Architects and engineers may be used to thinking of Value Engineering as a form of design torture, where value is stripped out of a project design in order to save money. But Value Engineering can also provide an opportunity to…
It takes timely money to make a project go
A project owner was feeling frustrated that the contractor, who was doing work of good quality, was not going fast enough. Considering the contractor’s monthly application for payment, the owner decided to not pay the contractor for the previous month’s…
The Schedule of Values deserves close attention
On public building construction projects (and, possibly, on most private building projects) the contractor develops a Schedule of Values that forms the basis for monthly applications for payment (also known as “requisitions”) that will be submitted as construction proceeds. The…
Monitoring construction progress
One effective way to monitor progress on a construction project is to consider cumulative payments to the contractor or claimed percent complete against an estimated payment schedule that should be established at the start of the project. In most cases…
Staffing a design project
I remember (about 30 years ago) being enlisted to help finish construction documents for a hospital addition and renovation project. The project out-to-bid date was fast approaching, and many of the drawings had not yet been started. I was assigned…
Posted in Project Management
Why we need to manage architectural projects
Everyone has an agenda. If we don’t manage the projects, they may be managed by individual interests like the following. “I already know what I’m going to do. Just tell me when to start.” “I’m here to draw. I’m not…
Posted in Project Administration, Project Management
Manage your consultants’ communication with your client
“Where am I supposed to plug in my computer?” asked the owner’s Food Service Director as we surveyed the room. “Oh, we did not realize you would be using a computer in the storage room,” I said. I thought she…
Posted in Project Management
Project Coordination: Practice the Hand-off
Coordination in architecture, engineering, and construction is all about the hand-off, just as it is in other businesses and in team sports. The hand-off happens all over the place, all the time. It is often accompanied by words like “You…
Posted in Project Management
Missing consultant coordination, a hilltop building gets a surprise lift station
If you put a new building on a hilltop, the need for a sewage lift station may be the last thing you would expect. However, if you discover that the plumbing waste pipe leaving the building is below the end…
Seek Early Resolution of Construction Disputes
Early resolution of construction disputes can save a lot of time and money…for all parties. Some amount of disagreement is an inherent and healthy part of the construction process, and ensuing conversations about construction quality and building performance can lead…
