Cool Fort & A Way In to Disneyland

Too Early to Go Home

My brother and I had just come out of a college basketball game at the Anaheim Convention Center and were about to head home when we saw a packet of A, B & C tickets in the glove compartment and thought "how can we put these to good use?" ---Next thing we know, we are parking our car in a motel parking lot about a 1/2 mile from from the entrance to Disneyland and thinking up ways to climb the fence and get in.

It turns out, there was a hedge that fully covered the 20-foot-high fence, just to the left of the main entrance. We quickly scaled the fence, but proceeded to get hung up clearing the top barbs, just as the lights from a security cart were coming around the service road on the inside of the fence, going toward the entrance to the right. We jumped down and hopped into the bushes --just in time to be out of sight, and proceeded to head the opposite direction to find a way into the park.
















My favorite free "ride" at Disneyland has always been the Swiss Family Tree House (now called the "Tarzan Treehouse"), and this became our route that got us into Adventureland for free-- There was a ridge between the Safari Boats and the Pirates of the Carribean rides that lead directly to one of the major branches of the Treehouse. We climbed over one of the rails onto the stairs and walked up, over and in!























No Need to Turn Us In

We ended up getting brought into the Disneyland security office, on a later trip and got our due . . . but this time we did the best we could using the tickets we had for Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan and a couple of other "kiddie" level rides, before we almost got caught -- You'll have to ask my brother about that.

The lasting memories I have about this time (now 35 years ago), include:

1. Bonding with my brother
2. I couldn't have written a more exciting real-life adventure
3. How much fun you can have with no money and a little ingenuity
4. How cool the Swiss Family Tree Fort was (and how it made a way in--kept us from being stranded on the service road)

The parking lot is now California Adventure, and the motel was about where the Tower of Terror ride is now.

I hope we find ways to get out and do wild things (without getting hurt) --things that inspire us to think about having fun without the regular forms of entertainment.

Seems like work is work and play is play, but it's always great to find things that remind you how hard you worked at having fun--- every time I see a treehouse, I feel like a kid---

So, What's Your Problem?

Locale over Leaks

On a recent trip to Mexico, my wife and I were informed by the proprietor of the bed & breakfast we had chosen to stay at that "the plumbing isn't so good here," but we should be satisfied by the overarching reason most people leave happy - "the location is great." At the end of the visit, we were in fact happy . . . so, I guess she was right.

"Plumbing isn't so good" didn't refer to the selection of faucets or the toilet style, she was talking about the flow of water - both supply (in this case, hot water) and capacity of the drains. Bad plumbing tends to be about improper movement of water: too slow to drain, or come out of the tap-- Or, in the case of a leak-- coming out where its not supposed to--

One Step Beyond

Most building problems involve too much or too little flow (water, heat or electricity) - How's that for a bold generalization?

Think about the last time you had a serviceman to your home-- I bet it was for a stopped-up pipe, air conditioning that wasn't blowing cold air, or an electrical device that wasn't operating properly (not getting 'juice') --- Am I right? And I haven't even been to your house--

Consider these examples of common household repair problems:

1. Roof Leaks
2. Flashing or Caulking Leaks
3. Slow Draining of Shower or Toilet
4. Supply or Drain Line Leaks
5. Stopped Up Sewer Drain
6. Ponding on Flat Roofs or Parking Lots
7. Erosion (due to excessive flow or channel failure)
8. Insulation Leaks
9. Electric Short Circuits
10. (Insert your own household problem here)

These all have in common some type of unwanted flow issue--

















OK Popeye, What's the Fix?

Here are some thoughts to help avoid many of these problems:

1. Water Flows Downhill - Ample slope is needed (top to bottom) and opening sized to allow proper speed of discharge.
2. Water Pressure Can Be a Powerful Force - More water volume and restricted flow each can create increased pressure. Think about "pinch points" (desired and undesired), and problems can be avoided.
3. Water Seeks It Own Level - Think about where the water "wants to go" (during rain, when the tap is on, when the drain is open, etc), and help it get there.
4. Energy Transfer Needs a Conductor - For Heat, sealed air is the best insulator (conversely, open air is the cause of most heat/cooling transfer problems). For Electricity, overcurrent insulators are sized based on the amount of amperage in the conductor, to avoid danger in handling or routing the lines (short circuiting occurs when electricity "jumps" the insulator).

Generally, consider the source and natural tendency of the water, heat or electricity, and you will be well into solving, or better yet - avoiding common household problems.

So I'm Told--

This is not to say, I have solved all my household problems or even that I can solve them all myself - More often than not, these days I hire a professional. But I am at least more able to identify the problem, and help the pro get right to the fix.

Pros to Contact:

Here are some helpful Professionals I have worked with in the past on the Commercial Construction side:

PSG Consultants (no website) - Phone: (763) 755-4777
George D. Alan
ReevCon
New Millennium Engineers


Links to two Popeye cartoons (neither one results in a "fixed" problem at the end):

The Plumber Is A "Pipe"

House Builder-Upper

Say What? - Part 1

Did You Get It?

When something is really important, when you absolutely have to be sure - like confirming the time a crucial product will be delivered to your project - what do you do? Think about it . . . What are you willing to risk if you miss the deadline?

We tend to treat communication about things that are really critical differently than just casual conversation. Where we get into trouble is when one of the parties communicating doesn't THINK it is important at the time (or if they are intentionally trying to be vague).

One of my favorite examples of someone forcing clarity in an important conversation is in the movie "The Specialist" where the mafia boss - Joe Leon, played by Rod Steiger, tells his son - Thomas Leon, played by Eric Roberts-- to agree to stay out of a business matter:

"I no hear you say OK - OK?"


After trying to avoid the question, Thomas finally responds:


"OK"---

Not quite the same ring as the Godfather's "Make him an offer he can't refuse", but the same intended severity. Mafia movies tend to show very serious repercussions for not following the directives of the "Boss" - ultimate accountability.

------In real life, we have to find other ways to get buy-in and hold people accountable.

Listen Carefully

If you have ever played the campfire game (or for my daughter, after-dinner-table game) "Telephone", where one person whispers a phrase into the ear of another and they pass it to the next, etc, --you know that the message gets pretty garbled by the time it gets to the end - to humorous effect. Unless you're trying to keep yourselves entertained, mixed-up messages aren't very useful.

An often-underappreciated part of effective communication, is to make sure you are hearing what is being communicated to you:

1. What was the intent of the message?
2. What words did they use?
3. What were the critical details?
4. Was anything repeated or emphasized?
5. Was there any particular emotion or sense of urgency?

I have found it's a good idea to repeat-back what you thought you heard - give the other person a chance to clarify or correct their message.

Many times delivery or tone is crucial to how you respond-- Quiet, low tone, casual and loosely chosen words, make it harder to read urgency and importance (if that is the underlying intent).

We all respond to orders barked at us, regardless of whether they are well-thought-out, or if there is any real urgency behind them. Unfortunately, it's up to you - if you are trying to writhe a directive out of a poorly delivered message.

Come On, Really?

I hate to bring it up, but sometimes people say things because they expect that is what you want to hear from them, or they feel like something has to be said and no one can check at the time whether the statement is reasonable or not - hence the throw-away "Two weeks" promises from The Money-Pit contractor.

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Here is a list of things you can do to help make sure you get the message (no particular order):
  
• Watch Body Language - Check out the Fox TV show "Lie To Me"
• Confirm the Message - Does the message make sense with what you know, or can you compare it to what you know? - Reasonableness check
• Summarize the Basics - What are the 3 to 5 most important points the person is trying to get across to you?
• Memorize the Message - If you had to repeat the message back or tell someone else the message you recieved, could you do it?
• The Whole Thing - Got it? - Got it!

I believe there are 3 general levels of "knowing" or understanding a message:

1. Recognition - You know it when you see it.
2. Regurgitation - You can repeat it back as it was told or taught.
3. Reapplication - You can use it or teach it in a different form than you recieved it.

Following on this, the best communication occurs when the deepest level of understanding is achieved. Finding a way to make the message you heard your own, is the first step-----

The other end of the effective-communication process is what YOUR message is (and WHY they should follow or buy-in) - but that is a topic for another blog.


Related Sources
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins

Unrelated Trivia
United States President S. Grover Cleveland (22 & 24) won the popular vote in 3 separate presidential elections, however, he lost the electorial vote to the 23rd US President, Benjamin Harrison. Benjamin's grandfather, William Henry Harrison (9th US President), had the dubious distinction of holding office for the shortest period of any US President in history (30 days), since he died due to contracting pneumonia from giving the longest presidential inauguration speech in history, in the rain.

Like Benjamin's grandfather, it also rained on his inauguration day, but #23 was no fool, he made sure his speech was short, and he got S. Grover Cleveland to hold his umbrella (the big guy left of center holding a top hat is 22/24). Inauguration photo.

The "S." stands for Stephen ---there's the real trivia for you - a US President whose first name is Steve :) --

Pre-Building The Job

Bodacious Plan

On the evening of March 5th, 1776, General George Washington and his rag-tag army of 2,000 volunteers completed staging what would turn out to be one of the most important early victories of the American Revolution-- Colonel Henry Knox had successfully transported 59 canon and ordnance 300 miles from the vacant Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, and the rebels prepared the first large-scale prefabrication in US history. That evening they moved the canon, barrels filled with sand and stone (to be used as breastworks, or to be rolled down the hill on charging Red-Coats, if it came to that . . . ), and facines (bundles of branches or logs) - creating the effect of a fortified wall atop the ridge of Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston and the British ships in Boston harbor.

General William Howe - commander of the British forces occupying Boston at the time, is reported to have remarked when he saw the fortifications the next morning-- "The Rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month" -- The result of this effort was that the 11,000 occupying troops and 1,000 loyalists fled Boston to Nova Scotia - without a shot being fired--

Isn't It Great When A Plan Comes Together?

A lot of coincidences contributed to the success of the efforts of Washington, Knox and the Rebels-- In the end, it helped convince the British that the Americans were serious about Independence (It took another 5 years to actually achieve that goal . . . ). The fact that they had a vision, a plan and buy-in by all the participants set up the whole effort at Dorchester Heights to even have a chance to succeed.

5 Lessons from the Fortification of Dorchester Heights:

1. First Get All the Materials - Without the canon, gunpowder, ordnance, barrels/birch trees, the Rebels couldn't have even started work on the fortifications.
2. Stage Assemblies (then transport into position) - They couldn't have built the fortifications in place without risking attack. Building the facines and gabions down the hill (out of sight) and moving them into place at night was the only chance they had.
3. Plan Logistics (address site considerations) - The Rebels used straw to deaden the sound of the wagon wheels transporting the pre-fabricated fortifications and canon, to avoid calling attention to the movements.
4. Use Weather to Best Advantage (often a judgement call) - General Howe had considered retaliating, but a snowstorm dampened his confidence, and the decision was made to completely evacuate, including all ships from the Boston harbor.
5. Be Ready With Contingency Plans - Washington expected retaliation, and had planned escape routes that would have been difficult for the British to follow. The fortifications were designed as both blockades, and if worse came to worse, they could be used as weapons.

How 'bout Them Forefathers?

Thinking through how you plan to build something is as critical as the construction effort itself. The goals for any construction project should include minimizing time and resources, without anyone getting hurt--

Here is a list of 6 "Pre- Build" Considerations:

1. How Can the Project Be Accomplished Safely? - Everyone Goes Home Unhurt
2. What is the Optimal Sequence of Activities? - Critical Path
3. What Materials or Processes are Similar? - Economies of Stacking, etc.
4. Which Parts are Standard? - Can More Parts Be Standardized?
5. What Adjacencies Need to Be Considered? - Restrictions, Services, Exit Plan
6. Does Any Aspect of the project lend itself to Pre-Fabrication & Transport to Site?

Prefabrication or Modularized Assembly may not be an option for all situations, but considering aspects or portions of the project for Pre-Fab may drive better work/assembly patterns and solutions.

Related Trivia:

George Washington went on to win the revolutionary war, defeating the strongest, best-equipped, best-trained military machine in the world at the time, through leading ordinary men to extraordinary accomplishments - by sheer perseverance and belief in the goal of independence.

More information on George Washington:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

Henry Knox went on to be Washington's first Secretary of War, found the Society of the Cincinnati (an organization of American Military officers), and Fort Knox and Knoxville, Tennessee were named in his honor.

More information on Henry Knox:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Knox

Recommended Books:

"1776" by David McCullough

http://www.amazon.com/1776-Illustrated-David-McCullough/dp/1416542108/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286766801&sr=1-2

Put Your Energy to its Best Use

The Tree Is Gonna Fall

This summer in Maine a 60-foot-tall pine tree whose base had rotted, partially fell perilously close to the cabin my wife and I were staying in - it didn't fall all the way down (which was good). It got hung up in the upper limbs of two adjacent trees at an angle between 60 and 70 degrees to the ground (if 12 o'clock is 90 degrees straight up - about 1:00). The tree branches holding it up were cracking about every 30 minutes or so - without intervention, the tree's natural path was going to be to fall on the roof and cause lots of damage (Google "cutting down a tree the wrong way" and you will find many humorous videos of what might have happened . . ).

Just So You Know - We Survived . . .

Well, we tried to shove it over, push it over with a ladder, climb on the roof - tie a rope as high up as we could and pull it over --- No good. So, a wise friend who came over to help stepped in and said quietly, "You're trying too hard." He went to his truck, got out a pulley, a yellow nylon strap and a rope with a hook on one end. In about 20 minutes, we strapped the pulley to a tree about 25ft back, tied the base of the tree with the hook to the rope, and looped the other end through the pulley and back to one of the hooks on the front of his truck. Again he said quietly, "You're gonna want to step back." He backed up and the base was pulled back from the front of the cabin, the top fell away and the tree fell down with a boom - safely away from the cabin (and any people) ---

Timmmmberrrrrr!!!!!

Two things: 1. When you know what you're doing, the flow of work goes easier and faster (including set-up and clean-up) - sometimes it pays to have someone around who knows where the stones are in the stream. And 2. Mechanical advantage is a beautiful thing to watch in action. If you want to make things easier for yourself in the woods, on a lake, at home or on a project - consider using pulleys. Each pulley, properly sequenced, significantly reduces the amount of effort needed to pull or lift a load.

Natural Tendency is a very important aspect to consider in solving a problem, or pursuing any goal or endeavor - Which way is the river running? Which way is the traffic flowing? What force is pulling?-- and, in what direction?

I believe that thinking through what is driving an issue, a problem, a point of view or a process (natural or man-made) - will lead most often to the solution or resolution. A person's incentives and strengths will usually determine their most likely actions. If you have a list of activities to do and you're going to get rewarded for one of them, you tend to do that first. Similarly, if you are good at some activity, the natural tendency is to do that first and leave the stuff you don't like to do until later - it's human nature. Keeping this in mind can prove very useful in project assignments with a team, relationship building and in negotiations.

Stomach Grumbling or Losing Track of Time?

There is a lot written about the concept of behavioral tendencies, with one area being Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (diagram below) - where the bottom of the triangle is self-preservation, leading to the top which is self-actualization.

According to Maslow, the level at which a person stands on this diagram will determine to large degree how they will behave. The specific levels are not as widely accepted as the concept of behavior being directed by what's on a person's subconscious mind--

So You Know the Motivation - Then What?

Jujutsu or Jiu-Jitsu is a Japanese martial art style based on the the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it. In translation, Jujutsu means "way of yielding". Jujutsu techniques redirect physical motion to gain advantage. Stopping motion takes a lot more energy than redirecting it. Finding ways to use the other person's passion and energy as part of the solution leads to win-win successes. Identifying incentives and strengths (or pulling and pushing forces), defining wants/needs and expectations, will set you up for what is coming at you - Then, adeptness at using virtual leverage, mechanical advantage, or Jujutsu in issue resolution will determine how you handle it--

Next time you find yourself stuck in a seemingly insurmountable problem - step back and consider the Natural Tendency - maybe you are trying too hard.

Related Information on the Web:

Rescuing a Canoe Caught In Rapids:

http://www.brrr.ws/docs/Boat_Rescue_Haul_Systems.htm

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs further discussed:

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html

Jiu-Jitsu Demonstration In Los Angeles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHINjQh8e-U&feature=related

Recommended Books:

Flow - Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csikszentmihalyi/dp/0060920432

Now, Discover Your Strengths - by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

http://www.amazon.com/Discover-Your-Strengths-Marcus-Buckingham/dp/0743201140

And, a Comic:

Scope First, Then Price

Steve Martin used to have a bit in his routine where he tells a joke, supposedly to an audience of plumbers, delivering an esoteric punch line that only plumbers would appreciate -- the rediculousness (?) was even funnier than the actual joke (I highly recommend Steve Martin's autobiographical "Born Standing Up"). In the same vein, when I was working in estimating, we used to have Steve Martin-like jokes - Jokes funny only to estimators. As an example, a number that was way-off due to a typo, like "$10,000/cy for concrete material - aaaaggghhhh, that's hilarious!" (Estimators rolling on the floor laughing) - we would call that an "Estimating Joke".

OK, back in your chairs, both of you.

Estimate vs Budget

It is useful to think of a "Budget" as what you have to spend, and an "Estimate" as what the specific scope of work should cost. In the Design & Construction industry, it has been my experience that these terms are pretty much interchangeably used - but the distinction is an important one. Before you give a reasonable estimate, negotiate a price, or even take a scientific wild @$$ guess (SWAG) at a budget, it is wise to clarify the scope first. A price without an accompanying scope is a problem waiting to explode.

This probably sounds like common sense, but budget-and-scope or estimate-and-scope mismatches happen all the time. I would bet that more change orders, disputes and claims on projects come from "missed scope", "misunderstanding of what was included", or "apples-and-oranges" mismatches than any other recurring project problem.

Who's To Blame?

There is a certain amount of anxiety on projects (more on larger projects) when it comes to being "on-budget", depending on what commitments are made, and at what point you are in the scope definition and price-assignment process. The ramifications and repercussions of being "off", or "over-budget" can be severe. Imagine the Red Queen in Alice and Wonderland: "Off with their heads!"

There is definitely an art to leveraging past experience and assigning an accurate number to a sparsely-defined scope -- This skill is something professionals work hard to refine, based on experience, past project cost histories and "tweaking" to match special considerations of the project at hand (read, for large projects: "don't do this at home, or without supervision"). I would be delighted to provide assistance or make a referral - however, at any level of endeavor, a price without a scope is comical. That would be like going to the store and saying to the clerk, "I'm hungry, how much will my groceries cost?" ---aaaagggghhh, that's hilarious!

No Kidding

OK, so what do you do? Here is a 5-step formula:
1. Agree on the Major Scope items (80-20 rule) - once you establish the major items, including labor, materials, equipment, professional fees and incidental costs, it's kind of like "The Price Is Right" - But you don't need to guess, there are many ways to get to a reasonable price once the Major Scope items are set.
2. Agree on a "Go-By" - establish quality and quantity standards for these major items. Using what has been done before as a guide "tweaks" or further refines the cost level, and helps confirm expectations.
3. Identify Unknowns - Agree on a place-holder for what isn't quantifiable or decided, but will be required. This is typically a range, and will be the variable cost within a budget or estimate.
4. Look for Unusual Aspects - Usually, estimates and budgets are based on educated extrapolations of previous experience, but miscalculations happen when they don't take enough into account what is different about THIS project.
5. Review, Reflect and Adjust - Estimate/Budget/Scope-Matching is an ITERATIVE process, it needs to be reviewed and tweaked (with input from team members and affected constituents) to be most effective.

If It's That Easy . . . .

There are all kinds of stumbling blocks involved in this process - including political, personal, tactical, avaricious, evil (?), etc . . . But just starting with agreement on scope can lead to more successful negotiations, happier clients and fewer disputes.

As an exercise, don't just get a receipt, but take a minute to review it and make sure the scope is right BEFORE you agree to pay.

An Estimating Joke where you pay the consequences isn't funny.





Here's another joke:

Right Tool For The Right Job

One of my Dad's favorite expressions when I was growing up building stuff with him was, "Use the right tool for the right job." - I'm sure he meant "get the tool that was designed for the specific need at hand." And, since he has a great tool collection, it's a matter of locating the tool in his garage or toolbox, and getting on with the job. He would proceed to show me why the tool was right for the job and how to properly use it - an extremely invaluable education that lead to my appreciation of tools, and also to notice the finer attributes of really fine craftsmanship.

Don't Have The Right Tool?

Not having the Right Tool for me (with a more pedestrian toolset than my Dad's), means a trip to Lowes for a look at the latest cool stuff -- but sometimes the "Right Tool" just isn't available or affordable. So what do you do? We all tend to improvise, but there's a reason why there is a massive tool industry that is constantly coming up with new and better tools for new, more specific uses - starting with safety. Part of proper planning should involve thinking through what tools and equipment will be needed-- but, over the course of a project if a new need arises, improvisation is at least a consideration.

Yes, you can use a small flat-head screwdriver to drive in a Phillips-head screw, when a Phillips isn't available (same with thousands of like-tool substitutes)-- and usually, a beefier or higher-quality tool will work better than a cheaper one -- but aside from Safety and Common Sense, there is no good way to get around the "Right Tool" rule. Along these lines, there are a number of humorous pictures being sent around of people working in ridiculously contrived "Rube Goldberg" contraptions*. You may have seen the one with the guy working under his car on the side of the road while it is propped up by two boards - looks like the guy has his life in his hands.

When No One's Looking

The best advice I heard about considering contriving something to substitute for the "Right Tool" - Think about what the headlines would say in the paper the next day after your accident - then, a more conservative approach (maybe even hiring a professional) may be the answer. Most people who get hurt using the wrong tool were really just trying to "get 'er done" - think again, maybe there's a more reasonable way . . .

Related Trivia:
*Rube Goldberg - actually Reuben Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970) was a Jewish American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for a series of popular cartoons he created depicting complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways – now known as Rube Goldberg machines. In the construction industry, we often refer to an improvised plan to accomplish a task as a "Rube Goldberg".
A commonly known Rube Goldberg Machine is the game "Mouse Trap".

There is a really great Rube-Goldberg-inspired video of the band OK Go, that I recommend, even if you don't like the music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

As-Planned vs Pure Luck

A Goal is Not a Plan

As Zig Ziglar would say, "You gotta have Goals!!"-- Ideally, goals are realistic, written down, and with some timeframe. Goals are important, there is a ton of stuff written about them, and that's not what this article is going to discuss further--

OK, so having a goal is a big step, but you can't just do that and go to lunch. I would say the hard part is the execution-- the subsequent actions that lead to the achievement of the goal. There is an excellent book by David Allen - "Getting Things Done" -- one of the best take-aways I learned from that was the concept of the NEXT STEP. If you think about it, most of the anxiety people have (and the resulting procrastination) in going about a task, a project or a goal, is "How the heck am I going to accomplish this?" --Allen says that you can get anything off dead-center by making a note, right on it, saying what the next actionable step needs to be. As an example, you may have an in-basket with a pile of mail, reports, etc., that need your inspection, approval, review or other action. If you were to set aside an hour or so, and go through each item and, if the action would take less than a few minutes, then act immediately (like "throw in trash")-- if not, then make a note as to what the VERY NEXT STEP needs to be. You should find this very satisfying and feel a great sense of accomplishment when you finish. I don't do that nearly as much as I should - but every time I do, that is how I feel.

Luck Isn't a Plan Either

When it comes to project planning, everyone probably can agree that the GOAL is to complete the project on time, within budget and to the expected level of quality--- but the PLAN (the steps toward reaching the goal) is the most significant contributor to SUCCESS --with LUCK, being the other contributing factor. Most projects get completed, but there is a wide-range of degrees of success (good vs bad), with the more successful projects being on the better-planned end of the spectrum.

You may be thinking "That's just Common Sense" - OK, how many times do we all jump in to an activity, saying to ourselves "I can just wing this", or "I have an idea of what to do in my head" - and the task may be so simple that it works out, or if it is complicated, luck plays a role - and success results. But more often than not, action involving multiple parts or team members, or communication (even between a client and builder), to achieve success REQUIRES a PLAN. The PLAN that is more thought-through, and communicated with the team, the better.

What's The PLAN?

The PLAN I'm taking about should have:
1. Clear Completion Expectations (including Drawings, Specifications or other Scope Clarifiers) - What will it look like when it's done?
2. Sequence & Logistics of Assembly (pre-building the project) - How will the parts come together? Where do the parts get placed prior to assembly? What equipment will be needed?
3. Time Frame (Schedule & Milestones) - What will happen first, second, etc? How long will each (and the total) activity take? What are the activities that will affect other activities (critical path)?
4. Special Considerations (Safety, Access, Adjacency, Noise, Weather Protection, Utilities Service) - What is unusual about this project? What assistance is needed?
5. Estimate of Cost (Sum of all the anticipated labor, materials, equipment, utilities, and other stuff that will be needed to complete the project - plus an appropriate allowance for unknowns and inexperience) matching Budget (How much available for the project) - Is there enough money to do the project? - DON'T START if there is a question about this.

No Egg On Your Face

I could go on about planning, and there are thousands of resources available that provide much more detail about planning - and, in fact, I would be delighted to assist with specific project needs by providing a professional consultation or referral - but the intent of this is to outline a simplified way of thinking about projects, from constructing large commercial buildings, to making furniture, assembling a child's toy or building a tree fort.

So hopefully, you are already doing these things, and this is just a reminder for those times when you may think you have everything set in your mind - But, when starting a new project, I would ask you to think to yourself: "Is this something I do all the time, every day?" if not, it may be more like building your first tree fort, but now you're older - if you're not lucky, someone might get hurt.

This cracked me up when I was a kid:

Shemp is flipping eggs a couple of times, when they don't come down, he turns around, shocked to see Moe who just walked through the door--

Shemp: "Hey Moe, where'd you get the sunglasses?"

From: Hokus Pokus 1949



Keep smilin'!
Happy Memorial Weekend--

Done? What Would Smokey Say?

The Production Crew

Early in my construction career I was responsible for the interior build-out of the Headquarters office of the mall developer, Taubman Company, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The drywall contractor had begun falling behind - the steel studs had been installed on time but the wallboard had not started as scheduled. The drywall contractor's superintendent assured me that he would be "done" in two weeks (heard that before?). He said his "production crew" was coming off another job and they were going to "knock it out in no time"-- Sure enough, within a week, the job looked completely different. Upon closer inspection, the crew had installed all the full-sheets of wallboard, and had left uncompleted the cut-outs at the top of the wall, where the structure above and the above-ceiling services intersected the wall. The crew was packing up when I asked them when they planned to finish -- they said they were "done" - another crew did the cut-out work.

The Last 5%

It ended up taking another two weeks to get the last 5% of the wallboard installed---- and the lesson I learned from that experience has become vivid in my mind - There is a natural tendancy on any job to accomplish the high-productivity work (the big pieces, the repetitive work that makes the most money per amount-of-time-spent) FIRST, and leave the rest to be done "all at the same time", "when we come back to finish-up", etc.---

Allowing that to happen adversely affects the attitude and overall quality on the job. If one trade sees another trade's work left incomplete or with significant corrections to be made, they are less inclined to raise the standard themselves. It is best for the project NOT to allow the work to be "finished later" -- the goal should be, to add-on to the Nike ad: Just Do It --NOW!

Done? or Smoldering?

Another lesson from the "production crew" that I have learned over the years is the concept of what "done" means. "Done" should mean "done", but often it means, "complete, EXCEPT for a few things that in my mind are insignificant compared to the overall amount of work I have done, but probably did not bring up . . . "

Many years ago, the US Forest Service had a problem with people leaving campfires "mostly extinguished", and major forest fires starting hours later from the smoldering ashes left by well-meaning campers. They created an ad campaign with Smokey The Bear, where he would urge people to make sure their fires were "out -- dead out". This may be a good image when you think of "mostly complete" work or issues -- similar to a fire that could flare-up unless extra attention or efforts are paid to make SURE.

Smokey would say: DONE = Dead Out.

I hope this is helpful when working with construction teams or in everyday communication--



Answer to the Trivia Question:
President who could write Latin with one hand while writing Greek in the other:
James A. Garfield (20th president), who unfortunately died in office from an assassin's bullet that was never found. They later concluded from an autopsy that he would have lived if the doctors had not tried to find it (!!).