Tangentworks 550 allows the SkyView Page to display “external widgets.” These widgets can be used to show everything from a weather report to a map of how to get to the job site. Another use of a widget is a video report to the construction job participants about the current status of the project, or any portion of it.
The image is of the widget box as it is displayed on your SkyView Page, and you can click on it to view the video on that page. Here, you’ll view it on YouTube. Your participants will not need to view it on YouTube, and you can label it there as private as well. This will preclude the public from viewing it. Your job personnel will see the video on the SkyView page in a widget box. In my next post, I’ll show you how it’s done in a few short minutes, with very inexpensive technology, and free video hosting.
What could you use this for?
- You’re the PM, and every day you check job status at the end of the day. You find some things that you like, and would like to say something good to the crew or person responsible.
- Something needs to be addressed tomorrow, and it is easier to explain if they can see the problem or situation first-hand.
- You want to report on the overall progress of a certain job phase or building module.
- A quick rundown of what you expect for tomorrow would be easier done with video available to all participants.
How many times have you had to call or email three different contractors or personnel about a situation, attaching a photo if available, and explaining what you need done? Did the message get mis-interpreted, or were there problems with delivery? Would it have been better if they were standing there with you? They could be via video.
Visualize pointing to a mis-routed water pipe and giving instructions on how it needs to be corrected. Or, on a more positive note, standing in front of a newly-completed marble counter and congratulating the counter crew on the quality.
In the next post I’ll show you the equipment I used (Under $150 cost), and how I spent less than ten minutes of my time in getting it uploaded and displayed on the Skyview page.
Project Managers, well into a difficult construction job, can begin to feel a little under-appreciated. There are a lot of demands, some disputes, and not much praise for the PM. Here’s a story about a pet store to cheer you up.
A man walked into a pet store looking for a dog. He was walking through the cages checking out the choices and their prices. He hears someone come in and ask for an “A” dog. The proprietor tells them they’re in luck, as there’s only one left. The shop owner takes one out of a cage and charges the man $5000.
Our customer is really taken aback, asking the owner what made that dog worth the huge price. The pet shop proprietor says “He’s an Architect Dog. He can actually use a computer to draw plans in a CAD program.”
Well, still looking through the choices, the customer finds a dog with a tag labeled “E” dog, and it is priced at $10,000! “What’s this one all about?” he asks. The owner says “That is an Engineer Dog. She can solve almost any structural problem.”
Thinking that he’d seen just about everything, the customer was absolutely amazed to see a dog labeled “P” Dog, and the whopping price on this one was $50,000! He couldn’t hide his shock in asking the proprietor why the ridiculous price. The owner replied “Though I haven’t actually seen him do anything yet, I’m told he’s a Project Manager Dog.”
Just remember that value is in the eye of the beholder.
In a blog post entitled Project Management - Common Sense or Clever Science?, the post’s author talks of new degree programs in Britain for Project Management. There are several schools, including Oxford Brookes University, offering specialized education in project management.
Then the post asks the questions: “What impact will such courses have on the discipline?” A commenter replies with “I am one of those believing that the quality of Project Managers will definitely degrade because of the current hatching process in producing them (degrees, why would you ever need a degree in PM). Project management is all about communication and conflict management, and in my opinion, there’s no better place to learn these things than work…”
Debate can surely come about on the question of whether degrees are appropriate or necessary for PM. However, the “communication and conflict management” quote is interesting. How can a project manager communicate effectively with an architect, engineer or contractor if they don’t have some basic knowledge in their fields of expertise?
Perhaps more education, if it increased this area-specific knowledge, would greatly enhance the communication aspect of the job. That, in turn, might reduce the “conflict resolution” requirement.
It’s hard to believe that a really effective Project Manager wouldn’t have a great deal of knowledge about each trade and profession involved. Knowing how each one’s work output impacts that of others is critical, IMHO. If you have no idea of what the framer must have completed before the electrician or plumber comes in, how can you communicate well with either, much less maintain scheduling and quality output?
The post mentions the “growing need” for project management professionals. Along with a need for quantity, there is a critical requirement for quality competency. It does seem probable that the education required to turn out quality PM people for today’s complex construction jobs would be a body of material that merits a degree program in any university.
