by Christopher DeAllie Jr
Grenada cannot keep operating like a country whose leaders aren’t willing to do the work of applying the proper systems and standards to achieve transformation.
When public projects run on guesswork, shortcuts, and “figure it out as we go,” the results show up in your daily life. It shows up as the worsened state of affairs of the collapsed road in Clozier, the who-knows-what-happened debacle on the Cliff Road Project, the pothole-filled Moliniere Road opened just under a year ago and the unsafe and treacherous pipe-laying work conditions that road users must contend with in St Andrew and throughout our tourism heartland in the south of St George.
These problems are glaringly obvious, but we often choose to ignore the need to find real solutions because we prefer to kick the can down the road by pretending it’s just a minor inconvenience. The reality is that when things don’t work as they should, it often means that standards and proper systems for accountability are absent.
The price of progress isn’t merely patience; it’s the application of standards. We must recognise that if we are trying to achieve real transformation, not just an ad hoc approach will get us there. Transformation requires adopting best-practice standards and suitable systems for checks and balances to course-correct and achieve the required results. It also requires that those in charge have the competence to know the difference between doing activities in a piecemeal and ad-hoc manner versus the implementation of activities to meet internationally accepted standards through systems that provide accountability.
What are standards and why do they matter?
We can think of standards as a set of guidelines or rules that describe the best way of doing something. It could be about making a product, managing a process, delivering a service or supplying materials; standards cover a huge range of activities.
According to the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organisations they represent. Standards are simple, universally accepted rules that guide how things are built, repaired, inspected, and maintained.
Every successful country adopts some form of best practice standards. In so doing, these countries protect the public, reduce wastage, prevent conflicts between agencies, and ensure that projects deliver what taxpayers are paying for.
Standards matter because they create order. They remove guesswork. They give workers, contractors, and ministries the same playbook. Most importantly, they protect lives. A missing sign, a poorly planned diversion, or a badly sloped drain is never “a small oversight.” One wrong detail can lead to injury, damage to properties, or costly rework.
Grenada cannot transform if our leaders fail to recognise the importance of proper standards. Standards are the foundation of national development. Standards are a prerequisite for transformation and sustainable development.
Construction and Project Management Standards
According to the ISO, international standards provide a trusted foundation for innovation, safety, and sustainability in the building and construction sector. The construction industry faces numerous challenges and risks, including complex regulatory requirements, project delays, cost overruns, worker safety, and environmental concerns. Proper construction project management standards are crucial in addressing these issues by providing a framework for best practices and internationally accepted guidelines.
Recent community infrastructure projects remind us why adopting proper standards is important in construction project management. In some instances, we have learned that infrastructure projects commenced without adequate background studies, inappropriate or even completely absent construction designs. In our very tourism centre, we often wonder if the construction works are being properly supervised? There is often an absence of clear coordination between the implementing partners, limited signage to advise road users and in some instances improperly reinstated roads. All this at the expense of the safety of the public and a financial cost to those negatively impacted. These are issues that any construction project management framework should be designed to prevent, if the proper standards are applied with measures to ensure accountability.
When proper standards are not adopted, the system is both broken and failing. The systems should work to secure the public’s safety and best use of our country’s financial resources. When the systems fail the people, I am forced to ask myself where the leadership that our country needs is in order to transform?
Transformation requires standards, and leadership must demand them
If Grenada wants transformation, we must begin with the discipline to ensure standards and accountability. No project, big or small, can succeed if standards are optional. Leaders must insist that every ministry, supervising engineer, contractor, and collaborating stakeholders understand the standards expected and hold each other accountable in pursuit of the transformation outcomes.
Applying best-practice standards is the bare minimum that any functioning society must uphold. Grenada has talented workers and capable professionals. What we lack is the leadership to secure the application of standards. When we appoint individuals who aren’t truly ready to take up the responsibilities of leadership, we find ourselves with persons who prefer the convenience of operating outside of the system of accountability, passing the buck or playing the blame game.
I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m putting myself forward in service to my country. I believe in a Grenada where best-practice standards can be implemented as the norm; where leaders motivate and empower their teams to perform the tasks required in a manner that demonstrates high standards and sound competence. I believe in a Grenada where we can work together in a consultative manner to find bottom-up solutions to the problems facing our communities, where we do not need to play the blame game because we can provide fit-for-purpose systems that can move our country towards real transformation. Systems that hold our leaders accountable for ensuring competence and performance in the task, in order to deliver the required results.
Transformation begins when standards become the norm, and the systems deliver results within a reasonable schedule. Standards and accountability are not a luxury; they must be the norm. That is the direction we must take if we want Grenada to finally thrive as a modern country, not a partisan cart struggling to make it up the hill.
I agree with the sentiments shared on proper project planning and management. Its interesting that we are so focused on Diaspora engagements and CBI programs, but lack the zeal to look out for the safety of the public. A public safety board/ council is required to assess risk and offer proper guidance during projects and in general.
Well stated. The present administration needs to enforce our laws to a uniform standard without bias. The Prime Minister, as a parent, is setting a negative example, not only for his own children but for all the children in Grenada. It appears there is one set of rules for him and his people and a different one for everyone else. No one is ever held accountable for anything.
He just follows his own whims depending on which direction the wind is blowing on other important matters. This backward, lazy approach to leadership will not enable us to truly aspire to greatness.