by Simplar | May 11, 2023 | Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Leadership, Leadership, Leadership, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
Envisioning The Future Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. “What do you mean by envisioning the future?” was the first question I received just minutes after posting last week’s message. Whenever a poetic phrase like that occurs to me, I often hesitate to use it because I...
by Simplar | Apr 20, 2023 | Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Weekly Construction Message
Working Capital Engineers Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. No sane construction professional would prepare a bid or start a job without input from the estimators, designers and/or engineers, and project managers. After scrutinizing specifications and understanding quality...
by Simplar | Apr 13, 2023 | Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Growth, Growth, Weekly Construction Message
Managing Working Capital Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. As we noted last week, the primary cause of construction business failure is running out of money. Why when contractors run out of money is it so often a surprise? Financing Growth American industry is addicted to...
by Simplar | Mar 30, 2023 | Leadership, Leadership, Leadership, Risk Management, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
The Haves and Have-Nots Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. Unlike rampant inflation, supply chain collapse, or a sudden descent into recession; trends creep up without us noticing. We have already discussed the gradual shortage of skilled labor that is now haunting our...
by Simplar | Feb 9, 2023 | Built Environment, Partnering, Planning, PM, Risk Management, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
What a Crazy Business Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. In this year’s opening blog series, we have been discussing the elevated risk level caused by COVID induced cost inflation, labor shortages, supply chain snags, and a potential recession that may result from the Fed’s...
by Simplar | Feb 2, 2023 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Procurement, Project Delivery, Weekly Construction Message
Identifying Risk Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. Most contractors are guilty of failing to diligently identify the unique risks in every new job BEFORE they undertake it. One example I often site is a failed project that I dealt with for a surety. The otherwise successful...
