Robert Merry, an independent Stone Consultant and Project Manager who ran his own company for 17 years and now also runs training courses on project management, gives his personal slant on the stone industry.

A cautionary tale about time. If, like me, you clearly see the relationship between pleasing the customer by giving a good service and receiving payment in full, this story might be of interest.

It starts with being late – late with the procurement, late with production and therefore late with installation. There are always reasons. Some are of our own making, but in this case, at least at the beginning, it was someone else’s making. The client’s, to be precise.

Having spent time selecting material in far flung lands, visiting the supplier, photographing, sampling and agreeing on vein content and direction, the client asked us to purchase the material. All recorded and minuted, paid and shipped.

Then something happened. The client changed their mind about the stone. They had seen a different material while on holiday. You probably recognise this little scenario.

Could we procure this alternative stone instead and was there time to manufacture and install it inside the project programme?

The decision to change material was taken in early July. Samples were dispatched with photographs. It took another eight long weeks for the final instruction to arrive from the client. By this time it was the beginning of September, and for those of you familiar with the southern European factories and summer close-downs, September is the month when a disorderly queue is formed by hopeful customers. Let me explain.

Those at the front of the queue placed an order in July, but it didn’t get finished before the summer break – which is the whole of August. Those in the middle of the queue placed an order at the end of July and it wasn’t started. Those at the back placed an order in the first week of August and no-one was there to process it.

And then there was our project. We hadn’t even reached the queue. Our order was sat on someone’s desk, in the tray marked “would like to join the queue… please”.

Eventually, we received an approximate completion date of October… sometime. It’s a long month, October.

Meanwhile, the client had decided to re-design their bathroom, which added approximately 30% more stone to the room.

We were asked for prices but were told that the deadline for completion was not allowed to move.

This was the same deadline as before the change of materials and the re-design. We had lost eight weeks on procurement, plus October. The programme was very tight and follow-on trades were stacking up like lemmings. Radical re-programming took place.

The stone was produced. There was a fault with it. We inspected with the contractor and we all agreed we had to proceed. We wanted it to work, even though there was a risk it wouldn’t. No-one, including yours truly, was prepared to admit that we needed more time.

Secondary manufacture went well. The first rooms were fitted without a hitch. Then, slowly, the fault started to appear. It appeared without warning, slowly spreading across everything. Condemned, it all had to come out. It was hopeless.

Emergency meetings were held in a sombre mood. Managing Directors were called to arms. Alternatives were offered. Surely someone somewhere in the world had the material we needed to complete in time?

No, they didn’t.

The recriminations started. Contracts, emails, instructions and meeting minutes were scrutinised.

It transpired that the contractor was late on other parts of the project and working under the duress of huge penalties. We looked like the perfect ‘get out of jail free’ card, as the stone supplier had been selected by the client.

Nevertheless, it takes enormous courage to say ‘no’ in the face of time and money. Even with years of experience, we didn’t make the call we should have and walls (and floors) came tumbling down – literally.

Payment and performance are always linked, as they should be. But if it can’t be done in the time allowed, even if the pressure to make it work seems irresistible, saying no, being honest about what can be achieved and when is always the best policy… even when no-one wants to listen.

Robert Merry ran his own stone company for 17 years and is now an independent Stone Consultant and Project Manager. He also delivers training programmes on all aspects of Estimating and Project Management – details and dates on the website (address below). Tel: 0207 502 6353 / 07771 997621