There will never be enough resources to fix every problem and chase every opportunity. Building a successful construction contracting business requires prioritizing finite resources across nearly infinite demands.
We cover most of the basics including the math of prioritization and exercises you can use to evaluate, align, and develop your team. Over 3 hours of practical examples with 40+ additional resources (tools, books, training, and articles) to keep your career and company growing.
Video Speakers
Video Timestamps
- 00:00:00 - Strategy, Planning, People, and Priorities
- 00:01:36 - Prioritizing Finite Resources
- 00:03:26 - Discussion Overview and Resources
- 00:10:29 - Basic Math of Prioritization
- 00:16:47 - Prioritized Development: Companies > Teams > Individuals
- 00:20:45 - Improving the Machine
- 00:34:30 - Theory of Constraints
- 00:39:57 - Where Are Your Bottlenecks & Constraints?
- 00:44:55 - The Human Side
- 00:48:51 - Workflow Mapping
- 00:55:21 - Priority #1: Strategic Market Choices
- 00:57:10 - Project Value Stream (Extended)
- 01:06:22 - Break Even + Diminishing Returns
- 01:13:35 - Continuous Improvement: It's a Journey; Not a Destination
- 01:18:48 - Questions for Continuous Improvement
- 01:27:52 - Major Improvement Categories
- 01:30:38 - Put First Things First
- 01:37:12 - Clifton Strengths
- 01:58:47 - Prioritizing Small Continuous Improvements
- 02:08:35 - P.I.C.K Prioritizing Major Improvements
- 02:12:12 - Group Exercise to Identify Priorities (The Setup)
- 02:13:37 - Exercise: 3 Bottlenecks + 2 Opportunities
- 02:15:25 - Exercise: Examples
- 02:16:29 - Exercise: Sorting and Grouping
- 02:24:56 - Exercise: Consolidate
- 02:27:11 - Exercise: Drivers
- 02:28:11 - Exercise: Impact
- 02:32:18 - Exercise: Control
- 02:35:55 - Exercise: Cost
- 02:36:50 - Exercise: Risk
- 02:42:13 - P.I.C.K Prioritizing Major Improvements
- 02:44:19 - S.M.A.R.T. Improvements
- 02:47:38 - Growth Changes Return Curves & Priorities
- 02:50:47 - Contractor Growth Cycles + Decision Points
- 02:57:16 - Balancing Modes of Prioritization and Career Progression
- 03:02:23 - Developing Talent by Prioritizing
- 03:06:45 - Prioritizing Talent Development: Planning Talent Needs
- 03:09:30 - Coming Next
- 03:10:27 - Thank You
Resources Referenced
Tools
- 02:12:12 - Group Exercise to Identify Priorities (The Setup)
- 02:13:37 - Exercise: 3 Bottlenecks + 2 Opportunities
- 02:15:25 - Exercise: Examples
- 02:16:29 - Exercise: Sorting and Grouping
- 02:24:56 - Exercise: Consolidate
- 02:27:11 - Exercise: Drivers
- 02:28:11 - Exercise: Impact
- 02:32:18 - Exercise: Control
- 02:35:55 - Exercise: Cost
- 02:36:50 - Exercise: Risk
Definitions
A team or company’s combination of skills, competencies, knowledge, processes, tools, and behaviors that allows them to Carry Out particular activities or achieve certain goals. Capabilities create the outcomes that customers are paying for.
How Much of something (capability) a person, team, or company handle. Consider this in ranges of comfortable (sustainable) and peak (sprints).
Strong feeling of Wanting something.
Longer-term refinement of someone’s current capabilities Towards Mastery while preparing them for future roles and the ideal Career Path for them.
Consistently Doing what needs to be done even when you don’t want to do it. Motivation is doing what needs to be done when you want to do it – related to desire.
Organizational Development is an effort that focuses on improving the organization’s capability through the alignment of strategy, structure, people, rewards, metrics, and management systems.
The process of Increasing the knowledge and skills of someone, typically shorter-term and in the context of being able to perform in their current role at a competency level that meets standards.
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Related People
Related Books
Other Resources
- Talent Funnel - The Macro Viewpoint
- Opportunity Evaluation (2 Critical Dimensions)
- Construction Contracting, Materials Science, and "People Science"
- Time-on-Tools and Minimum Required Installation
- The ABCs of Strategic Market Choices
- Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) and Contractor Growth
- Continuous Improvement Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA)
- Theory of Constraints (ToC) Basic Overview
- Resource - Equipment Fleet Management for Contractors
- Cash Flow (Series)
- Q x A = E (Frank Blake)
- ABC Communication for Clarity
- The Process of Winning CMAR Projects
- Strategic Choices and Operational Execution
- 6 Progressive Levels of Standards Development
- The Basic Math of Prioritization
- List of Cognitive Biases (The Decision Lab)
- Production Tracking - The Basics
- Questions for Continuous Improvement
- Resource - 2 Second Lean
- Lean Principle - Kaizen (Every Detail Matters)
- Planning for the Continued Decline of the Deep Expertise Age Band in Construction
- Resource - Stratified Systems Theory (SST) and Timespan 101
- CliftonStrengths (34 Themes)
- Management Accountabilities: Two Foundational Basics
- Locus of Control - A Critical Dimension of Talent
- Lean Principle - 5S Habits for Building a Productive Work Environment
- How to Make Toast (TED Talk Tom Wujec)
- Required Leadership Focus Changes at Each Stage of Growth
- Headcount, Stages of Contractor Growth, and Growth Inflection Points
- 8 Indicators That You May Be at a Growth Inflection Point
- What Got You Here and Triggers (3-Minute Video)
- Teams and Readiness for Growth and/or Succession
- Org Structure Planning (2X)