Scheduling on a Sunday

By Roy Cooper, P.E., Posted on 5/3/2010

I have never read a Harry Potter book; however, I understand they are quite entertaining. I have only seen a few clips of any of the movies, but I do know that the location where most of the adventures are centered around is the school for wizards that Harry attends, Hogwarts. If you have seen it, you know it has some very distinctive architectural features. It’s dark and tall with detailed turrets and masonry. Quite a spectacle! The building itself looks like something that no one actually could or would build.

I was recently at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando with my family. The date is unimportant, but I do remember that it was a sunny Florida Sunday. It was a perfect day to be out doing something fun. It was a day that we would categorize as a “top ten” day. Rising out of the back of the park behind a NYC style construction barricade…we saw it—Hogwarts School. Posted throughout the park were signs advertising the opening in mid-June of Universal’s next big attraction, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We ended up near the attraction which was still under construction. Up close, the detail is quite amazing and I was told by a nearby attendant that the technology in the main ride is like nothing anyone has ever seen or used. Considering the magnitude of the project, I’m certain that the construction team is using the most advanced design and management tools available.

While the site was impressive, what caught my attention was a group of a half a dozen or so people standing in a huddle around a set of some kind of oversize documents. No doubt they were plans or schedules. They were pointing down, pointing up, waving their hands. It was clear to me they were either figuring out how to construct the next piece of work or solving a problem. Away from their families, on a sunny day, they were solving problems and scheduling on a Sunday.

I was reminded of the talent and dedication of the people in our industry. All you need to do is look at the latest issue of Engineering-News Record or even watch the news. You will see professionals in the construction industry employing the latest tools to solve big problems in construction on monumental projects. With all the tools available to us, I still believe that solving problems still comes down to “scheduling on a Sunday”. The group I was watching at Universal was doing just that. With all the tools at their disposal, I’m sure it was their dedication and imagination that got the Harry Potter project successfully built. They roll up their sleeves, scratch it out in their minds, then in the dirt, onto a napkin, and finally into a computer. My experience is that the best consultants and engineers are not the ones who can run the software effectively, whatever the software may be, but they are the ones who exercise their brain and know their particular project the best they possibly can. Even if it happens on a Sunday.

Comments  

Technology and the Construction Industry

By Roy Cooper, P.E.

About fifteen years ago, I recall being amazed at how much the industry had advanced in a few short years in its use of technology and how that affected my day to day duties. At the time, I was working as a Project Superintendent for a small local contractor. In reality I was the Project Superintendent, Manager, Engineer and on some days the loader operator. It was a great way to learn about all of the aspects of running a successful project. Even with its small size, the firm employed a full-time cost engineer who would assist field staff in the daily tracking of labor, material and equipment cost. We always knew where we stood against the budget.

At the same time, I was pursuing a Master in Business Administration in an evening program at a local university. I would routinely come to class with either concrete or grease on me. This was a stark contrast to a majority of the students who came from their office jobs and were clad in the latest in business attire. Having spent my entire career as an engineer and superintendent in the construction industry, I was now mixed in with healthcare professionals, insurance underwriters and other business managers. I enjoyed my experience and believe I brought a different perspective to the class.

I want to start this blog with a question that was posed by a professor in a business structure class.

"How has the advancement in technology decreased the quantity of middle managers required in an organization?"

My answer to this question was, “I can’t speak for everyone else, but in the construction industry I think that the advancement in technology has caused an increase in the quantity of middle managers. However, I question whether the “up and comers,” the people using the technology, are learning how to build things or learning how to use computers.”

I don’t think my view has changed in the last fifteen years. What do you think about the industry and its use of technology and how it relates to our ability to not only manage but to build?

Comments  

I think the use of technology has strongly advanced the construction industry, it is only that we seem to be unable to use this advantage to the maximum in our processes. People tend to postpone activities because of the advanced technologie in i.a. communications. As a contract specialist I notice that e-mail is too fast a medium for correspondence and it can lead to cumulation of emotions.  

Posted by Eddie de Jong on 3/12/2010 

I agree that technology has added to the skill set of middle management.  The only exception is that planning skills have actually declined as a result of advancements in scheduling software.  

Posted by John Livengood on 2/17/2010 

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