Alignment from Strategy to Execution
D. Brown Management
January 18, 2025
Misalignment between how projects are estimated and how they are built creates subpar outcomes at best and sometimes results in catastrophic failure. Alignment is not a task to be completed. It is an ongoing process starting at the top.
accounting estimating management planning strategy
Resource - Equipment Fleet Management for Contractors
D. Brown Management
July 22, 2023
Construction Equipment Economics should be required reading for all all owners, senior leadership, and managers of estimating, operations, equipment, and accounting for contractors with equipment fair market value (FMV) exceeding $1M.
equipment estimating field operations finance
Changes - Early Identification is Always Better
D. Brown Management
April 8, 2019
Early identification of changes and conflicts is the first key to success. The capability to identify changes and conflicts early in the process is a combination of organizational structure, systems, management, training, and coaching.
cash flow customer satisfaction estimating foreman training labor productivity preconstruction project management project planning
Change Management Foundation
D. Brown Management
April 5, 2019
There are four foundational items that support great change management. Without these in place, you will never get the value out of streamlining the process.
communication contract management estimating market strategy negotiating opportunity selection preconstruction
Changes - Impacts Beyond the Direct Costs
D. Brown Management
March 16, 2019
Contractors don't typically see the full negative impact of changes and, therefore, don’t put the right level of resources into their management.
cash flow customer satisfaction estimating financial management foreman training labor productivity project management
Impacted Productivity - Stacking of Trades and Installation Efficiency
D. Brown Management
September 15, 2018
Each craftsperson needs about 200 usable square feet for a productive installation. This assumption is included in production units used to estimate and budget projects. Having less than that can impact productivity up to 50%.
change management claims estimating field productivity
Impacted Productivity - Highly variable Labor Scheduling (Level Your Schedule)
D. Brown Management
September 14, 2018
The biggest risk for a specialty contractor is the performance of on-site labor. One of the biggest impacts to labor productivity is having a schedule that requires large variations in labor.
change management claims estimating field productivity
The Average Field Day in Detail (Craft Labor + Foreman)
D. Brown Management
August 13, 2018
Labor is often the biggest cost variable on a construction project. Just over half the field hours are related to actual installation. Understanding how time is spent on average in the field is the first step to improving field productivity.
estimating field productivity labor productivity
Understanding the Construction Field Day
D. Brown Management
August 12, 2018
For a contractor to truly improve their field productivity, they must start with understanding how the time is spent. Depending on the trade, project, and the labor, study the time spent on actual installation ranges from 50-64%.
estimating field productivity