Mistakes happen, sure. What I find more important is how the corrections are handled. For example, for us a window sill was too low and an internal passageway was supposed to be floor-to-ceiling, but wasn’t. When we pointed that out, the response was: OOPS, right, I must have looked at the plan wrong. And then it was corrected immediately.
In construction, mistakes in my opinion are allowed to happen, there are other professions where this shouldn’t be the case, but it happens a lot anyway. I’m just saying: swabs left in the belly, wrong infusion given or wrong knee operated on...
However, I agree with you that I would never accept the mistakes mentioned in the original post like (in the sense of: it’s fine, I’ll just get used to it).
Hi Müllerin,
I do understand what you and Hampshire mean... But I see it a bit more nuanced. For me, it is absolutely obvious that mistakes are corrected immediately and without fuss.
However, if you constantly put "mistakes happen" out there, then the mistakes eventually no longer seem “odd,” but normal. And that in turn leads exactly to where we are now. Mistakes happen. The craftsmen know that too. That’s normal.
The accompanying expectation to correct these mistakes immediately, however, is not communicated. So the craftsman only hears "mistakes happen."
And if he then also reads/hears that you just shouldn’t point out mistakes to the gentlemen because the boss might get annoyed, then that’s a free pass. Whether you like it or not... It is what it is. You see it over and over again.
Why else do you constantly read and hear that mistakes were made, but not really often about how great and uncomplicated these were corrected?
Why do you think everyone else says you have to have nerves of steel when you build or that building isn’t for everyone? Certainly not because mistakes are usually corrected without problems.