a personal place to share my thoughts with you
I work in construction management. This section will contain anything to do with commercial construction.
We default to what we know. For me, this is all the project details. I have a tendency to focus on every little detail of a project to make sure nothing is missed. This is important, but you also need to step back and think about the bigger picture. What exactly are we doing here … Continue reading Start Right by Knowing the Big Picture
Would it surprise you the best way to increase productivity on the jobsite is through planning and good communication? According to FMi most projects could see up to a 33% increase in productivity through better planning, collaboration, and communication. They go on to say as little as a 10% increase in productivity could double the … Continue reading Good Planning and Communication Increases Jobsite Productivity
The Request for Proposal (RFP) is typically serves as your initial formal interaction with the client, presenting a crucial opportunity to make a positive impression and demonstrate your company's operational excellence. Once you secure the project it is essential to continue caring about the RFP. A thoughtful review can offer valuable insights that help set … Continue reading Start Right by Understanding the RFP and Your Company’s Response
Partnerships are a cornerstone of every successful project. Whether you have the luxury of choosing your partners or find yourself in assigned pairings, adapting to change is key. Every new project is an opportunity to meet new people and learn new ways of building. This is one thing I find rewarding about working in construction—it's … Continue reading Start Right by Knowing Your Project Partners
Constraints, as I talk about them in this blog, are high level constraints that will impact how you plan your project before you start construction. This is different than constraints (or roadblocks) you deal with during construction. This is not meant to be a comprehensive deep dive, but a summary of the types of things you … Continue reading Start Right by Knowing The Project Constraints
A summary of this series is provided in this post: Start Right | Stay Right on Construction Projects. It is important to know who you are working for and how they operate as a business and as a person. Every member of your team can and should build relationships and understand your client. These relationships … Continue reading Start Right by Understanding Your Client
Early in my career I was working on a large expansion to the FedEx sorting facility in Indianapolis. I was talking to one of the Superintendents on the project and he told me: "If we start right we can stay right" Clem Cook - at least that is who I heard it from! This simple … Continue reading Start Right | Stay Right on Construction Projects
Occasionally, jobs don't go as well as we planned. I hope you have been there for your team ...that you lived through the tough job with them and jumped in anywhere you could help get over the finish line. There might be a desire to sweep the bad job under a rug and forget about … Continue reading How do you handle a project that goes poorly?
"The real measure of any time management technique is whether or not it helps you neglect the right things." By Oliver Burkeman in his book Four Thousand Weeks. Four Thousand Weeks is one of the best books I have read and brings to light how little time we have in life and how unreliable it … Continue reading Do you neglect the right things?
I attend a lot of meetings and a lack of input from those in attendance is common. It is typically a small percentage that speak up or ask questions. The rest sit and listen (hopefully!) and often leave with unanswered questions or frustrated with decisions. These same people might grab me after the meeting and … Continue reading Speak up! Ask Questions!
douglas adams 