What It Takes to Make Your Staff More Productive

If your firm wants to compete more aggressively in its market sector, then you’ll need to develop a sense of ownership in your staff— a sense of really being part of the business and knowing how their part affects the outcome. In two words…Employee Engagement.

To do this in your firm most likely requires a culture change. Why? Because imbuing a sense of ownership means that your staff needs to understand the business, which means knowing more about its internal systems. To make this happen, principals and partners would need to:

• Communicate more frequently and thoroughly with staff about the numbers that drive the business.
  
• Give people a much more comprehensive insight into the big picture and how each employee fits into it.
  
• Go out of their way to instill pride in everyone (not just technical staff).
  
• Become better coaches and more effective listeners.

These steps would only be the beginning. It takes commitment to change a culture. Such a change would mean tearing down walls that convey a “me and them” mentality. With strong, long-term leadership, all of this and more is doable.

Want to know more about engaging your employees and becoming more successful in the industry? Learn new ideas and share Best Practices with other A/E/C HR colleagues and leaders at PSMJ's Annual Human Resources Summit in Orlando, FL, March 16-18, 2011.

The A/E/C Industry Human Resources Summit is a senior level HR event specifically designed to address the increasing needs and demands of senior leaders of HR, as well as other key executives who deal with the critical employee and firm issues on a daily basis. Through panel discussions and best practices presentations, you learn through examining successful real-life case studies, receive A/E/C survey results, while networking and asking your peers for their proven solutions to problems just like yours.

Keep Your Teams Small

Fundamental to making better margins is keeping your team as small as possible. The more moving parts your design “engine” (team) has, the more complicated the communications, coordination, and collaboration.

For example, Mary and Sam are both assigned to your project to the tune of 10-20 hours per week. They perform similar duties. That means you now need to constantly communicate with both of them to be sure they are coordinating their work and using a consistent approach. And when you find (as you invariably will), that the coordination and consistency isn’t what you want it to be, the next step is rework, that nasty activity of re-doing something that should have been done correctly the first time.

The way to minimize this problem is by keeping your teams as small as possible. Even if using a smaller team means authorizing paid overtime. Even if you have to pay time-and-a-half. That premium payment will pale in comparison to the price paid for re-work. And don’t get too hung up on getting people with the specific experience level for each assignment. Even if you have to pay a higher hourly rate for a more experienced person, you will be better off in the end.

As long as they have the basic skills and are motivated to do a good job, you are much better off with fewer people.

To learn more tips and techniques you can use to become a better and more successful project manager, come to one of PSMJ’s upcoming Project Management Bootcamps!

PSMJ’s Project Management Bootcamp is a revolutionary training seminar like no other--through interactive case-studies, real-world examples, and proven solutions, you will foster innovation, elevate communications, increase productivity, and improve your firm's bottom line. Click here to register or call PSMJ Education Department at (800) 537-7765.

4 Tips on How to Write a Winning Proposal

How a proposal is written is just as important—if not more—than the content itself. If distracted by the format, wording, or organization of the proposal, the client may not even take the time to consider what your firm has to say.

Consider these four key elements to draft a well-written proposal and keep the client reading:

1. Sentence structure - Sentences should be clear and concise. Longer sentences may often be necessary, but a good test is to go back over the material and see how many sentences can be cut down. Mixing long and short sentences improves the rhythm. Word length is a good gauge of readability.

2. Word choice - Remember, you are writing for the client, not yourselves. Avoid technical jargon and use terminology that the client is familiar with (Not a problem if you’ve done your research and understand your client!). Use action words whenever appropriate (i.e. “We will complete the project on time.”), as well as simple, present and future tense verbs.

3. Voice - The right voice of your proposal will keep the reader engaged—always use the active voice. Remember, it is essential to avoid appearing arrogant. Rather than saying, “This is the way to do it,” say “Our experience shows. . .”

4. Grammar - During the drafts of the proposal, have a strong editor review it looking for inconsistencies in content, format and style and grammatical and typographical errors. Typos make a proposal look unprofessional and thrown together.


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Three Proven Ideas for Reassuring the Client

Winning the job does not mean the marketing of the firm and the team is over. In fact, the moment of highest anxiety for the client is right after they have hired you for the job. "Did we make the right choice? Will they deliver what they promised, or what we thought they promised? Will we be able to get along with these people for the next two years?


As a Principal, you need to be sure your project teams keep the following in mind:

1. Clients always chose us for reasons other than what we think. Debrief to find out what promises were actually bought.

2. Communicate the results of the debriefing to the entire team at the project kick-off meeting.

3. Understanding the project goals is not enough. Be sure you understand how the client will evaluate your performance.


Right from the start, as a Principal, you need to give the client reassurances that they will be able to work compatibly with you during the process of delivery. Do this, and the project is sure to start off on the right path to success!

Looking for more tips and advice like this? PSMJ’s Principals Bootcamp is an information-packed seminar that will help you gain an understanding of the techniques and strategies of today’s most successful project leaders, and practical advice you can use to improve multiple aspects of your firm. You’ll also discuss how the best firm leaders are navigating the most challenging economic climate in decades, and come away with ideas and dynamic new approaches to the challenging times that your whole firm can put into action right away, to ensure success in 2011. Join us in January in Vancouver, Atlanta, or San Francisco to become a better Principal in 2011!

Firm Billings Rebound in November

The American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index showed a revenue increase at U.S. architecture firms in November, the second monthly increase in billings since early 2008. Business upturn is becoming more widespread, but firms remain cautious about potential 2011 improvement

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) serves as the leading economic indicator of construction activity, and reflects the approximate 9-to-12 month lag time between architecture billings, and actual construction spending.

The index recorded a score of 52.0 for November, a three point gain from the previous month, and its strongest level since December 2007. Any score above 50 signifies growth at U.S. architecture firms, and with ABI scores above the 50 level in two of the past three months, the prospects of a sustainable recovery in design activity are enhanced. Regional revenue trends also are very encouraging. Firms in the Northeast, Midwest, and South all reported billings increases in November. The billings index for firms in the West increased 2.5 points in November, but since the index for this region remains below 50, it still reflected a modest decline from October levels.

Trends in billings by construction sector were more mixed. On the positive side, residential architecture firms report a solid increase in billings, with the index for that sector increasing to 54.3, its highest reading since mid-2007. On the negative side, the billings index for commercial/industrial firms dipped below 50 for the first time since last April. The billings index for institutional firms held steady, and has been slowly trending up for most of the year.

At the national level, economic growth remains slow. Recent employment reports show slight growth continuing in the fourth quarter. Payrolls increased an average of 105,000 nationally through October and November, only slightly better than the 82,000 average monthly increases through the first three quarters of the year. There have been modest gains in consumer spending, and retail sales have increased at about a 6 percent pace through the first ten months of the year. However, these gains may be somewhat better than they appear to be, since inflation is running at only about 1.5 percent compared to year-ago levels, and is less than 1 percent when more volatile food and energy components are taken out.

The December 1 report by the Federal Reserve Board paints a picture of the regional commercial real estate markets. According to this report, the New York, Atlanta, and Kansas City districts noted some weakening in nonresidential activity, while the Boston and Dallas districts indicated some modest improvement. Boston, Richmond, Kansas City, and Dallas expressed optimism about the near-term outlook. Both residential and commercial/industrial firms are more optimistic about business conditions over the coming year. Half of the firms in each group are expecting revenue increases in 2011, while only one quarter are expecting declines. In contrast, almost half of institutional firms are expecting revenue declines over the coming year, with only 38 percent expecting growth. Regionally, firms in the Northeast and Midwest are expecting more favorable conditions in the future, with half of the firms in each of these regions expecting growth. Almost half of firms in the West anticipate revenue declines in 2011.

Regionally the ABI breaks down as follows from October to November: West is up 48.7 from 44.3, Northeast down 51.1 from 54.5, Midwest is down 50.9 from 51.8, and South is up 50.5 from 48.6.

By market sector from September to November Residential is up 54.3 from 49.1, Commercial/Industrial is down 49.8 from 56.7, Institutional is down 49.3 from 50.8, and Mixed is up 45.8 from 43.2.

Do You Have a Council of Advisors?

In today’s world of AEC project management, a proven track record of “on time, on budget” work is no longer enough. Clients (and firm leaders) are expecting project managers to have an in-depth knowledge of their specific markets or sectors—a proven expert who knows the ins and outs of their work.

Yet, as you may already know, it is almost impossible to become an expert in everything. No matter how much knowledge or experience you have with a client base, project type, etc., there will always be something that you don’t know or are unsure of. Additionally, your expertise in one area of work may hinder your ability to see the bigger picture of what needs to be done to complete a successful project. An efficient PM should have an ability to synthesize the information given to them, but they don’t need to be specialists to handle the information or make decisions.

So how can you ensure that your clients are always getting expert knowledge from you without you always having to be an expert? Develop a council of advisors. Whether it is a formal group that you assemble for a specific project, or a network of contacts who are willing to offer advice within their area of expertise, forming a council of advisors (and sharing them with your clients) will show that you are willing to take the extra step to guarantee that all elements of the project are completed to the best of your ability.


How it works:

1. Assess the project. Before you can determine the members you need within your council, you must review the details of the project to determine the key areas where you may need additional input of expertise. This is your opportunity to identify any skill or knowledge gaps within your project team, and should be done before the work is won because the cost of the council should be considered when preparing the project budget. A council of advisors may be suitable for large projects or those with complex/unique concerns.

2. Assemble the council. Once you have determined the key areas where the project (and client) would benefit from the input of experts, search your network (and those of your team and firm members) to identify potential expert advisors. Stay away from consultants form outside of the industry and focus on practitioners. While their participation will likely cost money, for complex projects, the added credibility will be worth the investment.

3. Meet regularly. Schedule regular meeting with the council throughout the course of the project (i.e. quarterly; at key milestones). You may consider having advisors at the kick-off meeting. These meeting will create an opportunity for your firm (or client) to ask questions on key concerns before making critical decisions.


While a council of advisors may not be suitable for every project, expanding your team of experts for unique or complex projects will add credibility to your work and support trust with your clients

Learn more tips like this every month with our Project Management newsletter. Our subscribers get 8-pages of tips and techniques they can use to become a better and more successful project manager. PSMJ’s Project Management newsletter can instantly and dramatically improve your ability to manage projects for quality, speed, and profitability. Click here to order, e-mail customerservice@psmj.com, or call PSMJ customer service at (800) 537-7765.

Evaluate Your Schedule

At the end of every project, use this nine-question checklist to evaluate the performance of your schedule to identify the symptoms of schedule delays so you can react faster to prevent delays on future projects:

*Was the project completed on time?

* Was a realistic time schedule estimated for both the design and construction phases?

* Was enough flexibility built into the schedule? Did it clearly identify the relationship between activities and reasonable expectations for commitment of people to the team?

* Was one phase allowed to delay and put the schedule of later phases in jeopardy?

* Were design decisions made at proper times to avoid procurement and construction delays?

* Was the client advised of problems at appropriate times during all phases of the work?

* Was the client given clear information and recommendations regarding his or her responsibilities for making timely decisions and providing necessary data as required by the contract?

* Was the construction subcontractor’s adherence to the construction schedule closely monitored and the client advised if necessary?

* Were the critical time-sensitive actions identified in the schedules (such as shop drawings and submission of plans to review agencies)?


Don’t use this checklist as a way to identify who caused the schedule to slip— you don’t want to start finger pointing. Again, your goal is to resolve similar problems that may pop-up in the future.