There are many ways to determine how successful a process or project is. These methods normally involve detailed metrics and may include cycle-time reduction, number of process steps and customer satisfaction. The more improvement projects there are, however, the more difficult it is to monitor their progress, especially in relation to one another and at a high level.
One way to monitor either a process or project is to evaluate its current level of effectiveness and efficiency...
Lead paint continues to be getting a lot of buzz, what with the NAHB's lawsuit against EPA, the first fine coming down last week and more.
Here's my video update on the latest developments. We'll also have more on lead paint in the June issue of Professional Remodeler, mailing soon.
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At a time when the housing industry is facing a severe glut of inventory, depressed real-estate values, tighter lending standards, and a lethargic path toward recovery, it seems ludicrous to even mention the terms “lot” and “shortage” in sequence.
Yet, during the past few weeks alone, I have heard several prominent home builders and real-estate experts reference the coming dearth of developed land in this country. While many builders remain (justifiably so) in...
As the broad range of topics discussed in this blog clearly shows, Quality Management involves a wide range of issues. Perhaps the National Housing Quality Award criteria best reflects this. It covers Leadership, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, Customer Satisfaction, Human Resources, Construction Quality, Trade Relationships and Business Results.
So where to start your Quality journey? This fishbone diagram was developed with IBACOS for the DOE Expert Meeting on...
POSTED 5/19/2011
So for all those remodelers who thought there was no reason to follow the EPA's lead RRP rules?
Yeah, you might want to think about that again.
The EPA has cited a Maine remodeler for not properly following the rules after two of his employees were recorded removing paint from a home with power tools and without containing the waste...
We all have a long list of improvement projects we would like to work on. The problem is picking which to focus on now and which to leave until later, it is all about the resources available. This is a simple tool to help prioritize. Consider the ease or difficulty of implementing your projects, for example the number of people involved how long it will take. Then the impact or benefit from each using this matrix, this might be the potential increase in customer satisfaction, reduction in...
While we’ve spent the better part of the past four years analyzing just how dramatically the housing market has changed during the great bubble burst — shrinking home sizes, historically low housing starts, the glut of foreclosures, more-stringent mortgage requirements, and even the threat of the mortgage-interest deduction going by the wayside — it’s interesting to note how much the housing market remains the same.
For example, study after study shows that the...
The purchasing decisions we make every day aren’t about logic. We’re constantly making emotional decisions to buy or not buy something, whether it be a candy bar, an iPad or a new car.
Oh sure, we can come up with plenty of perfectly good reasons why we do these things (“It’s OK, chocolate has antioxidants” or “I’ll be so much more productive if I have a tablet” or “It gets much better gas mileage”), but the reality is...
First off, most companies mix up 360 reviews and employee reviews. 360 reviews involve feedback from peers, superiors, and those the employee manages or that work with him or her at a lower level. This provides a well-rounded (360-degree) perspective. They need to by anonymous (as much as possible) and must provide honest feedback. This includes feedback on negatives, but in such cases they should be provided in a constructive manner and they need to provide some examples or depth to the...
Missed our recent webinar with Rich Harshaw on “Micro-Marketing Strategies for Remodelers: How Narrowing Your Prospect List Can Increase Your Results”?
You can check out the archive here.
