Let’s face it – we all want a successful project! But how do you make sure that your project comes out ahead? And what does this have to do with GI Joe and my dad?
I was a huge fan of the GI Joe cartoon in the 1980’s. I had the action figures, played GI Joe and Cobra with the neighborhood kids, and watched the cartoon religiously. At the end of every episode there was a short, animated public service announcement. The PSA always featured a kid, or group of kids, doing something stupid – attempting to swim during a thunderstorm; skating on a barely frozen pond; jumping their bike over a downed power line, etc. A member of the Joe team would show up just in time to stop the bone headed child and give a short lecture on what to do in these situations. The kid would always proclaim with a smile, “Now I know!” Then the GI Joe would respond, “And knowing is half the battle!”
My Dad, Don was a staunch believer in the more you knew about a project the more chances you had of making the project a success. He wrote these two blogs from different perspectives, but “knowing is half the battle” is the theme of both. Give them a re-read and you will see what I mean.
- Contractor Project Success Is In The Details
Success for a construction company is dependent upon having an estimate that can be met by the field forces. To achieve this success requires identifying the details. It is having the right scope. This applies to the traditional design, bid, build process along with the design build process. To prepare reliable estimates on any of these types of projects, details must be used in the estimate. (Continued)
- Owner And Developer Project Success Is In The Details
Success for an owner is having a budget that can be met at bid time by the contractors. This isn’t due to luck. It is due to the project management team understanding that budget development on a project is not a one shot effort. Budgets for projects are oftentimes bandied about by project participants early in the concept of a project. These are usually not sustainable figures. They do not have a basis and are merely conjecture. Sadly, these figures tend to stick in the mind of the management responsible for authorizing the project.
To attain a successful project budget requires paying attention to the details in the very beginning, through the development of the design and into the construction bidding period. (Continued)
Oh by the way… While I don’t imagine my dad ever burst into a meeting of owners and contractors in military fatigues, waving a detailed estimate just in time to save the day, I do know that he helped many contractors and owners over the years realize successful projects.
