#19: Aim Small – Miss Small

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Then he asked the kids: What did I tell you about shooting? Aim small – miss small, they replied. It was years before I made the connection between aim small – miss small and PM/CM and project controls. I learned this catchy saying watching the movie, The Patriot. In the movie, Mel Gibson’s character is raising a bunch of kids …

#18: Critical Path Methodologies: A Necessary Evil or The Answer to Your Prayers

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Are you part of the masses or part of the classes? Are you leveraging? Do you want to experience career hyper-growth? Are you managing your projects with a to-do list? Do you have momentum issues? Are you looking for better project outcomes? Do you want to be part of the top 5% of CM’s/PM’s that know the difference? Pick one …

15: Game Changer …

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Extraordinary project outcomes require skill-sets that your staff does not have.  Extraordinary project outcomes include all of the following: Ahead of schedule finish/ Under budget finish/ Satisfied client that recommends your company to others/ Low employee turnover/ Low subcontractor turnover/ No serious human or environmental casualties/ All of the six project attributes above are rooted in Advanced Project Controls. Are …

#13: Are You Attempting to Manage Complex Projects with To-do Lists?

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Are you sure? Yeah the schedule is there, but is it being used to manage the project? When it comes to leading successful project outcomes, it really comes down to understanding project controls; creating and managing project costs and time schedules. Valid project controls requires two competencies to be effective. Yet most project managers / superintendents /construction managers / business …

#12: Engage a PSP with extensive CM experience if you can

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They number so few, that statistically, they don’t exist. There is no better way to bolster your project management outcomes and your company’s reputation accordingly. What are your options? Use your in-house PM’s that lack real expertise, resulting in: Invalid schedules – useless for day to day project management The use of detached Excel spreadsheets (check lists)  to manage your …

#11: Use Professional Technical CPM Schedulers To Supercharge Your Construction Management Career

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CPM scheduling is a trade in and of itself. If you’re a contractor and you’re expecting PM’s, CM’s or Superintendent’s to create and maintain project CPM schedules, you will be let down and disappointed. And it won’t be their fault. I know you have been doing it for years. But what have been the results? Not exactly construction management beyond …

#10: Does Partnership Trump Leadership?

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Does leadership really require leadership? Can’t we partner our way around it?  Not if we’re looking for results that exceed mediocre… I can’t tell you how many owner-side construction managers I have met recently that have told me that they partner with their construction managers, therefore do not require any help with schedule review services. I realize the CM agency design/build …

#8:What a Construction Manager / Project Manager can Learn from a Race Car Driver

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I have spent most of my career working in the Phoenix market. While living there I met a race car driver/driving instructor named Ty. He worked at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving and he told me a story about car racing that applies to construction management /project management too. First let me say that Ty could really drive. …

#6: Sync or Sink

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If the schedule doesn’t match what’s happening on-site, it is not used to manage the job. When a schedule does not get used to manage the day-to-day operations on-site, the CM team is forced into a reactive mode of operation. Once that happens, the project is sinking. Strive to keep the contract, the schedule, and the construction, in-sync. The only …

#4: Too Green – Too Few

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I have seen a lot written recently about project failures and there seems to be a few popular opinions circulating that are polar opposite to what I have learned over the last 22 years in the trenches. I am often called in to build recovery schedules. I have seen my fair share of project failures – or at least projects …