Top 10 Elements of Commissioning: No. 9 — Interpersonal Skills
Commissioning professionals should be firm but fair with project teams when representing owners' interests, as the design and construction teams are ultimately responsible for achieving an owner's project requirements.
No. 9 in my Top 10 Elements of Commissioning list is interpersonal skills. This springboards from last month’s No. 10, which was the importance of using third-party commissioning professionals. When a third party is introduced to a design and construction team, how that professional comports him/herself will influence the success of the commissioning process.
I have always advocated for a collaborative team approach to facilitating commissioning, with the commissioning professional leading the owner, design team, and construction team through the commissioning process.