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Help! Managing Projects and Employees?

estelter | Posted in Business on December 11, 2002 05:09am

I’m looking for ideas that help the paperwork end of projects run smoother.   For example, is there a filing system that works well for you, how do you track changes, how do you track weather delays, what is the best way to forecast cost to complete?

Additionally, I am looking for added long term incentives to keep quality employees and ideas to motivate all employees.  

Thanks for any input.

 

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  1. georgeolivergo | Dec 12, 2002 05:15am | #1

    littlesky,

    what kind of project management background are you coming from? i.e. how do you do it now, how did you learn how to do it, and what have you studied/learned from?

    there's a couple (more than a couple) of good books that might be helpful to you depending on what kind of work you do. what books/ideas have you looked at?

    best, GO

    1. estelter | Dec 16, 2002 06:13pm | #2

      Sorry it's taken me so long to get back w/ you. 

      We are primarily a civil contractor.  We prime about 50% of our jobs. 

      My/our background?  That I guess is where our problem lies, we have a fairly diverse background.  Everybody manages in there own style (i.e., files, tracks changes, tracks submittals, the way they deal w/ vendors, tracking cost to complete).   This of course confuses our supers to no end.  So what we are trying to do is make things somewhat uniform around here.  If somebody is sick, or worse yet quits, we can pick-up or follow up without pulling our hair out. 

      My biggest question is more clerical than anything else.  We need a uniform filing system.   What is the best way to group data/correspondence?  Should it be a central file, or each to his/her own?  What works for others? 

      Second, cost to complete.  We've tried everything.  We try coding out specific activities to track the cost, but with detailed codes comes confusion/frustration out in the field.  Garbage in garbage out!  We need to keep it simple out in the field, but need to find out where jobs are tracking to.

      One of the biggies.  How do you keep quality employees and how do you motivated un-motivated employees?  Yea, I know, an impossible answer - but, any suggestions would be helpful. 

      Thanks

      1. Gabe | Dec 16, 2002 08:01pm | #3

        2 hole clip boards, lots of them and a clean wall to keep em on for easy access.

        One for every sub-trade and supplier, one for every architect and consultant, one for each type of inspector, one for RFIs and subsequent answers with a log. Another for CCN and COs. etc.

        How to motivate those that need motivation, replacement.

        File drawers are for storage of shop drawings only.

        Keep it uniform and then anyone can walk in and be up to speed in hours instead of weeks.

        Gabe

  2. User avater
    JeffBuck | Dec 17, 2002 12:13am | #4

    long trem incentives.....

    money...and more money.

    Give me money and I'll incentivise myself just fine.

    Jeff

    Buck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

     Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite                  

    1. Peg_Head | Jan 01, 2003 06:08pm | #5

      Liar Liar, pants on Fire!

      If we wanted to make money...we wouldn't be doing this!  It's the love...THE LOVE OF CARPENTRY!

      Grace through Work. As an aquaintence of mine says.

      1. rreed40 | Jan 01, 2003 09:23pm | #6

        Dear peg head, I believe the original ? was how to motivate employees....and then we find out that the asker is a civil contractor...division 2, not division 6. So its not love of carpentry we are talking about here - it's just  money.

  3. rreed40 | Jan 01, 2003 09:34pm | #7

    Littlesky - the best thing you could do would be to hire a nuerotic Virgo with a young family and tell them that they would get half of the money your company would save if they could create system of job managment that works for your office and your field. All out of off the shelf - whatever! And teach everyone how to use it and implement it...tell them they have one year. And tell them you want a monthly status report - now go get to work.

    When you now how much $$ you are making or losing on your projects, and you have the labor/mats/subs coded so you know where and how you are making and losing $$, it's easy to reward the achievers, and say goodbye to the non producers.

    best of luck:)

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