With the turnaround in the economy and a workforce development crisis on every level, an old issue has reached a tipping point. I’m talking about the lack of diversity in the construction industry. DarnellIt is time to start a meaningful dialogue to create some traction toward a resolution. It is time for everyone to dig deeply and focus on this issue and for all sides to commit to a proactive approach. It is time that we meet in the middle and figure out how to use a more diverse workforce to create better projects and better business results. I have
Dodge Data & Analytics The owner informs the design team of a budget contingency about half the time. Related Links: Managing Uncertainty and Expectations in Building Design and Construction I hate secrets, but the owners of building construction projects apparently believe in them.Deep within one of my company's most important recent publications, a SmartMarket Report on uncertainty in building construction, is a fascinating series of findings about whether owners establish contingencies in case their project costs run over budget.Owners, it turns out, often keep the information secret from other members of the project team."Which may explain," say the authors at
Construction in New York City is being left behind in the data revolution. If subcontractors don't shed their resistance to providing data and stop keeping it in separate public-agency silos, we will never advance, and we will never be able to understand our businesses. We can't measure what we don't have and can't see.Further, the current state of industry databases makes it impossible to cross-reference related work histories and other relevant information on payroll records, work experience, and crucial-task and work-area data. Baseline task reporting, with attached area reporting, enables project-managing agencies to track the actual hours needed to frame
Related Links: Probe, Lawsuit Eye Post-Sandy Inspection Reports ASCE: Engineering Investigations of Hurricane Damage Recent news reports involving storm damage investigations performed by engineering firms have raised serious issues regarding professional practices. The firms are accused of colluding with insurance firms and of fraudulently altering reports, leading to lawsuits and criminal probes. These allegations are extremely damaging to the engineering profession and they undermine trust that the public rightfully places in engineers.These cases involve engineering firms that were hired by insurers to inspect properties damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Typically, insurers asked the engineers to distinguish damage caused by wind and
Related Links: Surety Bond Misconceptions A P3 Makeover for the Standard Surety Bond (subscription required) Public-private partnerships (P3s) will back many of the most important projects in the years ahead and some concessionaires have chosen to adopt what is known as the European or Canadian model, which focuses on guarantees in the form of letters of credit and liquidity. Even within the insurance industry, some are trying to make bonds look more like LOCs. This is very troubling.The U.S. infrastructure has always been supported by surety bonds. As a purist, I believe that if we choose to use P3 as
Related Links: Teaching the Elephant to Dance Continuum Advisory Group Ten years ago, I left the construction industry because I needed a change. I wanted a break from the constant travel, and I wanted to get to know my home town of Denver again. So I took an opportunity to run a foundation and, later, became assistant dean at the University of Denver's business school. Last year, I was coaxed back to the construction industry to become president of Continuum Advisory Group, a management consulting firm focused on our industry. After a decade away, I decided to catch up on
MoesWhen I was five years old, my dad, a chemical engineer, bought me a clever American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) shirt sporting Dalmatians with the caption “can you spot the future chemical engineer?”It became a running joke in my family, especially since a large number of my extended family members are also engineers; like any contrary child, I stubbornly denied that I would ever be an engineer.However, as I grew, I began to understand what engineers actually do, and I slowly realized that the profession fits every aspect of my personality—from little details to overarching goals.As a simple example,
Every 10 years or so the American Institute of Architects (AIA) updates and revises its standard form family of construction documents and in 2007 the AIA modified the AIA A-201 contract to add the Initial Decision Maker (IDM) as a condition precedent to mediation.This laudable change marks an important shift, moving away from the architect as the resolver of disputes. Unfortunately, change comes slowly. The architect is the default IDM unless the parties affirmatively insert a name, other than the architect, in the contract to act as the IDM.Nonetheless, unlike prior AIA agreements, the AIA has opened the door to
Related Links: Chief Engineers of the Panama Canal New York Times Obituary for George Washington Goethals Link to Gen. Temple video presentation on George Washington Goethals and the Panama Canal TempleAll industry professionals go through a maturation process that shapes their approach to challenges they face daily to become effective leaders—and Colonel George Washington Goethals, who led the successful U.S. completion of the Panama Canal a century ago, is no exception.As the canal's huge expansion nears completion, we need to study how Goethals, the one-time Corps of Engineers officer, prepared himself for the task in distinct stages—which I call his
Considering our future and our real social security net—the industry's young talent—I will share some unconventional wisdom, as well as an alternate perspective on mastering of new technologies.The punch line of many a cartoon or joke, “Wanted – recent college graduate with twenty years experience,” is a good start in this discussion.HR departments today more than ever desire recent college graduates with specific software product training rather than the broader experience of perhaps a veteran who has returned to gain a college degree.My students often ask me to view and comment on their resumes.Highlighted is fluency in PHP C++ Java,
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