Whether you have some new team members who need a little extra support getting up to speed, or are looking to give the whole team a set of new tools and practices for keeping construction projects under control, our Project Boot Camp is a great way to get everyone on the same page.
I enjoyed seeing lots of lights turn on when it comes to project management theories. The crew had a great time and I got some good feedback!
I enjoyed seeing lots of lights turn on when it comes to project management theories. The crew had a great time and I got some good feedback!
In this two session workshop, we work through the theory of running a successful construction project, along with completing team building games and group workshop activities to illustrate the information being taught.
During the course of two four hour sessions, we’ll cover:
Understanding Scope
Running a successful project really starts at the beginning of the process, before the contract is even signed. We’ll talk about understanding the scope that we’ve been contracted to do, how to negotiate when the contract doesn’t properly capture our proposal, and how to identify and account for common scope holes in order to assure that we understand exactly what we’ve agreed to do, before we ever set foot on the project.
I loved seeing our team learn and be like ‘Oh yeah!’ or ‘Wow, I had no idea!’ or ‘That totally makes sense!’ My Ah-ha moment was in Punchlist tracking and management.
I loved seeing our team learn and be like ‘Oh yeah!’ or ‘Wow, I had no idea!’ or ‘That totally makes sense!’ My Ah-ha moment was in Punchlist tracking and management.
Scheduling Basics
The most valuable resource on any job is our people, and yet many teams don’t have familiarity with basic scheduling practices. We talk about different methods of scheduling, from analog to software tools with a special focus on using the Critical Path method to make sure we’re spending effort where it makes the most sense.
I appreciated the fact that the course content addressed BOTH field and office staff and that it provided a fresh perspective on these topics.
I appreciated the fact that the course content addressed BOTH field and office staff and that it provided a fresh perspective on these topics.
Daily Reporting
Running a successful project really comes down to understanding every element of the project. You can’t control what you don’t understand! Our most powerful (often underutilized) tool is the data that we collect. That’s what allows us to identify impacts, and get paid for all of the work that we do. The first step to collecting all of the data that we need is in the daily reporting process. We talk about what information we should be collecting, how to create useful and informative documentation, and spend some time understanding the paper trail of a large scale construction project.
Punchlist Management
Just as we need to manage our contract from day one, we should be thinking about Punchlist management from the very beginning of the job. We work through the process of successful Punchlist management, with special emphasis on making sure that you are managing which items belong to you and understanding which represent added costs. Punchlists can be the downfall of a poorly managed project, or the single biggest money maker on a well run job. We’ll learn how to make this powerful tool work for you, rather than against you.
Tracking Productivity
Using the data gathered from our daily logs, we can start getting some really powerful data to help us understand how we are progressing toward the finish line, and how it compares to our original estimate. Without the ability to understand our productivity rates, it’s easy to run into surprises that result in losing a lot of money. We’ll look at how to understand your productivity and find solutions for problems before the end of the job, when it’s too late to make a difference.
I loved working together as a team to solve simple, but fun problems that apply to our workplace. I also enjoyed the ability to talk about company-specific problems and how they relate to what we are learning.
I loved working together as a team to solve simple, but fun problems that apply to our workplace. I also enjoyed the ability to talk about company-specific problems and how they relate to what we are learning.
Measuring Change
If every construction project moved along at exactly the expected pace, working from an unchanging set of plans, codes, and expectations, it would be a lot easier to manage a job. That isn’t the reality, though. The only constant we can expect in this rapidly churning industry is change. When we see impacts on a project, how do we recognize them right away, and how do we put numbers to the impacts? Some are easy to quantify, like a request for an entirely new piece of work, but often we are challenged by impacts that are harder to count. We’ll walk through understanding what compensation you’re entitled to for several commonly encountered impacts, then look at putting our data to work so we have a clear, accountable understanding of impacts early in the project, so that you don’t end up stuck with the bill.
Very helpful for understanding our trade and how it functions at all levels.
Very helpful for understanding our trade and how it functions at all levels.
Want to learn more about setting up a Project Boot Camp Session at your company? Contact us today!