One day you find out about an attractive skiing trip. It wouldn’t be your first trip. Further, you think you’re doing it right. You consider skiing your passion and a great way to relieve stress. And with every trip you make, you make great memories, develop your skills and make new contacts which can lead to something interesting in the future.
Things are very similar with planning investments and starting a new business. Of course, first, you need to think about whether it is profitable for you. After all, we don’t want to suffer a loss, but rather get involved in order to make a profit. Apart from pure profit, it is also good to assess whether the new investment will somehow broaden our horizons and enhance our company’s reputation. Of course, who we invest with is also important and whether it is a trustworthy company with good references. Obviously, if the answers to all these questions are “yes”, we do not hesitate and start a new project.
Detailed arrangements
Before going skiing, you should find out as much as possible about the place you are going to. Sit down and study the piste maps. Get to know the level of difficulty, which can only be theoretical at the moment. Are there pistes with gentle slopes, more for people who prefer relaxed skiing and admiring the views? Or is the region we are going to, perhaps, for advanced skiers, who like new challenges and feel good about breaking through the barriers of their skills? These considerations are extremely important because the mountain conditions in which we will be skiing dictate, in a way, the type of equipment we will need to take with us. The right suit, goggles and, of course, the type of skis and boots – these are all very important and must be remembered.
When we get involved in a new project we also need to know its size – its parameters. Are we going to be responsible for all the work or just a part of it? What will the investment look like? Finishing work or designing and building something from scratch? We also need to know if this project will be something we have done many times in the past, or if it will be a real challenge? Once we know what kind of work awaits us, we need to think about equipment. Knowing what we will need to complete the project is absolutely crucial. Of course, you need to know what you need before you even start. All the details about the equipment we need must be agreed – any change during the work will cause costly delays that everyone wants to avoid. Besides, it’s a good idea to use trusted manufacturers and suppliers who will deliver the right equipment according to our schedule.
Choosing the right people
When it comes to going skiing, another aspect we need to know about is the kind of people we are going therewith. If they are our tried and tested friends, with whom we have already skied on the slopes many times and we know them well – then there is no problem. However, if we are going with a completely new team, getting to know their level of advancement is worth getting. We don’t want to take part in a trip where everyone will have different skills: some will be just taking their first steps in skiing, so in fact, they are just going there to learn, others are preparing for a much more extreme experience – skiing on red slopes. If a group does not have relatively equal preparation and, for example, less experienced people want to catch up with skiers with much better skills, problems may arise. Someone will fall over and have to call for help, or simply not be able to keep up with the rest, causing delays and possibly ending in an argument. Of course, you can also arrange before the trip that everyone drives in his or her own way, and we all meet for dinner, for example – this solution will avoid any misunderstandings.
The team that will work on our project is extremely important. We need to know whether they are experienced, with good enough references and for whom our investment will be just another order, or it may turn out that the subcontractors do not have adequate experience. It is best to work with a proven team, from which we know what to expect, or to hire one whose experience and references we can be sure of. Before starting the work, it is worth it to meet and discuss all the details. This meeting is to eliminate any misunderstandings about the project and get to know the team. It should be assessed as to whether these are people who have a common language and get along without any problems, or whether there are some animosities in the team, which sooner or later will come to light. A well-working and experienced team that communicates well with each other is exactly what we are looking for.
Planned course of action
The skiing adventure is fast approaching. We have the right equipment, we know where we are going and we know the people we are going with. And before we know it, we are already on the slope, covering the next kilometres. However, we also have to be careful here. Apart from the fact that we have come to have fun, we have to make sure that the same can be said for all the participants. We have to make sure that everyone is in perfect harmony, that no one gets hurt and that there are no problems with the equipment.
With work on investment already underway, we have to be on our guard at all times. Even if we have agreed on everything beforehand, the contract is finalised, we know with whom and on what terms we are working, we must watch out for mistakes resulting from random events. In such situations, it is always necessary to have some other way out of the situation. That is why it is so important to choose the right team of professionals.
If you want to know how to plan a successful investment, choose a good team and carry out everything without problems, we will tell you how to go through all these stages. Call us.
Wojciech Domaszczyński, MBA. Expert in construction, solving problems at the design stage so that they don’t occur during construction. #BIM
