Built environment professions strategy must factor in error reduction

The Get It Right Initiative has called on a new government strategy for built environment professions, trades and occupations to tackle the pervasive issue of error in construction.

In July the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) closed a consultation on the industry’s professions, focusing on how skills, behaviours and accountabilities should be developed for the future. 

GIRI's submission makes the case that the strategy should look beyond technical competence and regulation to include a greater emphasis on culture and behaviours around avoidable error, which continue to undermine productivity, safety, quality, sustainability and public confidence in the industry. 

The submission points to the successful work by GIRI and our members on behavioural training to help teams identify and prevent errors occurring through the construction process. Most recently this includes the results of the Productivity Training Commission with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which saw 4,575 delegates trained over 26 months, helping avoid an estimated £92.6 million in lost value. 

GIRI also emphasises the importance of design management as a route to avoiding error, pointing to a significant gap in professional recognition and clear standards for those coordinating and managing the design process. The response recommends establishing clearer parameters around the role, which should act as an independent ‘guiding mind’ responsible for overseeing design from the earliest stages of the project through to handover. This builds on GIRI’s longstanding work to address errors relating to design, including the recent launch of free training modules. 

The submission highlights the opportunity to introduce a quality metric, which could be used to strengthen oversight of error. Research by GIRI with CQI ConSIG shows that the primary barrier is not an absence of metrics, but of a common language and trusted aggregation. The two organisations are now working with industry to develop a suite of standard KPIs and definitions, as well as associated guidance. 

Commenting on the consultation, GIRI’s executive director Cliff Smith said: “The new professions strategy is an opportunity to rebalance the industry’s emphasis on technical skills and competency alongside the importance of culture and behaviours. This applies across the board but is especially significant when it comes to tackling errors.

“The consultation and resulting strategy could not come at a more critical time for the industry, as activity accelerates to support the government’s agenda around growth across housing, industry and infrastructure. We are pleased to have been able to contribute to the MHCLG’s programme and look forward to seeing the strategy develop from here.”