2025, what we learned, what we fixed, and what we’re taking into 2026

This is the last EM Friday of the year.

If 2025 had a “construction vibe,” it was this: everyone is tired, everyone is stretched, and yet the disputes keep coming. Not because people suddenly got worse at their jobs… but because the margin for error is basically gone. When cashflow is tight and time is tighter, small misunderstandings don’t stay small for long.

So I want to use this final post as a wrap-up, a little reset, and a practical “new year kit” you can actually use on site.

No fluff. Just the stuff that helps you sleep better at night.

The biggest lesson of 2025 (in plain language)

It usually looks like this:

• Someone “assumes” the other party knows what they meant

• A variation is discussed verbally but not confirmed properly

• A programme slips, but nobody records the why

• A payment gets delayed, and suddenly everyone’s memory becomes selective

• The contract becomes the weapon, not the guide

  
  

The clause becomes important later, but the trick is almost always documentation + communication + expectation match.

If you’ve been around construction long enough, you’ve seen it happen. If you’re early in your career, take this as the shortcut: clarity is not admin. clarity is protection.

The themes that kept showing up

This year, I found myself coming back to the same pillars again and again, because they’re the ones that actually move outcomes:

1) Plain language isn’t “dumbing down”

It’s smart contracting. It reduces the gap between “what the contract says” and “what the site thinks it says.” That gap is where disputes grow.

2) “Dispute ready” beats “dispute scared”

The goal isn’t to be aggressive. The goal is to be prepared:

• clean paper trail

• clear notices

• consistent meeting records

• one version of truth

  
  

3) Final account isn’t a final moment — it’s a final process

If you don’t build the final account while the job is alive, you’ll pay for it later in time, stress, and write-offs.

4) The best QS/PM/CA skill is still: follow-through

Not intelligence. Not software. Not experience. Follow-through: confirm it, record it, close it.

What I’m recommending for 2026

Here are seven practical habits. You don’t need all of them. But if you commit to even three, 2026 will be smoother.

1) Run a “Contract Reality Check” in the first 2 weeks of every job

One hour. Three questions:

• What are the top 5 risks in this contract for us?

• What notices do we need to be strict on (time bars, EoT, variations, payment claims)?

• What is our internal rule for approvals (who can agree to what)?

If your team can’t answer those clearly, the project is already exposed.

2) Make variation confirmation a same-day habit

The rule:

• Discuss it → confirm it in writing the same day

  
  

  Even a simple email/message like this could save you hundreds of thousands and maybe millions dollars later on a dispute:

This single habit prevents so many “but you told us…” arguments later.

3) Keep a site diary that would survive cross-examination

Not fancy. Just consistent.

• date / weather / manpower

• key events

• delays + cause

• instructions / decisions

• photos (label them)

Future-you will thank present-you.

4) Treat minutes like a contract document, not a diary entry

Bad minutes = “nice chat”

Good minutes = decisions, actions, deadlines, responsibility

A simple format works:

• Decisions made

• Actions + owner + due date

• Risks raised

• Items to confirm next meeting

  
  

5) Stop letting programme discussions stay “vibes”

If the programme is slipping, don’t just talk about it — name the cause and record it.

Because later the fight isn’t “did we finish late?”It’s “why did we finish late, and who owns it?”

6) Build the final account while you still have leverage

Monthly clean-up:

• updated variations register

• updated claims register

• updated forecast to complete

• updated subcontractor positions

Final account should feel like “closing a book,” not “rebuilding a crime scene.”

7) Choose one capability to sharpen in Q1

Not ten. One.

My suggestions based on what’s hurting people most:

• notices + time bars

• writing clear EoTs (cause-effect + evidence)

• payment claim structure

• variation valuation logic

• basic delay understanding (float, critical path, concurrency)

• dispute process literacy (adjudication vs arbitration vs litigation)

  
  
  
  

A simple “New Year Reset” checklist (save this)

If you want a clean start in January, do this in your first week back:

Project admin reset

•  standard email subject format (job + topic + action)

•  folder structure for photos / instructions / notices / claims

•  one shared register template (variations / EoT / RFI)

  
  

Contract reset

•  identify notice clauses and time limits

•  confirm payment timetable and required documents

•  confirm delegated authorities (who can approve what)

  
  

Behaviour reset

•  “confirm same day” rule

•  meeting minutes issued within 24–48 hours

•  weekly 20-min commercial check-in (forecasts + risks)

If a team does just those, disputes don’t disappear — but they lose power.

A note for the “small players” (because you’re the ones getting squeezed)

I need to say this clearly, especially in the NZ market:

Handshake culture is not a strategy. It’s a gamble.

When the economy is tight, the risk doesn’t hit everyone equally. Smaller contractors often carry more downside because:

• the other party has better advisors

• bespoke contracts shift risk downward

• cashflow pressure forces “agree now, sort later” decisions

• 
  

You don’t need to become legalistic. You need to become commercially disciplined.

That’s the whole point of “contract awareness”, not to fight more, but to get blindsided less.

What I’m personally taking into 2026

This year reminded me that being “capable” isn’t enough when you’re overloaded. The win is in systems.

So my own 2026 theme is: Simplify. Standardise. Follow through.

Same lesson for individuals and teams:

• fewer promises

• clearer records

• tighter routines

• better boundaries

Last thing: my wish for you in the new year

I hope in 2026 you:

• get paid properly, on time

• stop carrying other people’s chaos

• feel confident reading your contract

• protect your time and reputation

• and build work you’re proud of, without the stress

  
  

Thank you for being part of EM Fridays this year. If you read quietly, share occasionally, message me questions, or use the ideas on your projects, I see you. This community is exactly why I keep writing.

See you in the new year !