PSMJ Resources
JUNE 30, 2008
Most of you have seen – or at least heard about – the comedy film “Office Space”. In one scene, a pair of outside “management consultants” advise their client firm to lay off a redundant employee only to find out that the employee had been let go years before – but a glitch in the payroll system allowed the employee to continue getting a paycheck – and he continued to come to work.
CAD Shack
JUNE 30, 2008
I guess this happened earlier, but I thought I would pass it on. Down load here. Here what it does from the read me. ? Improves performance when modifying customer visibility settings for linked files, when many volumes exist that are bound by the linked file. ? Improves stability when exporting complex views to AutoCAD DWG format, when the hidden lines in those views have a large gap width. ?
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Natural Building
JUNE 28, 2008
Green Home Building and Sustainable Architecture. Sustainable architecture is an exciting and important field, with many people reviving traditional methods of building and others creating innovations to established practices. Kelly Hart, webmaster of the popular website www.greenhomebuilding.com, posts text and photos featuring what he discovers from around the world.
Revit Beginners
JUNE 27, 2008
skip to main | skip to sidebar. Revit Beginners. Ive been teaching our office how to use Revit Architecture. This blog will highlight some of the common questions and cool tips found in the process of transitioning our office to Revit. Friday, June 27, 2008. Revit 2009 Rendering. Here is me doodling with Revits new rendering engine in 2009. I had to scale the roof tiles to 16 and the grass to 6".
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Constructor Marketing that Works
JUNE 19, 2008
'“I’m not getting the leads” says one contractor. “I’ve got too many leads” says another. Both are right, both are wrong. Not getting leads sounds like the bigger problem, so we’ll attack it first. The questions I go through with each call like this are: What have you done to build leads and keep customers for the last 3 months? (You’ll note the question is NOT “what have you done this morning”.
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PSMJ Resources
JUNE 30, 2008
Interesting tidbit in this Brantford (Ontario) Expositor article about Hillier Architecture founder Bob Hillier's speaking engagement last week at Apotex Pharmachem, Inc. In the article, Hillier talks about his quest to find a speaker for his graduation dinner at Princeton University, where he was class president in the late 1950s after Frank Lloyd Wright, who he had secured to be the speaker, died two weeks before the ceremony.
CAD Shack
JUNE 27, 2008
Well, I didn't see this coming, but what do I know? Autodesk has acquired Green Building Studio. Check out the official press release here. I'm going to start something Green for Autodesk to buy.
Do
JUNE 11, 2008
While at the LFRT meeting I gave a presentation on our use of IES at Burt Hill, specifically I profiled this project. Phil Read raised an interesting question, he has long preached the use of thin basics walls to function as a simple "curtain wall" rather then dealing with the more complex curtain wall tool. However, in discussing how Revit data is ported from Revit to IES he asked how would his "fake" curtain walls be handled.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 30, 2008
Firms are looking everywhere these days to save money. Whether it's holding off on hiring or even taking the dreaded step of letting people go, staffing represents the largest cost to a firm. But what if you could outsource some of those functions? Sure, many firms already contract with consultants for their graphic design, web site help, and IT functions.
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As the use of Enterprise Resource Planning systems in the construction industry is critical to optimizing operations, it's critical that decision makers conduct a thorough software evaluation to find the one that best aligns to their needs.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 30, 2008
The HDR Architecture-CUH2A merger is official. The deal, announced in early June, was made official on June 25 when executives from both companies signed off on the paperwork that finalizes the legal and financial arrangements. The combined science and technology practices of HDR and CUH2A will operate under the leadership of Scott Butler, former president of CUH2A.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 27, 2008
National Public Radio today reported that a recent study has shown that surgical procedures in the developed world are not as safe as they could be. Interestingly, it's not inferior technology or lack of medical teams' competence that's compromising patient safety. The reason, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is simple lack of communication.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 27, 2008
Interesting column posted this morning in E-Commerce Times about when company board members should resign their post.and when they should stick it out. Columnist Theodore F. di Stefano posits that board members should only resign when there are no other options, calling it a "last resort." He writes that when a company's financials head south, that's when board members need to dig in their heels and work with management to try to turn things around.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 27, 2008
As we compiled the list of resources and blogs that we read regularly for the "What we read" section of this blog (just to the right of the blog postings), we came across this blog entry on the KnowHR Blog titled "Don't hire Joe Cocker for Your HR Communication." The video, which comes from You Tube (click the link below the screenshot) and features text that attempts to make sense of Cocker's nonsensical singing at Woodstock in 1969, is hilarious.
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Choosing the right procurement software is a crucial step in ensuring third-party risk management, process governance, and bidding efficiency. With so many procurement solutions to choose from, it can be overwhelming without a frame of reference and a solid starting point. This free buyer’s guide will cover: Benefits of Procurement Software –– Why do you need it?
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 26, 2008
Companies want to give their employees access to the latest and greatest technology to help them do their jobs, but one of the basic building blocks on most computers is the Internet. Yet, most firm owners panic that their employees will spend more time goofing around on the Internet than they will surf it to find information they need to do their jobs.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 26, 2008
PSMJ Australia colleague Charles Nelson passed along this opinion piece from Australian newspaper The Age. The piece talks about the impending death of the U.S. banking system and, while the AEC industry is not mentioned specifically, the rising tide of foreign firms buying U.S. A/E firms is clearly tied into this. It's not too much of a stretch to think that the sluggish U.S. economy has opened the doors for foreign investors and firms to enter the U.S. market.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 24, 2008
This won't surprise anyone who has flown recently.or in the past year or two, for that matter.but US Airways will soon end free drink service on its flights. Soda, fruit juice, coffee, and bottled water, all of which were free, will cost $2 each when the fee goes into effect August 18. Unfortunately, there really is no shortcut around the beverage charges since you can't bring liquids (including drinks) through security.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 24, 2008
Came across an internal memo one A/E firm president sent to his employees last week and it had some interesting data that many of you are likely experiencing in your firms. This firm, which will remain anonymous, has grown between 12 and 15 percent annually for many years. The firm has invested in its infrastructure over the last couple of years, but the firm is unhappy with its financial performance.
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PSMJ Resources
JUNE 23, 2008
We've talked recently about A/E firms letting qualified staff go, so it was a bit surprising to pick up this week's Boston Business Journal and read a story titled, "Pool of engineers stretched thin in Boston and beyond." The story talks about the high demand in the Boston area for electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and design engineers, mentioning Walker Parking Consultants' search for talent in its Boston office.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 23, 2008
Try to follow this one all the way through. The U.S. Attorney's office in Boston brought criminal charges on Friday against Modern Continental Corp., the largest contractor for the Central Artery Tunnel project in Boston, also known as the Big Dig, saying it knew that bolts were coming loose in the ceiling of the Interstate 90 tunnel but glossed over the problem until the panels fell in 2006, killing a motorist.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 20, 2008
Just a few tidbits to close out the week as the calendar turns to summer: * Engineering News-Record released its first-ever Top Green Design Firms survey earlier this week. According to the magazine, the Top 100 Green Designers generated design revenue of $1.74 billion from green projects in 2007. Green design accounted for 7.4% of the Top 100's total design revenue.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 18, 2008
The AIA released its monthly Architecture Billings Index this morning and, not surprisingly, the Index showed that nonresidential construction billings continued to decline in May for the fourth straight month-- and at a faster rate than the month before-- showing continued weakness in nonresidential building. The Index, which tracks new billing for nonresidential construction at U.S. architecture firms, fell 2.1 points in May to 43.4, according to an AIA press release issued this morning.
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Supply chain challenges and rising material costs are forcing specialty contractors to pay more for what they need to complete each job. Following a simple set of principles, this easy-to-follow guide can help you manage job costs, ease the pains of accounting, and run a more profitable businesses. If you are a Specialty Contractor or Self-performing GC, you do not want to miss out on this essential guide!
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 18, 2008
Allison Arieff's blog in The New York Times had an interesting post on Monday night titled "How Green Is Your Brand?" The posting talked about the Sustainable Brands '08 Conference in Monterey, California that took place earlier this month. Specifically, Arieff says that, "During many of the presentations, she was disheartened by the degree to which eco-aspects have to be separated and called out, rather than be built-in, integral and inherent to a product, service or philosophy.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 17, 2008
This morning's Times-Picayune newspaper of New Orleans had this troubling headline: "St. Charles does away with quality-based engineer selection." The story talks about The St. Charles Parish Council last night voting to do away with the QBS process for choosing engineers and architects, saying "the process was too cumbersome and was delaying necessary public works projects.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 17, 2008
It wasn't surprising to anyone with an eye on M&A deals within the A/E industry to see that Cubellis had merged with Dougherty + Design Group, according to a press release issued last night by the Boston-based Cubellis. The merger with the Atlanta-based Dougherty + Design Group is the initial step in Cubellis strategy to expand into Central America and South America.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 16, 2008
For many CEOs, the upcoming July 4 holiday usually means a week or two away from the office. Some firms close for the week while other firm leaders use the summer doldrums to catch up on tasks that have slipped under the radar, whether that's reading industry newsletters (like Professional Services Management Journal), writing thank-you notes to friends, or opening the mail that stacks up in your inbox.
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PSMJ Resources
JUNE 16, 2008
Two more big M&A deals have gone down this month. HDR Architecture merged with CUH2A in a deal announced two weeks ago. The deal brings together one of the world's leading healthcare design firms (HDR Architecture) and the world's largest science and technology design firm (CUH2A), according to a press release announcing the merger. The firm now employs nearly 1,700 architecture, engineering, and planning staff in more than 40 locations worldwide.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 16, 2008
June…a month for barbeques, brides, and PSMJ trying to figure out how to help our clients determine reasonable and appropriate salaries for non-management level employees at A/E firms. Benchmarking management salaries is extremely important - both to the managers themselves and to clients of A/E firms. It's a pretty straightforward process and it's best to benchmark management salaries by peer group and the type of services you provide.
PSMJ Resources
JUNE 13, 2008
Some A/E firms can make chicken salad out of, well, you know the expression. We spoke with a client the other day who told us that they are aggressively hiring right now, in spite of the uneven economy. Sounds counterintuitive, right? After all, most A/E firms are struggling to keep their head above water, with the AIA’s Architectural Billings Index only rebounding in April from its all-time low in March, while the national unemployment rate posted its largest monthly jump since 1986 in May, mea
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