by Simplar | Feb 12, 2026 | Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Project Delivery, Weekly Construction Message
Most construction companies start out as simple closely held operations that can be run by the seat of any rational person’s pants. A unique feature of the construction industry, however, is that mom and pop businesses can grow very quickly into large complex...
by Simplar | Feb 5, 2026 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Organization Transformation, Project Delivery, Weekly Construction Message
This year, it is my mission to discuss the science of business. When financial transactions are small and simple the commonsense entrepreneur can make artful choices that propel the firm forward. But when construction companies achieve scale, they become the most...
by Simplar | Jan 29, 2026 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Organization Transformation, Partnering, Planning, PM, Project Delivery, Project Selection, Project Selection, Project Selection, Weekly Construction Message
Decision tree analysis is not a scientific way to make decisions but rather a visual representation of the decision-making process that goes on inside the head of decision makers. At first, a decision tree appears as a tree-like structure or graph with different nodes...
by Simplar | Jan 10, 2026 | Built Environment, Business Development, Business Development, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Labor & Labor Issues, Leadership, Project Delivery, Weekly Construction Message
Even as the New Year has dawned, I offer these final thoughts on the year just passed. If I could sum up this past year’s dialogue into one overall theme I would say, “Managing a construction business is a completely different activity from managing a...
by Simplar | Dec 26, 2025 | Built Environment, Business Failure, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
In my experience, construction firms do not operate under firm budget disciplines like most other industrial concerns. Contractors usually craft project budgets in advance but rarely use them as a management tool. Because of the complexity and variability of each...
by Simplar | Dec 18, 2025 | Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Managing Subcontractors, Weekly Construction Message
One of the things that frustrates me about the relationship between contractors and owners is that owners act like they’re doing us a favor by letting us take all the risk in the financial transaction. It’s as if contractors are not trustworthy and owners...
