Setting common team goals is important for all construction projects, yet the stakeholders on a challenging/problem project often overlook this critical tactic. To empower our clients to become a world class team and achieve project success, we tell them to set common team goals regardless of how uncertain current circumstances appear. When a project is in a reactive or fire-fighting mode, individuals tend to overlook the value of setting measurable
By Neal Flesner October 19 is Conflict Resolution Day, an annual event created by the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). The purpose of this global event is to create an awareness of peaceful methods for conflict resolution that can be used within workplaces, schools, families, the legal system and other areas of life. Throughout my experience as a partnering facilitator, I’ve run into various teams with conflicts on construction projects,
While facilitating Partnering programs for project teams across the globe over the last 10 years, I have asked construction team members, “What is the key to great construction projects?” One of the most popular responses nearly everyone seems to agree with is, communication. It’s true. Communication, or how we express our positions, interpretations and requests is the key to success on construction projects. This is not theory. It has been
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Jul 2016
The Vital Ingredients for Setting Project Goals
“Clear, common goals that the whole project team buys into are the centerpiece. They ensure we are all in alignment with common expectations. These need to be set early.” — Jim Bostic, St. Joseph Health Systems / Petra ICS By Jim Eisenhart, VCG President We have a project team ranking system at Ventura Consulting Group that is divided into three areas—Business as Usual, Good Teams and World Class Teams. In
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Apr 2016
Communication – How Not to Screw Things Up….
We hear this all of the time, “The key to success is communication.” Although smart phones, tablets and a multitude of apps are providing additional modes of communication, the challenges and potential for miscommunication are increasing. And, the larger the project, the greater the chance of missteps and miscues. If you want to improve your team and your own levels of communication, you must continue to learn, grow and help those around you.
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Apr 2016
Developing A Winning Strategy
As built environment industry leaders, many of us are involved in the strategic planning for the companies we serve. We all know the importance of developing a strategy in order to achieve the goals we have set for our company, but how do we know if our strategy is a winning one? I recently read an article on Results.com with some key tests on “How to Tell if You Have
The 2016 construction industry award season is here and your friends at Ventura Consulting Group can provide information, testimonials and award entry services to help your team get the recognition they deserve. Industry awards not only acknowledge the efforts of the project team, they also extend your group’s world class teamwork by forming stronger bonds with project owners, garnering online and print publicity and furthering industry best practices. We would be pleased
As a manager, it is your responsibility and role within your company and team to ensure that everyone is doing their job diligently and to the best of their abilities. When things are running smoothly, it is easy to keep morale high through praise and positive feedback. This type of news is always easy to deliver and welcomed by all employees. However, as anyone in a leadership position can attest, delivering
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Sep 2015
Lean Construction, Integrated Project Delivery, and Collaborative Partnering – How Do They Differ?
Hi Rob, I am a project manager for a specialty contractor. We work on schools, hospitals, and other buildings in both the public and private sector. I have heard a lot about Lean Construction, Integrated Project Delivery, and Collaborative Partnering. They all seem pretty similar to me… what’s the difference? – Integrated Builder Dear Integrated Builder, This is a common and important question. It is extremely important for the building
By Neal Flesner, VCG Effective leadership has a great impact on any construction project and plays a key role in its ultimate success or failure. Our experience tells us that the engagement and support of senior leadership in the partnering process is crucial to project success. This seems like a no-brainer, but all too often, senior leaders are absent from team meetings or partnering sessions or don’t fully engage when