INCREASING CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY

This is Dr. Adrian's most frequently given, most popular, and highest rated seminar. Various versions of this seminar have been given hundreds of times for associations and firms.

Studies performed by the author indicate that job site productivity can be increased by as much as fifty percent.  Similarly, for most firms a productivity increase as little as five-percent can double job profits.  In this seminar, a proactive twelve point program is presented for increasing job site productivity is presented.  Forms and procedures for implementation are included.  Dr. Adrian is a recognized industry expert on the measurement and improvement of construction productivity.

"MORE":  A NEW APPROACH TO INCREASING CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY

MORE is an acronym MORE productivity but sets out four new supervisor skills for increasing jobsite productivity. MORE is a new approach to productivity management created by Dr. Adrian.  It is one of the newer seminar topics he offers.

More focuses on measurement, opportunity for improvement, a focus on risk, and a emphasis on cost management.  In addition to focusing on these four themes, the seminar presents ten specific steps or actions for implement MORE.  The emphasis is on non-traditional monitoring methods with a focus on benchmarking best practices, challenging for opportunity, on-going education, studying variances in productivity, team management.  

EIGHT WAYS TO PROSPER IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

This seminar represents Dr. Adrian's areas of expertise.  The focus of the eight different topics is to enable the firm to increase their profitability and decrease risk

Eight of the following ten topics can be selected for the seminar content; 1.) Selecting and bidding profitable contracts, 2.) Improving the accuracy of the estimate/bid, 3.) Preparing accurate and effective schedules, 4.) Implementing an effective control system, 5.) Implementing a productivity improvement program, 6.) Managing change orders and disputes, 7.) Implementing new computer technology, 8.) Monitoring project and company process ratios, 9.) valuing the construction firm, 10.) Quantification of changes and claims.

MANAGING AND QUANTIFYING CONSTRUCTION CHANGE ORDERS, DISPUTES, AND CLAIMS

Dr. Adrian has served as productivity and financial  expert in over $1 billion dollars of construction claims.  He also is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and has arbitrated and mediated numerous disputes.

Change orders, disputes, and claims are fairly common occurrences on construction projects.  In this seminar, Dr Adrian ill illustrate the following: 1.) how to prevent a change from becoming a dispute, 2.) how to quantify lost productivity and financial damages for a change order or construction claim, and 3.) how to analyze or critique a construction claim and the financial damages.

THE PAPERLESS CONSTRUCTION JOBSITE: USING NEW TECHNOLOGY

Many have suggested that within five years, construction job sites will be "paperless".  New technology is reducing paper work at job sites and increasing the firm's ability to monitor and increase job performance.

Accurate and timely jobsite information is critical to the ability to control job time and cost, improve productivity, and monitor company assets.  In this seminar, learn by examples, how new technology is changing the way the firm and supervisor performs record keeping tasks to include timecards, daily reports, job cost records, tool and equipment management, change order management, and documents management.  The seminar illustrates how bar coding, imaging digital technology, the Internet, GPS, and ASP's are being used to improve project profitability.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION IN LAYMAN'S LANGUAGE

Managing money, cash flow, and understanding the accounting process is critical to successful firms and projects.  Dr. Adrian, using his CPA and construction background explains these topics in layman's language.

In this seminar the participants will learn in layman's language how job cost accounting works, how to properly bill and evaluate monthly percent complete progress reports, how success or failure can be determined using the financial equation of state, and financial management tools for maximizing cash flow.

SELECTING, MANAGING, AND IMPROVING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

This seminar is especially important for firms that own or manage equipment intense jobs and firms.  Even though equipment costs more than a construction worker, idle equipment time and cost is often overlooked. 

In this seminar the participant will learn economic models for selecting equipment, production models for measuring and improving equipment productivity, and life cycle costing techniques for evaluating and managing equipment.  In addition the participant will learn how to calculate equipment ownership costs as well as equipment operating cost and how to quantify equipment oriented change orders and claims.

CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATING AND BIDDING: HOW TO PREPARE ACCURATE ESTIMATES

This seminar Dr. Adrian utilizes his estimating, cost accounting and construction background to present costing techniques with the objective of preparing time effective accurate estimates.  

In seminar the participant will learn how to quantify elements of project risk, how to use proven tested bidding strategies, how and where to include overhead in cost estimates, how to optimize crew size, and how to prepare job site budges from the main estimate.  Many of the procedures taught in this seminar are from Dr. Adrian's popular textbook on Construction Estimating.

PRACTICAL PLANNING AND SCHEDULING

Dr. Adrian wrote one of the first books on project planning and scheduling.  The focus of this seminar is on practical applications that can make things happen on a project as well as setting out a plan and goal. 

In this seminar the participant will learn how to use a short interval schedule, a two to four week ahead schedule, and an overall project schedule using the critical path method to improve project productivity, cost, and time.  The participant will also learn how to use a schedule to document changes and quantify schedule impact.