What are the risks for your business. Where are your weak points? Obviously safety is a key issue, but what about warranty, defects and other issues?
Specific risk sources in construction projects include:
Probably the simultaneously most understandable yet least valid excuse for not launching a Lean implementation is that your staff is overloaded and has no time. I hear it constantly so let's just say it, "No one has enough time or people today!" That's the nature of a housing recession. It’s a given.
Yet this should be one of your prime motivations for pursuing Lean. I can say this because I have seen it personally time and again the past 5 years, that at the...
It seems hard to believe now, but when the iPad was introduced last year, there was a lot of question about whether or not Apple had finally made a mistake — would people pay $500 or more for a tablet when all others had failed to catch on in a major way?
Well, we all know the answer to that question. The iPad has been a raging success, with some 25 million sold as of this summer. The even bigger surprise has been the use of the iPad as a business tool, even in the usually tech-averse...
BIM is technology which can be of enormous help. It can of course be a great tool to help us integrate for example design and estimating. It should also become a critical tool for communication with the client, engineering consultants and trade partners and in this way help to create an integrated project. BUT let us not forget the construction team! If the construction team is not involved then the critical opportunity to better connect Design – Construction or rather Design-Build is...
Check yourself before you wreck yourself. This delightful saying comes from a rap song by Ice Cube. Mr. Cube’s message urges us all to make use of a verification system (the balance of his message is not quite suitable for this blog). A simple method of ensuring your design specifications are consistent from home to home is to use a checklist.
Whether you perform architecture “in house” or employ an outside architect, a checklist can be a vital tool of the design process. The best way...
So often I hear builders say that quality may work in manufacturing plants, but not out here building homes. Well of course it does work, but hearing that from a successful builder is ideal. Here is a link to a short video featuring Gary Zajicek, VP of Construction and Customer Relations at Veridian Homes in Madison WI. Gary talks about the impact of using Quality Management Systems, in this case the NAHB Research Centers, National Housing Quality Certification program for Builders and...
One of the many harsh realities we’ve grown accustomed to during this economic downturn is the turbulent nature of stock market indices, especially the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Since the beginning of 2008, the DJIA has experienced historic or near-historic daily drops on 14 occasions — each time sending both Wall Street and Main Street into panic mode.
It was in the wake of the latest downswing (in early August following S&P’s downgrade of the nation’s credit rating) that I...
While dining at a restaurant recently I was asked by the waiter how my meal was and if there was anything that could be improved. The meal and service were wonderful and I had only one minor suggestion. But I did end by thanking them for asking! When was the last time you were asked by a business how they could improve?
Asking may be the first step and it’s so important we do this. The third step is doing something about it. Really listening, even when what you hear isn’t what you...
As a dedicated practitioner of Lean process and methods, one of the more aggravating things I sometimes hear is a builder bragging about how they are obviously “Lean” because they have gone through three, five, or seven rounds of rebids. Everyone had to do rebids during the past five years of the housing recession. After all, customers have in effect rebid the builders continually. Because foreclosures and short-sales still make up a significant part of the market, that means that the...
Have you ever heard a framer say, “I just make it look like the picture”? I have — far too often. They are referring to a lack of elevation detail on the construction drawings. For some reason this is relatively common.
Many drawings I have reviewed show that there was a good deal of effort expended making sure the floor plans are dimensioned and detailed accurately. The elevation drawings, however, not so much. What’s up with that? A little elevation humor: up, elevate… get it...
