Line Meets Curve

At least, some would have the consumer to  believe that there aren’t that many things to consider in making sure that their residential home construction or addition project goes smoothly.  Actually, this Homebuilder FAQ page for the consumer has some good points…and a few that can bring a smile as well.

•  How do I choose a builder? - Get someone you trust.  Ask your potential builder tough questions (though they don’t say what those questions should be).
• Competitive bidding is inherently flawed. - So, if getting bids isn’t a good idea, what should the consumer do?  Quoting:  “If you find a good builder whom you can trust, and he or she has a reputation for pleasing clients, being efficient and fair on pricing, this is the builder you probably want.”  Sounds easy enough.
• Cost Plus or Fixed Price? - In one place on the page, this quote:  “A cost plus job creates more of a team atmosphere. In general, a cost plus contract will cost you more money, but you will have a better quality job.”  and in another:  “So expect it! If you are on a time and materials contract you are vulnerable to overruns caused by poor estimating by the builder or changes in material costs.”  and “As soon as you get a good price, lock it in.”  I think most owners would like to have a cost plus with a locked in maximum…but find a builder who’ll do it.
• How can I minimize problems? - Partial answer quoted:  “The first step is to understand that all construction problems can be reduced to issues of money or communication. Money. Either your money or the builder’s. Either the builder’s or his subcontractor’s.”  Money and communication seems to be the center of the matter.  I noted that never on the page did I see fire the project manager.

Actually, there is a great deal of good information on the page for the residential consumer that we might wish the commercial project owner would read as well.

Just when we think managing a complex construction project has become almost impossible, a new problem crops up.  It could be the weather, or it could be a materials shortage, or perhaps some difficulty in getting materials to the site.  Maybe our contract personnel are grousing about the remote location, and their drive times and gas consumption involved in getting there every day.

Well, why don’t you just bookmark this link to a video about a construction job in the Antarctic to help you to refocus and appreciate the things about your project that are actually not that bad.   With only about four months of available work time, during the arctic summer, it doesn’t seem so bad if you’re getting rained out a few days every month.  Talk about pressure for staying on schedule!  A delay of a week could put the entire project completion late by an entire year.

We can also appreciate the milder wear and tear on our equipment, as well as the ability to get a part or mechanic on site in less than a couple of weeks.   The video speaks to the type of problems this project manager faces, with the failure of a crane to start being a huge calamity.  It’s enough just to think about the harsh temperatures this equipment must endure, but there isn’t a spare one in town to rent when there’s a problem.

The next time you’re lamenting the problems of the day, just remember that your project could be in Antarctica, and it should help to ease the pain.  Or, you could really have fouled up a project, such as building a hospital at a lower elevation than the reservoir supplying its water.   See, you just think you’re having a bad day.

It might be easy to take offense to the fact that there is a “Dummies” book for project management.  And, it’s quite possible that some project managers have been called “dummies” by those who obviously do not understand the complexities of the job.

In a blog post at The Art of Project Management,  we could possibly take offense as well to the tongue-in-cheek comment “After all  there is probably no profession beside air guitarist that competes with the ease and overpayment of  project management.”

However, the author of the post offers a solution, and claims “Instead, I’m gonna let you in on a really big secret.  It’s better than project management for dummies, better than project management in 10 minutes, heck it’s even better than project management for anencephalitics”  Basically, it’s a recipe for making your own zombie project employees.

Wait!   Don’t throw it out yet.  Think of the possibilities.  A totally mindless being who does exactly as we instruct, without second-guessing or argument.  They require little care and feeding, and, since they’re dead already, we should have little concern about on-the-job accidents or injury.

Then there is the total lack of concern for them arriving on time for work, as we’ll just warehouse them in a storage building every evening, letting them out each morning for work.  Now remember, we’re talking about easing our burdens as project managers.  After all, volumes have been written about the people skills necessary for this work.  And, more volumes are out there about communication skills and dealing with conflict.  None of that is necessary with our Zombie workers.

Oh yeah, and they don’t require a paycheck either.  Ah, the perfect solution.