Category Archives: Construction Industry

Anything about the construction industry in general

Email: Still the Right Tool for the Job?

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A few days back, Dennis discussed the need for Just One Version of the Truth – the need for sanity in knowing where the facts that matter are stored, reliably, always, definitively.Tombstone_squared_blank

Along that same vein, here’s another culprit: email.  Information stored in an email system is a disaster waiting to happen, a virtual sword of Damocles: how often does something slip and you later find the email that was supposed to alert you to the hazardous material recall–with the “obvious” subject sorry I missed you at lunch?   How long have you spent searching through emails knowing one of the replies to a reply by somebody had the piece of information you need? Continue reading →

RFIs – “A tier 1 control item”

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Why is an RFI like a blood cell? Chances are you never heard that question before.

They parallel each other in many ways:

  1. The count of each is proportional to the size of the Project/Patient
  2. Each requires circulation to be effective
  3. Each has the ability to deliver and receive: RFIs deal with information whereas blood cells handle oxygen and carbon dioxide
  4. Each can instigate other actions: RFIs spawn RFQs and Change Orders whereas blood cells spawn defensive actions to attack pathogens (and where would we be if blood didn’t clot!)
  5. Each requires supporting systems to operate effectively: RFIs require management, control, storage and distribution whereas blood cells require the circulatory system, lungs and other organs
  6. When they are out of control, the Project/Patient is at high risk
  7. Each acts as a lifeline for the Project/Patient
  8. Without each, the Project/Patient is dead

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Just one version of the truth … please!

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SpreadsheetsOne of the most ubiquitous documents in a Construction office is the common spreadsheet. Spreadsheets are used for everything: estimating, budgets, forecast, tracking of submittal – production statistics – performance metrics and other types of critical events and data, and even used to create Pay Applications and invoicing … and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

It is no surprise why the spreadsheet is popular. The functionality of modern spreadsheet applications empowers even the novice users to develop effective tools to apply to specific tasks.

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