Modern Construction Management
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Walker Edison Regal 42-Inch 4-in-1 TV Stand with Mount, Wood/Black $229.00 Glass Color:Black This luxurious 4-in-1 Regal 42′ TV Stand with removable mount features a modern design with spacious shelving providing ample room. 4 different possible configurations of your TV on the stand/mount: TV mounted on stand TV mounted on wall TV on stand TV on stand and another TV mounted on a different wall Removable universal wall mount can hold up to 150 pounds TV stand can… |
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Quantitative Equity Portfolio Management: An Active Approach to Portfolio Construction and Management (McGraw-Hill Library of Investment and Finance) $39.80 Praise for Quantitative Equity Portfolio Management âA must-have reference for any equity portfolio manager or MBA student, this book is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of equity portfolio management, from factor models to tax management.â ERIC ROSENFELD, Principal & Co-founder of JWM Partners âThis is an ambitious book that both develops the broad range of… |
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Construction and Manufacturing Software Training Case Study
This article is based on a true story and is meant to show how software installations, despite management’s best intentions, can go wrong. The name of the company has been left out for obvious reasons.
Every day, I speak with various users of manufacturing and Construction Software who are disappointed with their current system. They come to me looking for advice in selecting a new package that will better meet their needs and will solve the problems that they believe their current system is creating. In most cases, their concerns are real and they probably will be better off with a new system. However, I would estimate that about 20% of the cases that I see are companies that are destined to be just as disappointed with a new system. Why? Because the software isn’t the main problem in the first place – the users are. In fact, you don’t have to be talking about construction software or manufacturing software specifically – the bottom line is that any software is only as good as the user that uses it.
Several years ago, I spoke with a medium sized electrical contractor that had a very short amount of time to complete several jobs. They were using a very old version of one of the more common Construction Management Software packages that lacked some of the modern features of new software, such as allowing multiple people to be logged in to the system at the same time. This lack of functionality in their software was having a serious negative impact on the company’s productivity.
Of course, the first thing that popped in to their heads was to get new software that was more powerful and had the features that they needed. I spent some time researching various packages for them and finally arrived at a package that wasn’t completely state of the art, but was more than adequate for their uses. After viewing several demos, everyone concluded that the software looked like a good fit. The final step before purchasing and installing the new software was to have their primary accounting person sit down and try the software out since she would be the one using it the most. Since they were on such a tight schedule, this had to be done late at night and after normal work hours.
Several months passed without progress. Nobody in management positions for this company volunteered to help this lady out and since the assignment was difficult, it kept getting pushed back. Finally, after TWO years, the company decided to buy the software, install it, and do some basic training. The staff and end users were hesitant to use the new software and were not very technologically inclined themselves, so they decided to use both the new software AND their old software in parallel for a period of 12 months. Why? Because there was nobody in management positions that gave the time and effort to ensure that proper training was done and there was nobody overseeing the transition process. In turn, the company did twice the amount of work required for an entire YEAR due to fear and poor management. Undoubtedly, hours upon hours of productivity were lost, as was money!
This case, although funny in it’s own right, teaches us several lessons about the process of evaluating and implementing new construction or MRP software. First, managers need to be involved in every step – from the initial meetings to the training sessions to the implementation time line planning and so on. Second, if management is not fully committed to moving to a new platform, they will likely pass the job on to somebody in the company that is not qualified to complete it. In this case, the company learned later that several employees were skipping the training sessions put on the by the accountant because they knew there would be no supervising manager involved.
Therefore, if your company is in the process of selecting and implementing new software, make sure that you have the support and commitment of upper management. Managers need to know what resources will be required to get the system up and running in a timely manner and must be held accountable if those time frames are not met. It is imperative that the right people are selected to learn and train your staff on how to use new software, and if the management isn’t even committed to making that decision properly, is it realistic to expect positive results from the new software?
About the Author
David Kraft is a freelance author that writes about numerous subjects. He is very knowledgeable about
manufacturing software
and writes tips for business owners looking for advice in selecting their next
construction software
package.
Pilot’s Stadium Resource Management Assignment?
The G&E Construction Company is preparing a bid to build a new 47,000 seat baseball stadium. The construction must start on June 1, 2006, and be completed by April 1, 2009, in time for the start for the 2009 season.
A penalty clause of $50,000 per day of delay beyond April 1, 2009, is written into the contract.
Ben Keith, the president of the G&E Construction, expressed optimism at obtaining the contract and revealed that the company could net as much as $2 million on the project.
Ben also said the prospects for future projects are quite good since there is a projected renaissance in building ball parks with modern luxury boxes.
Alrighty then is there a question here or what ?
Tacoma, the New Narrows Bridge – Celebrating a Modern Marvel
In by gone days all a contractor had to do was give the customer good quality and good service and he/she would be set. Then set back and let your customers do your selling for you. They would tell a friend and then that friend would tell a friend. Your phone would be ringing off the hook. I remember as an Architectural designer some days I would have up to four people wanting to schedule appointments for designs. Those days are long gone! But Fear Not! Click Here For Help
