the nature of construction management, when tasks are divided among team members, situations can arise where it is difficult for anyone other than the person who originally prepared the documents to make corrections. This is extremely risky, as it makes it difficult to respond promptly to requests from the client.
That said, construction management is a job that one person simply cannot handle alone without delegating tasks. I wonder what I should have done.
Make sure all construction team members are kept informed
Of course, it’s best to avoid having anyone go missing in the first place, but this recent disappearance made me strongly realize that we must establish a system that ensures construction can continue even if someone goes missing at any time.
Specifically, it is important to use a cloud service to share documents and information with all members of the construction team.
By creating a folder where multiple people can share information and setting up an environment where anyone can immediately access construction information, everyone will know where each document is located, and anyone will be able to create documents.
You never know when or who might go missing.
It’s natural to panic when someone suddenly goes missing. It’s especially tough when someone you were counting on as a key member of the team leaves.
However, you shouldn’t get flustered like I did. I fully understand the urge to panic and the difficulty of staying calm in such situations, but no matter what happens, those in charge must keep the set running.
We’ll retrieve the work we had delegated and have the next people in line handle it. Even if someone takes off with important data, as a precaution, we could either recreate it ourselves or consult with the client.
In any case, I can’t just panic—I have to face the work that remains so I can carry out the task I’ve been assigned.
If we rely too much on others, situations like this recent disappearance will bring operations to a complete standstill. To be prepared for any situation, it’s best for everyone to share information on a regular basis. Establishing a system in advance that allows us to fill any gaps immediately will ensure we’re ready when the time comes.
