Construction Claims are the two strong words that strike fear and loathing in the hearts of owners and construction managers alike. These words that have spawned an entire industry dedicated to preventing, asserting and resolving difficulties that occur on a construction project. Claims have grown around the world in the past 50 years and are now a major construction management issue, often overshadowing on-time or on-budget performance. As a result, throughout the world the rise of construction claims has been paralleled by the advent of stricter contracts, an explosion of dispute resolution alternatives, and in many situations, a hardening of owner attitudes towards contractors’ pleas for relief from perceived changes in the work. No member of the project team, from designers to managers to contractors to owners, has been left untouched by the rise of these claims. This short presentation will outline the basics of why and how claims develop, what it takes to make a claim, what it takes to defend against a claim, and some rules to help avoid, minimize and resolve claims.