As 2011 rings in, so do the unanticipated mistakes that unfortunately occur. For one man in Pittsburgh, one such bungle did more than ruin his new year—it left him homeless.

Prior to the holidays, Andre Hall was optimistic about refurbishing a foreclosed property in the East Liberty suburb of Pittsburgh. After purchasing the estate in November, he had a total of six months to repair the house and bring it back up to code. And though renovations were moving along smoothly, they were brought to a sudden and massive halt.

Despite the ongoing contract, newly replaced windows and stacks of drywall visible inside the home, Hall returned from the holidays to discover his house was bulldozed to the ground. Sadly, the demolition was a terrible mistake.

The error, according to the story, was due to a break in communication:

John Jennings, who heads up Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Building Inspection, claims that his department called off the demolition of the house on November 3 pending its sale . . . Nevertheless  “a couple of things went awry,” Jennings explained, with the contractor the city hired to do the job. The workers on the crew tore down Hall’s house “in error” when they were only supposed to demolish the house next door to his — a structure that the city had also condemned last year.

The Bureau’s explanation is certainly obscure. We can only speculate as to how such a mistake could have occurred. At the very least, one would hope that their demolition records include more than just an address to avoid this very problem! Yet, no matter how simple or complicated it may be, it’s reasonable to see that one hiccup in a system can lead to larger issues that not only affect business, but—as The Methodology Blog has previously discussed—damage credibility, financial status and leave lasting effects on stakeholders. 

If there are systems in your office that could use improvement consider reaching out to Slaughter Development. Our Workplace Diagnostics program will help seek out and remedy problematic steps in everyday processes. Take the opportunity now to improve workflow and increase productivity. Start 2011 off fresh by contacting us today.

❖ ❖ ❖