I once had a project where an adjacent landowner almost came to blows with my site inspector before any ground was broken. Although we purchased a piece of his land and showed him the plans before the construction bagan, he decided once he saw construction folks arriving on site that the project was going to impact the drainage on the land he still owned (we … [Read more...]
A Value Study attempts to improve the value of a project using value engineering methodology. This is defined by the Value Methodology Standard, published by SAVE International. Typically, a value engineering team meets for 1-3 weeks, during which they work through the "job plan" as outlined by the standard. According to the Value Methodology standard, there are 6 … [Read more...]
In my industry, value engineering is something that's codified in the standard specification book, the one that's tossed into every contract to define the standards for the project. It allows a Contractor to approach the owner/consultant and request design changes. If approved, the savings are shared with the Contractor. I've never seen the clause used, although I can … [Read more...]
In project management, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a planning tool whereby the project scope is divided into logical sub-components. It is a graphical representation of the project scope and forms the basis for further planning, such as the cost and schedule. It is not a scheduling or costing tool. A good WBS should be created in advance of the schedule to keep the … [Read more...]
Scope issues are the #1 reason for project failure. Today more than ever, it's imperative that all projects need a scope management plan. Scope management refers to the process of identifying and controlling the total resources that are involved in a project. It is important that scope be defined exactly. Too little, and you will have to answer to the stakeholders. But … [Read more...]
Scope management, or rather the lack of it, is one of the biggest reasons for project failure. Correctly defining what is and is not included in the project is absolutely foundational to good project management. I've seen many projects go south even though they had the right expertise, schedule, high quality deliverables, and even satisfied clients. But if the dreaded … [Read more...]
Lately there’s been alot of talk about the cloud. Apple has the iCloud, Microsoft has a cloud, and everybody seems to be going to the cloud. But what does that mean? And how is it useful to an engineer? I’ll start with the explanations. Before the widespread use of the internet, I.T. textbooks generally dealt with the local network, and … [Read more...]
A strategic plan documents the methods by which an organization achieves its corporate goals. We at ProjectEngineer have developed the best free strategic planning template on the internet, and we offer it to you here as a free download ( | ). A strategic plan contains the following 10 key parts: Mission statement Corporate goals Key Performance … [Read more...]
As an entrepreneur and president of an engineering company, I've seen how difficult and elusive it is to get an advantage over your competitors. Many companies have started something new only to see it copied or substituted in short order. What is the "secret sauce" that companies like Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Starbucks have, and how can you create it for your … [Read more...]
Experience has taught me that the highest quality producer is quite often the lowest cost one. Say what? This is because of a factor called the Cost of Poor Quality, sometimes called Cost of Quality (COQ). Although production of high quality products and services usually requires an investment in equipment, people, or processes, the production of poor quality products … [Read more...]
