Project Workforce and Supervision

Your project workforce and supervisor will make the difference between a good and bad project, and you'll want to plan carefully.

Supervision

Your project supervisor may be a professional, or a project employee with expertise or ready access to technical advice. In any case, this person will need to be familiar with the ecological objectives for your site so that changes can be made to the plans as issues arise. Your supervisor should be comfortable with making on-the-spot decisions: project planning can rarely foresee all the needs at the site, and effective decision-making and delegation of responsibility are essential (Ritchlin 2001). The supervisor will need to know about obtained permits, and will be responsible for managing safety, tools, materials and supplies. Your group may decide to hire an outside specialist for this responsibility. You can get advice on the appropriate specialist from your key players, or from the BC Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration.

Work Force

Your project work force may be contractors, volunteers, staff, or a combination of the three. Contractors can offer special skills not otherwise available to your group - whether this is professional advice and supervision, special tools, or skilled crews. In your dealings with contractors you must be careful to explicitly define the scope of work in a signed contract, including project milestones or quality or quantity targets that will define payment. Don't pay out the last of your contractor's invoices until the work is finished and you are satisfied with the result. If your contract does not contain a sufficient description of your expectations, you may have to pay your contractor even if you are unhappy with the work - a good reason to spend some time drafting a sound contract.


Dave Polster
Given training, volunteers can perform many tasks with enthusiasm and commitment. Volunteers may become stewards of your project and provide continuity for years to come.

Volunteers are an important part of many projects. Besides offering their services for free, they provide links to the community, and can be stewards of your project in years to come. Your volunteers may be locals with excellent knowledge of your site. You can also use volunteering as a means to educate the public or school groups about the importance of caring for the land (see 'Stakeholder and Community Support'). When using volunteer labour you will have to provide training, be clear about exactly what is expected, and have good on-site supervision. Volunteer labour requires flexibility, and the efforts of your volunteers need to be recognized, and celebrated.

Volunteers and contractors have their limits, and you may prefer to assign some staff members to carry out the work. Staff offer the advantages of flexibility, accountability, and sometimes, long-term involvement. However, permanent employees may be more expensive than contract workers, and care needs to be taken that employees understand the ecological objectives for the site. You must consider having Workers' Compensation Board coverage in the event of on-the-job injuries.