Construction phase trust is earned by how a team handles uncertainty while the work is still taking shape.

Six RFIs in one day, all on the same issue, usually means something in the project needs a closer look. That happened early in construction on the Norman Hall Rehabilitation at the University of Florida, when a series of questions came in about partition dimensions. Each RFI pointed to the same place in the drawings, and answering them individually would have kept everyone busy without necessarily solving the underlying issue. Instead of simply responding one by one, Walker Architects’ project manager stepped back and asked the construction manager a more useful question: What does the framer actually need to keep moving?

That shifted the conversation.

Norman Hall Historic Classroom

The issue turned out to be straightforward: A few key dimensions were missing from the partition drawings. Once the team identified the gap, the design team and CM reviewed the affected areas together and issued a Change Directive with the information needed to move forward. The RFIs stopped.

That moment captures something important about transparency on a project: It's not just about responding quickly. It is about recognizing when a stack of questions is really pointing to a single issue, clarifying what is needed, and making the solution visible to the people doing the work. Rather than growing because everything is already settled, trust grows when conditions are still evolving and the team chooses to surface questions early, clarify information as it develops, and keep the work moving with fewer surprises. The teams that earn confidence tend to work this way, focusing attention on the real issue, making it easier for others to see what is known and what still needs resolution, and keeping communication clear enough that the project can move forward without unnecessary friction.

The Norman Hall example is simple, but that is exactly why it sticks. Trust is often built in ordinary project moments, when someone pauses long enough to clarify the issue and give the team a clearer path forward. And in our industry, those moments matter more than people think.

UF's Historic Norman Hall