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PROGRESS REPORT – TAKING STOCK

April 27, 2011 By

This post is a progress or status report as McLaughlin and McLaughlin (M&M) assesses the status and progress of this Project Professionals blog.

Project Professionals commenced operations in late January 2011.  The initial posts were on January 24, 2011.  The blog and blogging were new to M&M and there was an expected learning curve.  The rate of learning was substantially improved by advice and assistance from several key advisors.  We wish to express our sincere thanks to all for the help.

The first full month of blogging was February 2011.  As April comes to a close, we find the visitor rate (sometimes referred to as the analytics) to be very encouraging.  The analytics for April reveal that visitors and page views have more than doubled since February.  Visits have come from over 40 countries.  As April draws to a close, we see the visitor activity continuing to increase. [Read more…]

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Construction Field Labor Productivity Improvement – Plan the Work Well

April 22, 2011 By

This is the sixth post regarding productivity in engineering and construction projects.  To review an index and links to the entire series, please visit Subject Series  page in this blog.  This post discusses planning the work and the related impact on construction field labor productivity.

Any discussion of construction field labor (worker) productivity must, of necessity, eventually involve the idea of planning the work.  Virtually every major project employs the expertise of several planners and schedulers to work the Primavera® scheduling program or some other comparable software.  Great effort is placed on getting just the right schedule assembled and in place – with the right number of activities and leveled manpower, etc.  However, all too often the schedule has been constructed in a near vacuum with little or no input or review from those who have to make it work in the field. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Productivity, Projects Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Managing Risk Of Delay – Schedule Preparation and Maintenance (Part 4)

April 11, 2011 By

This post is the fourth in a series of discussions regarding various aspects of time management.  More specifically, we have titled the series MANAGING RISK OF DELAY, since we focus heavily on the managerial aspects of program / project management.  This post addresses some ideas regarding preparation and maintenance of the time management baseline.  Some might refer to this baseline and As-Planned Schedule or Approved Programme.

When the subject of time management in larger and more complex projects is discussed, a common observation is that the industry lacks adequate structure and standards.  The notion can be expressed as frustration with the lack of some grand rules or laws that somehow reduce managerial challenges to simple procedures for widespread adherence.

Perhaps I will queue up the subject with a LinkedIn discussion skillfully initiated by L.H. Chin.  Mr. Chin is the source of frequent thoughtful discussions regarding contract-related risks and challenges in planning and managing large and complex projects.  Mr. Chin poses this challenge [Contract Risks Management Group – Construction Industry] [Read more…]

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Managing Risk Of Delay – As-Planned Schedule / Accepted Programme (Part 3)

April 5, 2011 By

This post is the third in a series of discussions regarding various aspects of time management.  More specifically, we have titled the series MANAGING RISK OF DELAY, since we focus heavily on the managerial aspects of program / project management.  This post addresses some ideas regarding the time management baseline.

Introduction

A Critical Path Management (CPM) plan and schedule (programme) is one of the most fundamental managerial tools used in professional project management.  It reflects (hopefully) the intention of the lead or prime contractor regarding project execution.  Further, it reflects (again, hopefully) the intentions of all key stakeholders, including the owner (owner, developer, employer).

Ideally, this meeting of the managerial minds can be achieved and documented through a schedule approval process.  Again ideally, the detailed schedule would be developed in a timely fashion and submitted to the owner.  Once revisions and improvements have been achieved, the owner would approve this tool.  Once approved, this baseline schedule would form the as-planned schedule (or accepted programme, as termed in United Kingdom). [Read more…]

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Construction Field Labor Productivity Improvement Productivity Evaluation

March 31, 2011 By

The proper evaluation of worker productivity is one very important measure in the determination of project status.  To have a complete picture of the status of any project there must be some sort of measure of the productivity of the work force.  Certainly, one would be interested in the physical progress, the amount of money expended, the amount committed, absenteeism and turnover rates, safety incident rate, supervision to worker ratio, craft distribution, worker density, manpower history, etc. to properly evaluate the status of a project.  But one key factor in evaluation of status is worker productivity.  There must be some consistent measure of the productivity of the workers on a project in order to frame the complete picture of project status.

Generally, productivity evaluation is focused on the construction craft workers.  However, no less important is the productivity of the office design and engineering staff.  Having said that, this article is focused on the field construction staff and evaluation of productivity in the field. [Read more…]

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Managing Risk Of Delay – Time-Management Strategy (Part 2)

March 28, 2011 By

This post addresses the general topic of time management and the relationship to managing the risk of delay.  More specifically, this post addresses time management strategy issues.

Keith Pickavance is a prominent leader, speaker, expert and author in the construction industry.  His authoritative reference book, Delay and Disruption in Construction Contracts, is noted in our Resource Center.

Mr. Pickavance is President of The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).  As a member of Time-Management Working Group, Mr. Pickavance and the group authored and have published Guide to Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects.  This publication is noted in our Resource Center.

This work (hereinafter called “The Guide”) addresses, among other aspects, time-management strategy as viewed by CIOB.  The Guide is an important contribution to many time-related topics including managing risk of delay.

The topics addressed under the heading of Strategy are: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Projects Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Productivity and Leadership

March 24, 2011 By

This post discusses the some leadership concepts and the relationship to field labor (or home office labor) productivity.

Recently, my friend and colleague, Dick Troell authored an excellent post regarding field labor productivity.  Dick’s discussion drips with ideas that show his experience and understanding of the men and women that perform construction in the field.

First, I wish to clarify my background and experience.  I have many years of experience in the field and on projects throughout the world.  However, I have never welded a diameter inch of pipe, placed a cubic centimeter of concrete, erected an ounce of steel, and so forth.  I am not a product of the trades; rather, from the managerial ranks.

There is a leadership component of the managerial challenge.  Leadership can have several positive influences on the labor component of the job.  In exhibiting this leadership, my experience suggests several beneficial effects result. [Read more…]

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Construction Field Labor Productivity Improvement Take Away the Excuses

March 22, 2011 By

Over the years, much has been written about craft worker productivity.  The Construction Industry Institute (CII) has done several extensive research projects on productivity.  The issue was raised in a formal manner by the old Business Roundtable (BRT) back in the late sixties.  They developed a series of publications that addressed the problem of rapidly rising construction costs facing owner companies.  These articles were broadly covered by the now familiar banner of “More Construction for the Money”®.

Working in the construction industry for many years has given some great insights into craft worker productivity.  I always ask myself the question, “What would I need to have in order to be more productive and have a better perspective about my work, if I were in this same situation?”  Every situation is different, though there are many similarities.  The truth is, there is not one single solution to every productivity issue that one might encounter in the field.  But let’s start with one very straight-forward approach that has proven to yield consistently good results. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Projects Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Managing Risk Of Delay (Part 1)

March 8, 2011 By

This post addresses the general topic of time management and the relationship to managing the risk of delay.

Keith Pickavance is a prominent leader, speaker, expert and author in the construction industry.  His authoritative reference book, Delay and Disruption in Construction Contracts, is noted in our Reference Center.

Mr. Pickavance is President of CIOB.  Speaking in this capacity, he delivered an excellent talk entitled: Managing the risk of delayed completion in the 21st Century.”

The link to this streaming video is here and is excellent.

The outline of this presentation is as follows: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Projects Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Contract Notice and Recognition (Part 4)

March 3, 2011 By

This is the fourth post in a series regarding Construction Contract Notice and Recognition.

This post addresses backcharges.  The subject does not have a broad applicability; but is very troublesome to subcontractors and vendors.  This discussion is focused on notice.

Simply, backcharges (or backcharge) is a term of art or a term of the trade to describe an assessment of money from one contract party to another.  Typically, this is done by a prime or general contractor to a subcontractor, supplier, vendor or other subordinate party.  Unfortunately, this is often done unilaterally and without explicit contractual coverage.  Further, the timing of these backcharges is not favorable to the recipient and can lead to pressure to engage in deal making or compromises in order to receive final payment. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Projects Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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