Tomorrow, it will be exactly 4 years ago that Graham Mattison joined Jupiter Construction and has recently been interviewed by Will Pearson who is intrigued by how the last 4 years have gone for Graham and the business, and what are some of the stand out reflections, like any good interview, a few interesting questions were thrown his way, here we go!
"There are so many different elements to this, Its difficult to know where to start, along with Matt Wass, growing the team from a few to nearly 40 staff, delivering on our projects on time, to an exceptionally high standard whilst delivering a quality service for our clients, I'm really pleased with the Quality Assurance process that I have implemented, this is so important to ensure excellence in delivery, maintaining quality, phase by phase, step by step. To be honest I created the process to help me work through projects and it worked so well that I've made it a part of what we must do and I continually monitor this.
"Well, the last 4 years obviously includes the pandemic which as we know hit the Construction industry hard, we had to carefully navigate projects to ensure business continuity. One of the things we did in this timeframe is create a Facilities Management arm that has gone from strength to strength, from looking after just quoted works at the beginning we now manage those as well as reactive maintenance and PPM so quite a jump. If I think about advancements, there are two pieces of software we have taken advantage of, one in FM and the other in Construction. The way we log, track and manage the projects is all there, from documentation to images, the list goes on. I really like the level of detail we have that is driven by our processes."
"It goes without saying that communication is key, across the board, ongoing reporting from a tender win to project completion, every step of the way. I've mentioned the systems we use but our structured meetings are embedded in what we do, its where we discuss progress, costs, risks and opportunities, its where Contract Managers account for their projects and update on where we are in terms of the programme. Then of course we have our client meetings and reporting, engagement is the word I would use, getting out to site is so important to me, as is pro-activity, trying to predict and prevent issues before they impact the programme."
"Haha, anyone in this industry knows that challenges come with the territory. A lot of projects see issues develop as they progress, this is where looking ahead and communication is key. Sometimes though there can be unforeseen complications whether these be hidden structural problems on a refurbishment to basic design matters that need clarification, that early identification of risks and challenges is important, as is keeping the client fully abreast of developments. A good example is a Care-Home we rebuilt a few years ago. Just after the pandemic, we had to think outside the box and procure different materials as what we originally wanted we simply couldn't get our hands on. On the Covid front, Social Distancing made things very difficult but we managed our way through it"
"Absolutely, we took on a young man as part of the FM Engineering team, he originally joined us as a joiner via a recruitment agency. We identified he could be an asset to the company so we offered him the position of Lead Engineer, he was subsequently promoted to FM Supervisor and then. More recently he and another member of the team have begun a formal Leadership Training programme and we are seeing a difference, going from good to great. This all followed discussions that I had with him/them. Through direct mentoring I have supported new Contracts Managers who had "their way" of doing things and brought them in line with my set of processes and principles and as such we as a business have seen a benefit, but more importantly they have seen that pressure can be reduced provided "you trust the process." I like this question because I think one of my strengths is identifying good people and bringing them on, I looking back to my personal post of 2020 and how I made reference to a number of special people and how they had impacted me and my life, I would like to think that in some (large or small) way I have positively impacted people and their lives.
"Only that what I said in 2020 is still true, life can be tough, experiences can teach us a lot but we have to listen to the lessons and take on board the learning points. Family is everything, my two girls are growing up FAST and my wife now works with me as part of the team at Jupiter Construction. Work hard, concentrate on goals and never give up, I'm looking forward to the next 4 years and beyond as the business continues to grow and, right now Im training for a Half Marathon. Anyone who knows me will know I am always looking for the next challenge, bring it on 😉
