Computers change the superintendent's job

BY LUCY BODILLY
Special to the Journal

Gone are the days of the cigar-chewing construction superintendent, whose main job qualifications were orneriness, a booming voice and a three-day-old beard. As the construction industry becomes more sophisticated, superintendents have been forced to follow suit -- even wear a suit on occasion.

"Because of the emphasis on customer service, superintendents are expected to be much more professional," said Camilla Bishop, head of education at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Western Washington. The AGC's course load reflects the change, with offerings in communication and leadership skills.

With or without training programs, it is up to the individual to learn to handle the rigors of day-to-day operations. Steel erectors may have more daring, tower crane operators more accuracy and laborers more endurance, but none have a job as stressful as the superintendent.

"That is one job that I could never do," said Jack Rafn, the president of The Rafn Co., one of the 20 largest construction firms in the state. "It is a complicated and difficult job. You have responsibility for short term results that other people must obtain for you."

They earn salaries that range between $50,000 and $80,000, but in exchange they work 10 to 12-hour days and usually take vacations only on the few days between projects. Most take their work home at night, using home computers to write letters and revise schedules.

In any job site office the interruptions and questions are endless. From finding out which detail drawings are correct, locating the concrete truck or figuring out technical details of a job, superintendents have more balls in the air than a circus clown.

"Basically it is a routine of interruption," said Doug Bright, a superintendent with GLY Construction. "Anybody can come in with a problem and you have to deal with it. When you have schedules to keep it adds pressure."

`That's one job that I could never do. You have responsibility for short-term results that other people must obtain for you.' - Jack Rafn, Rafn Company President

Stress can be conquered, but it is the number one complaint of superintendents.

"I have to be pretty upset to yell," said Jerry Cochrun, a superintendent with GLY Construction. "In fact, I can only remember really yelling about six times."

The availability of prescription-strength antacids over-the-counter has helped him deal with the physical symptoms of stress but it still takes a toll. "Really, I don't handle the stress very well," Cochrun said. "I usually go home and yell at my kids."

Increased confidence helped Bright deal with the daily pressures. "You will have problems and you can count on that," he said. A superintendent for 13 years, he says it took about six to really learn to let the stress go. "I finally discovered that no matter what the problem was I could handle it."

Good planning and communications can eliminate most problems before they get out of hand, Bright said. And high tech devices that speed up communication take some of the pressure off.

Many problems can be solved with a simple phone call: "I have three guys here ready to hang doors. Which one of the drawings you sent is right?" But when consultants and subcontractors can't be reached by phone, other high tech methods cut the time it takes to get the right answer. "It used to take two or three days," Cochrun said. "Now with e-mail and fax machines you can find out in a few hours."

In fact, the computer is revolutionizing the superintendent's job, according to John Fredley, Ph.D., who teaches in the construction department at the University of Washington.

In all areas, computers are making communications more efficient and accurate. "People farther away from the main office can get on-line data that makes job costing current. They can check the schedule and see if they are still on budget," Fredley said.

Computers also allow the central office to set up schedules and to see if the same subcontractor is scheduled to work at two separate jobsites at the same time. "You can better coordinate subcontractor and vendor information and give schedules on delivery of products and services to the jobsites," Fredley said.

A new software program called Contract Document Control is now available and it will definitely relieve some of the stress around construction sites. It works like an electronic filing system and allows office staff do searches by topic such as "broken windows." The computer then pulls up all communications about broken windows for review such as letters sent to the owner, the glazier and the window manufacturer.

"The only other way to find it all is to remember where it is filed and when there is a problem it could be filed in 40 different places. Nobody finds all the references manually," Fredley said.

While computers are relieving some of the pressure, increased responsibility for safety at some companies is taking its place.

"Superintendents can be held personally responsible for accidents," Bright said. GLY devised a system that allows superintendents to give careless workers "tickets." The first ticket is a warning, the second is a day without pay and the third means termination. "I really don't like to do it," Cochrun said.

Individual companies are helping superintendents relax a little.

At SDL McCarthy, superintendents hold meetings to go over the details of a new job so they can trade information on how to increase efficiency. And at The Rafn Co., superintendents serve on committees that give them more control over how responsibilities are handled at the construction site.

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