By Davies Hood, Induron Executive Vice President
I know for certain the best way to resolve a conflict IS NOT to meet at the flagpole after 7th period! I’ve been there, done that, and it didn’t work out well for either party. And I’m not even going to bring up attorneys and their fees here – that’s even worse than the flagpole option.
The Problem Solving Forum found in a recent issue of the Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings (JPCL) addresses the issue of conflict in coatings projects – they’re much more prevalent than one would assume. Sometimes, conflict arises from differences on project specifications and a manufacturer’s published technical data sheet. The cause of this conflict could be re-used specifications, over exuberance from a salesman or even out-of-date tech data sheets. Regardless of the cause, there are several good suggestions in this article proposed by a diverse panel of coatings professionals. My favorite is to hold a pre-work meeting where the owner, engineer, contractor and manufacturer are all present so that any discrepancies can be discussed and agreed to in advance. This way nobody loses money or face and everyone gets a say in the result.