ABSTRACT
We have discussed how a busy subbie, ravaged by the pressures of the day, can easily lose sight of what he originally set out to do. Delay and disruption become the norm for all concerned, and little matters such as the original completion date and the anticipated labour resource become lost in the mists of time – until the day when the job is recognised, often too late, as a contractual and financial disaster. We advocate the idea of a ‘stand back day’, say once a month, when the subbie should lock himself away for a few hours and review the whole situation in a calm and objective manner, asking two key questions:
1. Is this what I started out to do? 2. Did the estimator know it would be like this?
