28 April 2020

It's rare that an entire country has a single experience, let alone the entire world. Covid-19 has impacted the early 21st century in the same way the Spanish Flu changed the world in the early 20th century. So what do we do when we face a crisis that we are powerless to stop? We adapt.

As a Project Manager, I have managed in periods of uncertainty however, I have never experienced a situation that impacts every aspect of work and that has the potential to shut down an entire operation. This life-changing experience makes me appreciate that most of us have been willing to make changes in our personal and professional environments, and habits to keep everyone safe while continuing our daily professional routines.

It is worth noting that those who have access to technology that supports virtual work prior to the pandemic have not lost much momentum. For the work that cannot be performed 100% virtually in industries such as, construction, manufacturing, retail, and education, implementing new safety and hygiene practices has been essential to protecting workers from contracting the virus on the job. Creativity and industry-level information sharing has been key to addressing safety.

I have observed the pandemic response of a large company currently managing the construction of a healthcare facility in Northeast Ohio. Although there was a need to pause for a few days to allow time to establish site safeguards, they never skipped a beat.

Some of the precautions taken were mandated internally and others required at the state level. In selecting the response, the site manager had to balance risk of the contagion with the possibility of a site shutdown. Below are a few of the actions taken:

1. Limiting the number of participants in a meeting room all others join by MS Teams or voice call from a separate trailer onsite, or remotely

2, Checking site workers' temperature daily

3. Mandating masks and other PPE

4. Cleaning surfaces multiple times per day

5. Restricting access of non-essential personnel

6. Providing multiple hand-washing stations

7.Using video and photographs to share progress with stakeholders

8. Scheduling work to limit the number of workers in areas where they would normally be working in close proximity

Change is inevitable. With an ounce of creativity and a pound of collaboration, I think we can handle it.