No matter how big or small, all construction projects follow the same basic phases of work. Spending an appropriate amount of time (relative to project complexity) at each phase can mean the difference between the success or failure of your project. If you try to skip a phase or fail to perform the proper due…
Tag: Start-ups
A new direction for Procurpro!
The interview I went out to North Carolina for went well. The Company made an offer and I have accepted. I am thrilled to be working with some great people in a great Company. I begin work next Tuesday. The downside is I won’t be able to continued marketing Procurpro while I work for my new Company….
Are business networking events a waste of time?
Networking is a new concept for me. For most of my life, I have worked for employers where sales were the responsibility of others. The only kind of salesmanship I had to do was to do good work and treat my customers the way they deserved to be treated. This resulted in a good number of repeat…
Process Automation the wave of the future
The New York Times recently published the article “Thriving in the robot workplace“. The article talks about how automation is replacing human workers. The story goes on about how some are intimidated by this automation while others are embracing it. Consideration is given to the notion that some jobs are not possible to automate. These…
A new way to work
I was listening to Audible’s Accelerator business series Today. One of the segments addresses a new concept of business management. The segment was called “Let Employees Be People”. It’s published by the Harvard Business Review. It is an interview with Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. Dr. Kegan and Dr. Lahey are the co-founders of mindsatwork.com…
A change to my marketing plan
I love using Audible. It’s a great way to get through a book quickly and efficiently. I listen to Audible while I exercise. Recently I discovered that Audible has a free series called Accelerator. Accelerator publishes daily audio content related to business concepts. A recent series discusses how Priceline created a homegrown multilingual organization to serve their…
10 questions to ask a Contractor Reference.
Most people know that one of the best ways to qualify a contractor is to request references, but most never actually call. It might be that some think call a reference is a waste of time or possibly that you are imposing on the reference, but it is surprising how willing some folks are to…
To YouTube or NOT to YouTube?
Let’s talk about YouTube. I have been thinking a lot about creating a YouTube channel. I want my channel to be relevant to construction and construction procurement. Admittedly, construction procurement is not a glamorous or exciting topic. I do think presenting the topic in a certain way could be engaging and at the very least…
Two Things I have never done before!
I decided to open up about myself because I have been going through some stuff lately that I think many of you can relate to. My goal is that in sharing my experiences with you, you will be able to share yours with me. Together I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to help each other.
How Owner’s influence Scope
One of the most important factors in the success of a construction project is having a quality Scope of Work. Scope of Work is the definition of what you expect your service providers to do for you. A service provider could be an Architect or a Contractor. You should have a Scope of Work for…
What you need to solicit a quote
Whether you are hiring an architect or a general contractor, in order to ensure you receive good comparable quotes, there are certain key pieces of information you must include with your solicitation. If you are missing any of these items you could find that your quotes have a wide pricing spread. This could lead you to make bad…