When the timely completion of a construction project or a project stage is at risk or has failed, the result is disruption or chaos, and this has been the subject of many lawsuits for many years. Delay and Disruption disputes are often centred on time issues. The CIOB has reported its findings that projects that suffer from disputes about delay also suffer from poor time control. So it would seem that good project time management would be an essential element of any construction programme.Project Time Management is too often neglectedThis is not often the case. Of the issues that commonly determine project success, cost, quality and time, time is the least understood and least often managed with the support of formal models, benchmarks or tools. Managing project timings seems to sit in the shadows of successful project management. Where, for example, Quantity Surveying is a specific and recognised discipline, with professional bodies that govern performance and advise on techniques, there are no such bodies for the time-related aspects. Time management is often viewed as simply a feature of the project management software. But if we don’t lend greater priority to managing time, then time-related issues, such as delays, will have a disproportionate impact when they go wrong.Put a strategy in place for managing time on projectsHaving a strategy in place for training and tools that improve project time management will bring immediate and long-term rewards; good time management in construction project management is key to minimising the risk of a delay and disruption claim. Managing time using tailored and developed time management software is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of any construction company’s best practices. It is a discipline that brings with it a trail of evidence and auditable records that can be used to stand up in any law case and minimises the risk of even getting that far in first place by encouraging best practice and mitigating risk.Pick the tool with Project Time Management capabilitiesThe effects of poor time management relate to every size of project, but the more complex a project the more disproportionate are the effects and impacts of time. So having the backup of strong project management information systems that can show how plans may have adapted throughout the course of a project to cope with deviations provides a strong defensive tool for when things go awry.Choosing the right project management solution is essential. The time management tools embedded in software for managing construction projects, regardless of complexity, are much more capable than the simplistic time management models which are designed to improve personal productivity. They are fundamental to the contractor’s productivity and the effective management of its entire supply chain. They are also necessary for the building of a strong reputation for good project time management, which is essential within an industry long suffering from delay and disruption issues, and will create a distinct competitive edge for the contractor.
Top 10 Travel Fitness Tips – Part 1
I recently read two articles about travel fitness. One said that while you’re traveling, you should keep up with 50% of your normal training and the other said you should keep up with only one-third. Both were written by well known fitness professionals and both said that you should NOT expect to keep up your regular exercise program while you are traveling. That struck me as kind of “lame” and I said to myself, “Why the heck not? Why do people have such low standards and demand so little of themselves? Why do they let themselves off the hook and scale back?”
Sometimes, of course, traveling is purely for a vacation – including a vacation from training. Occasional time off from intense training is beneficial and necessary to let your body recover and rejuvenate completely from chronic training stress, just as time off from the office is needed to disengage your mind for a while. It’s also true that it really doesn’t take much to maintain fitness once it is developed, and an abbreviated, but still effective, workout routine could certainly be used, if you choose, when you’re on the road.
However, you still have healthy eating to think about and just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you can’t follow your regular exercise regimen. Why settle? If you want to continue to improve your physique while on the road, you can! Here are 10 ways that I did it on my last extended business trip that you may find helpful as well. It begins with a simple decision.
1. Decide to improve while you’re traveling and to come home in better shape than when you left
Nearly every time I travel (the exception being if it’s a complete rest and relaxation vacation), I set a goal to come home in better shape than when I left. The only reason most people usually come home with lower fitness and a few extra pounds than when they left is because they didn’t make a decision to do otherwise. In fact, many people hold a belief that it’s “impossible” to stay on their eating and exercise program while they are traveling! Why not get in better shape no matter where you are? The truth is, all it takes is a decision and some planning. I find it a fun and exhilarating challenge to improve myself no matter where I am in the world.
2. Write out your workout schedule in advance
There’s nothing like writing your goals down on paper to keep your mind focused and keep yourself motivated. In addition to writing out goals regularly, preferably every day, you should also commit your training schedule to paper and especially when you are traveling. Write down the days, the time of the day and the exact workout you plan to do and you will be amazed at how easy you will find it is to get to the gym and have great workouts.
3. Get a hotel with a kitchen
The single most important part of my travel arrangements was to book a hotel with a kitchen. For me, not having a kitchen is not an option. If you don’t have kitchen, you will be much more likely to skip meals, it’s very difficult to eat 5 or 6 times a day (as required by any good fat burning or muscle building nutrition program), and you may end up at the mercy of restaurant, hotel or convenience store food. For my most recent trip, I stayed at Homestead Studio Suites, one of several national hotel chains in the USA which includes a full kitchen including a refrigerator, microwave, stove – the whole works. Exteneded Stay America and Marriot Residence Inn offer similar accommodations
On previous trips, if there wasn’t such a hotel with a kitchen in the vicinity, I searched the internet for apartments for short term rental. You may be surprised at the type of lodging you can find and often you will be pleased with price as compared to hotels. I once booked a luxury condo for 7 days and it ended up costing less than the hotel I was first considering, and the hotel didn’t even have a kitchen. Nothing beats a full kitchen, but you may also find that many hotels will provide you with a microwave and mini-refrigerator if you ask for them.
4. Go food shopping immediately after checking in
The FIRST thing I did after checking in was to make a beeline straight to the local grocery store. I took a shopping list with me because on past trips I found that I nearly always seemed to forget one or two small items if I didn’t have the written grocery list. Once you have a fully stocked refrigerator and kitchen, your meal planning and preparation is NO DIFFERENT than it is when you are home.
5. check the local restaurant locations and menus and commit in advance to making healthy choices when dining out
Since I had a kitchen at my disposal, the majority of my meals were just business as usual. I cooked them right in my hotel room and brought them along with me wherever I went. However, when traveling, it’s likely that you will probably be having quite a few restaurant meals.
I make it a habit to scope out the local restaurants in advance and even check their websites. Most have their menus online these days. I make a decision in advance whether it will be a regular meal or a “cheat meal.” If it’s a cheat meal, I enjoy whatever I want, but I always keep portion sizes in mind. For example, last time, I split a slice of cheesecake with a friend. Was I guilty? Heck no, it was my planned cheat day, I only ate half a slice and it was the first cheesecake I had in 12 months!
If you walk into a restaurant without having made a decision in advance whether you are staying on your regular meals or having a cheat meal, you are much more likely to have a “diet accident” and make a poor choice on impulse, especially if you’re influenced by non-healthy-eating companions (don’t under estimate the negative peer pressure factor). All it takes is one unplanned cheat meal and that can often lead to guilt. Then “all or none thinking” tends to set in and you may tell yourself, “Well, I blew it,” so the next meal and then the rest of the week tends to completely fall apart as well.
Create An Online Brand: Learn The Way To Build Your Online Brand Effectively
Learning tips on how to build your online brand and social media branding requires plenty of thought. Are you ready to recreate yourself or do you simply just want put it all together to produce a particularly effective online brand image?
When you reach adulthood, you’ve figured out who you will be in terms of character, values, personality and morals, but have you given much thought to your personal brand as it relates to the corporate world? How about the way you are perceived on the internet? What’s your online company brand stating about you? Consistency is definitely essential here. I will go into some detail about applying the consistency and how to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Build Consistency When You Build Your Online Brand: Social Branding.
The very last thing that you want to do that would be entirely counter to creating your online brand would be to continue replacing your online brand. Having a tag line, mission and purpose is truly important. Be certain to communicate this text in all of your communications. For instance, you want to have the identical verbiage about yourself in Facebook as you do in your weblog. And don’t modify either without modifying the other. It is definitely not smart to continually alter your brand on a regular basis. You could tweak your brand in an attempt to enhance it over a period of years but preserve it the same. Now I’ve observed really winning re-launches do fairly well, but typically after the brand had an online presence and following to start with. This is a marketing approach that may boost your customer base significantly, however it is a technique that must be done properly, but that is getting off the topic and I will save that for another post.
Listed below are a few points to stick to on how you can build your online brand or social branding:
Username – Create your on-line brand with your username profiles. I recommend that you choose to use the same username with all of your online profiles as much as possible. As an illustration, I’m known online as Sharon Prosperity in over 100 sites. Consider all of the social media networks, article listing sites, blog networks, Facebook, twitter, and Skype. There are many more, but you get the idea. This is also known as social media branding.
E-mail Signatures – You may very easily develop your on-line brand simply using a good catchy Electronic mail signature that tells the world what you are all about.
Pictures – I imagine people are surprised by this one. You can build your on-line brand with pictures. If you have a company logo you’d naturally use that, but don’t discount the power of your own persona. If you have been following me then you know that I use the exact same picture in as many places (Web 2.0, other blogs, Facebook, Twitter, forums, etc.) as I can. This goes a long way to develop trust and consistency in the eyes of your audience. Your social media branding is personalized with images of you as part of your networking sites.
Design – This would be what your colors, fonts and theme look like. Again, maintaining your fonts and colors as consistent as possible is how you’ll be identified online.
Real – This is something that I have caught a handful of others on. Although it’s obvious that a person would act in a different way (e.g. not as professional in a personal relationship) it’s unfortunate that some people believe that they have to be fake. Their online brand is that of another person who’s rather different from their true self. It’s a matter of being authentic which will ultimately convert leads into sales. You have been perceived as someone who is adding value rather than somebody who has their own interests at heart.
Many people have a knack for this creative image creation and some don’t. So, if you find yourself feeling frustrated with being the non-creative type then understand that you’ll find tools out there which help with building your on-line brand. If it’s all about moving up the corporate ladder, getting out of college and seeking to get that first job or starting your own traditional or web based business, realizing resources like this exist is a life saver!
Now that you have an idea of the way you would like to construct your image, the final tip is actually very easy, but does definitely take a little time on your part, but will pay off as you construct your online brand.
Develop your online brand and social branding with networking…networking…networking.
You have to get the word out about who you are and what you offer as part of your online brand. I’m reminded of one of my first traditional companies. I didn’t want to start out advertising and marketing through the newspapers or yellow pages until I obtained the company logo, business cards, or tag line ready to rock and roll. It would seem un-businesslike to hit the net with the idea you will be in business without getting everything in place, but people do it every day. So many people have the wrong concept about a web-based business. An on-line business is a real business and it has to be treated as such. When you eventually have your image or online brand put together, get out and promote and form relationships with people. Allow your on-line brand speak for you and watch your business increase.