Why Project Time Management Is Your Defense Against Delay and Disruption

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.

Black and White Photography As a Statement in the Art World

Black and white photography, or monochrome photography, occupies a unique place in the world of art and the visual media. It has been around for almost two centuries now, and it still has a little bit of down-looking from the art world. Even though the monochromatic tradition has been around for a couple of centuries, it can be traced back to 6000 years in history when we start to take ink and carbon works into the wider frame. In terms of art itself, photography is very young, so it is just a mere matter of time for it to be excelled into a greater state in the art world.Here is a great fact that will help answering the question why many people diverge between choosing color or monochrome in their work: monochrome photography enhances composition, therefore it gives a stronger message by subtracting the distraction that color inherently has.Composition is a much more complex concept that goes beyond the very well-known rule of thirds. Elements in composition include the following:· Lines· Shapes· Forms· Simplification· Negative space· RhythmAll of these elements aid the photographer to compose a message into a much more pleasant or aesthetic view of reality. The message is something that only exists in the fraction of a second the photographer decides to include into his camera settings. The message is part of the moment that the photographer decides to capture. Therefore, the message is presented better rather the realism that accurate color can render. Color photography is great for many purposes, but when talking about message, its instant punch is quite softer than when it is presented to the viewer in a monochromatic format. The much accepted theory behind this statement, is that color pretends to achieve a greater grade of realism, and that black and white turn apart and pretend to see things differently, and by removing color we have:

Something different from reality

A greater message by removing the distraction that color gives
Another magnificent aspect about black and white photography, is that it has been a very democratic and almost generous medium. Developing black and white film is a work of art and creativity in a much larger scale if compared to color film. The thing is that black and white film can resist much more severe changes in the development procedure (temperature, time of development, time of fixation, etc.) and color film is much more precise work, it is a more delicate chemistry if you like to view into the chemical line. And this was somehow inherited in the digital format by allowing black and white photography to endure more extreme settings when contrasting than color photography. Color photography starts to get weird looks much earlier than black and white when cranking up the controls in RAW development. Even with printing, black and white photography has a richer history than color photography thanks to papers and printing processes.

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.