Category: Features
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Your Ultimate Advantage in the Robotic Age
Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the FLUX 2015 conference for game changers and innovators in Helsinki. It was a very inspiring and thought provoking event, packed with insight and information. In this post, I’ll share my notes on the first of the two presentations, Marty Neumeier‘s Metaskills. Marty Neumeier is a renowned author,…
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Three Top Tips for Maintaining a Productive Construction Site
In terms of creating and maintaining productivity, building sites are much like any other workplace. As an employer, you want your staff members to labour as quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly as possible, all whilst maintaining the highest of standards and producing faultless work. This is a challenging task, it’s true, but it’s not an impossible…
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Bringing Your Construction Site Up to Code
Figures from the 2013/2014 Health & Safety Executive report found that there were 133 worker deaths and 70 members of the public fatally injured during this period. Over half of these accidents occurred in three ways: falls from heights, contact with moving machinery, or being struck with a vehicle (railway-related incidents were excluded from the…
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Why Logistics Are Key to Any Construction Site
Effective logistical planning is imperative for any construction project as it can provide massive benefits in efficiency and productivity that significantly reduces the overall cost of the project. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a workforce not being able to continue because they are missing or waiting on the arrival of materials. This can have…
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10 Reasons to Redesign Your Dated AEC Website
I browsed through a couple of dozen engineering firm websites recently. These were companies with a turnover between 10 and 20 million dollars. To my surprise, many had a website that looked like something from the 1990s. The sites were not just visually unimaginative. They were like obligatory printed brochures converted into a website; not very engaging or…
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Reducing Everyday Business Costs: 3 Steps towards a More Cost-Effective Business Model
While Lloyds Bank recently reported a considerable dip in business confidence in the Southwest of England, overall sentiment in the UK remains positive. This is despite ongoing concern surrounding the UK property market, which remains home to significant instability and unsustainable growth. With business confidence on the rise, however, now is the ideal time for…
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Get More Value from Your Expertise – A Case Study
Some AEC companies have a hidden treasure. It is their expertise, developed over the years, but overshadowed by the company’s so-called cash cows. One of my clients concluded that to sustain a leadership position, they had to move their special expertise into the limelight. The CEO of an established A/E firm approached me a while…
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Creating Your Vision Statement – AEC Business
A vision is a snapshot of your company in the imaginable future: 3, 5, or 10 years from now, depending on the business environment and the company. A vision provides direction, raises the standard of excellence, helps to focus, and brings positive change. If your strategy presents the road you’ve chosen, a vision is a…
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Lean Construction – An Owner’s Perspective
These two videos by Eric Ahlstrom are a crash course in lean construction from the owner’s perspective. Part 1 Part 1 briefly describes why a different system is needed for our projects. Part 2 Part 2 describes some of the Lean methods and contract strategy. The post Lean Construction – An Owner’s Perspective appeared first on…
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Moving Offices Smoothly – AEC Business
As your business grows, it is important to upgrade your office. You need your office location to be a good one and for your offices to reflect the quality of the service that your firm offers. After all, potential customers are unlikely to hire an architect or construction firm that is itself based in a…