Concrete Construction Online Magazine: Contracting

Are You Investing in Your Most Valuable Asset?

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:19:02 EST

By choosing high quality people and building their capabilities, you will be investing in and enhancing the value of your greatest asset and the value of your company.

What it takes to be a good contractor (Part 2 of 2)

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:19:50 EST

Defining everything it takes to be a good contractor would be a very long list. But last month (in Part 1 of this article) we developed the following list of management skills needed by the good contractor and reviewed the first two in detail. We will cover the last three this month.

What It Takes To Be A Good Contractor (Part 1 of 2)

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:16:52 EST

Gauge your own level os susceptibility to each item as you read the list of problems that cause contractors to go broke.

Is Your Marketing Creating Value?

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:09:51 EST

In last month's column, we introduced the seven core elements of value and the importance of measuring performance in each area. Tracking performance in each of the core elements allows management to determine where value is created and where it is destroyed.

The Core Elements of Value

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:10:42 EST

To learn how a construction company is performing, the first place most people look is the financial statements. But the real measure of management effectiveness is whether it creates or destroys value. Some might say “sell more, work faster, be safer, and you will be successful.” But a company can sell a lot, work hard, have a great safety program, and still go out of business. The reality is that financial statements alone do not tell the whole story. Creating value means improving performance in the core elements of value.

Driving performance through organizational accountability

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:17:29 EST

Have you ever wondered why one contractor performs better than another? The tendency is to look at the differences as a matter of personnel, equipment, or just better luck with the weather. In fact, when two companies are facing the same uncontrollable variables, the company that performs best is the one that has developed a performance culture.

Unlocking Hidden Profits

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:12:51 EST

While field managers or superintendents do not have to know specifically how your company is performing, they must understand just how low the profits are in this industry and some of the basic factors that affect profitability.

How customer service shapes your image

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:21:36 EST

Why would a concrete contractor care about customer service? In order to answer that question, you first must decide whether we're talking about the service you get from your suppliers or the service your customers get from your company.

Having Problems Motivating Employees? Look in the Mirror.

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:13:45 EST

How can we get our field managers to work as hard and care as much about the project as we do?

Post-project Reviews

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:08:21 EST

To improve performance over time, a contractor must continually learn from the past. One of the most important ways is through post-project reviews. The focus of a post-project review is to improve the construction process and build teamwork on future projects.

Create Employee Teams to Develop Better Processes

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:11:28 EST

Too often when problems are discovered on construction projects, it is too late to correct them. That's because most management tools analyze historical information and are typically used to place blame on the responsible parties. A good example of this is the job-cost information that most construction companies use to analyze performance on their jobs. In most cases, this information is at least one to two weeks old and allows managers only to react to problems rather than avoid them.

Productivity

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:08:05 EST

Our clients often ask, “How can I get my construction crews to be more productive?” That simple, straightforward, and important question rarely has a simple solution.

Managing Successful Projects

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:12:12 EST

Let's face it, most contractors got into the business because they like to build things, and often little else about the business of construction interests them. Being able to look at something and say “I built that” offers boundless pride.