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The Importance Of Office Administration: 4 Key Aspects & Responsibilities
Project Management

The Importance Of Office Administration: 4 Key Aspects & Responsibilities

We talk about Project Management a lot on this website. While that is our core focus, I’ve realized that we don’t discuss an extremely important aspect of running any business or organization – the administrators. This holds true across every field, including and especially the construction industry where I hail from. While we can all agree that administrators play a vital role in the larger picture, there are several different areas in which they’re particularly helpful. In this article, we’re talking about the importance of office administration and the 4 key aspects and responsibilities behind their role.

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Pat Finnegan November 19, 2019
Avoiding Rework In Construction - 10 Common Causes & Solutions
Construction Management

Avoiding Rework In Construction: 10 Common Causes & Solutions

“There’s never enough time to do it right, but there’s always enough time to do it again.” This quote says a lot about human nature, the construction process and the corniness level found in the industry. It’s true, though – no large project will be without “rework”. Rework is work onsite that must be redone, the causes for which are varied and plentiful. While every contractor has experienced rework on their project at some point, none of them want to do it again. Rework affects the schedule, our reputations and of course, the bottom line. In an effort to be preventative, this article is all about avoiding rework in construction, along with 10 common causes and solutions for each!

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Pat Finnegan November 18, 2019
The Difference Between Shop Drawings And Construction Drawings
Construction Documents & Templates

Shop Drawings vs Construction Drawings: 5 Key Differences

One of the first things a person thinks of when “construction” is discussed is a large, full-sized set of construction drawings. People outside the industry see construction drawings as an infallible guide for building the project from beginning to end. While they’re technically correct, this assumption does not account for the sheer volume of drawings that a construction project actually requires. Not only that, but there are in fact MANY types of drawings for any given construction project! There is such a thing as ‘construction drawings’, but there are also drawings that are developed as the project is underway, known as shop drawings. In this article, we’re discussing the difference between construction drawings and shop drawings!

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Pat Finnegan November 12, 2019
Does Construction Management Require Math? The 5 Ways You'll Need It
Construction Management

Does Construction Management Require Math? The 5 Ways You’ll Need It

The business of Construction Management consists of professionals from a variety of disciplines. Whether they’re life-long tradesmen, engineers, architects, PMP-certified project managers or business professionals, construction managers are ultimately responsible for the same end result. Because of this, they must have a diverse skillset with a variety of abilities. The prospect of relying on one skill in particular makes a lot of people nervous – math. Does construction management require math? In this article, we’re discussing the five ways that math is needed in C.M.!

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Pat Finnegan November 5, 2019
The Difference Between Construction Managers And General Contractors
Construction Management

The Difference Between Construction Managers And General Contractors

The terms Construction Manager and General Contractor are often interchanged in conversation. While both parties are involved in the general management of a construction project, they’re actually very different from one another in regards to responsibilities, liabilities and costs – even the employees’ focuses and priorities will be different. Today, we’ll explore the difference between Construction Managers and General Contractors, along with the reasons that developers choose one over the other.

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Pat Finnegan October 30, 2019
Construction Management

Being A Construction Manager: Here’s An Hourly Breakdown Of A Day In The Life

Much of what you find online related to project management is theoretical. Examples feel like they’re straight out of a laboratory, lacking real-world context and reliability. Our website isn’t exempt – many of our articles related to project management and construction management are academic in presentation. While we try to provide as much context and as many examples as we can, we feel the need to create something a bit more relatable for our readers. Construction is a field that everyone can relate to in some way. Perhaps they had a new home built at some point, or were fascinated watching a huge mega-project in full-swing, cranes and all. Those of us pursuing engineering, business or a design field like architecture begin to wonder: What is it like being a construction manager? In this article, we’re focusing on a day in the life of a theoretical project manager in construction.

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Pat Finnegan October 28, 2019
Our Comprehensive List Of 25 Ways Contractors Lose Money
Construction Management

Our Comprehensive List Of 25 Ways Contractors Lose Money

Construction is a high risk, high reward business. While working on a job site is high risk from a safety perspective, the industry as a whole carries a high financial risk for contractors. With this risk comes the chance to make large profits when successfully completing projects, but the chance to lose a tremendous amount of money, too! Many contractors declare bankruptcy each year, while others barely cover their costs with little left to show for it. Other contractors do exceptionally well. So why do some contractors run into financial issues? This article will be solely focused on a comprehensive list of ways contractors lose money!

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Pat Finnegan October 22, 2019
Construction Documents & Templates

Change Order Best Practices: What Contractors & Clients Need To Know

Let’s start this off with a picture of two boats: one is a large, expensive boat and the other an inflatable dingy the owner uses to ferry out to the big boat from land. The small dingy is named “original contract” while the large, luxurious boat is named “change order”. I first saw this picture in college and laughed, but didn’t quite understand. After working for many years on a variety of commercial projects, it makes a lot more sense. While this picture is funny but obviously way off scale, the point is clear. Regardless of what the original contract consists of, projects can be made or broken by change orders – that goes for clients AND contractors! In this article, we’ll be discussing a variety of change order best practices that will benefit both owners and contractors alike.

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Pat Finnegan October 21, 2019
How Do You Manage Multiple Projects Effectively
Construction Process

How Do You Manage Multiple Projects Effectively? Our Top 10 Techniques

In a perfect world, a Project Manager would be given exactly one project at a time. We could put all of our attention and energy into getting the project completely finished before we even think about the next one. As you and I both already know, though, this world is far from perfect. People leave or get fired. New project opportunities pop up out of nowhere. Projects get delayed well beyond their original timeframe. Companies stretch resources. Busy times call for juggling. Some projects are just too small to require a full-time P.M. If you work in project management long

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Pat Finnegan October 15, 2019
What Is A Project Safety Plan - Free Site Specific Safety Plan Template Download!
Construction Documents & Templates

What Is A Project Safety Plan? Free Construction Safety Plan Template!

Make no mistake about it – construction sites are dangerous. Hazards exist everywhere, even while taking precautions. Things like sharp tools, airborne debris and tripping hazards, all the way up to falls, collapses and struck-by accidents are just a few of the many safety hazards you can find on most construction sites. While accidents certainly aren’t planned, the prevention of accidents is ALWAYS planned. Not only do workers in the industry need to be educated on safe work practices, but they need to know the specific hazards that each job site presents. While basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required on all sites, we need something more for our projects to make sure we’re creating as safe of a work environment as possible. We need a Project Safety Plan. So what is a Project Safety Plan, exactly? In this article, we’ll answer this question via a free project-specific site safety plan template!

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Pat Finnegan October 14, 2019

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Articles about what contractors do, things they should know and how to work with them.

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