Session 6 – In this session, the group will discuss contract risk management and preservation of rights in order to increase the chances of financial recovery during project execution. Since the most valued information for contract conflict resolution comes from those closest to the work, the basics of preparing that documentation and effectively translating the information will be discussed. The group will gain understanding and review examples of risky contract clauses, the process of claims management, the legalities of change order control, and preparation for lawsuits. We will have a workshop within the session that displays two scenarios to enhance the understanding of effective negotiations techniques.

Session 7 – Hiring mid- and upper-level managers in today’s market is extremely difficult. While hiring from the outside has been a leading strategy for those experiencing growth, the staff shortages being realized today call for stronger approaches to recruiting, engaging, training, and retaining top talent. During this session, we will explore proven strategies for growing your staff from within by investing in your employees. During this session, we will: • Discuss the concept of bottom-up growth and its value to the overall organization • Discuss the need for definition of success for each operational position • Outline the skillsets necessary for development and growth • Define the processes required for employee engagement and learning • Discuss compensation structures as a means for retainage

Session 8 – Well defined, scalable systems and processes deployed with technology and used consistently by everyone in the company are the foundation to minimizing risk and achieving predictable results. Many contractors know and understand this concept, and many have, at some point, defined their processes. Perhaps they are sitting on a bookshelf right now and are rarely used or even referenced in order to understand the company procedures. The more a company grows the more difficult it becomes to develop and deploy these systems. Yet the need increases dramatically. We will discuss how to define standard procedures in your organization, generate buy in that will operationalize their use, and how to utilize them as a platform to build bench depth that will move the organization to the next level.

Learning Objectives:

• Illustrate the value of workflow documentation and provide examples of how best of class contractors develop and document standardize workflow • Demonstrate how to leverage technology in the deployment of standardized processes and procedures that create consistency and predictable results.

• Describe the keys to successfully operationalizing processes including staff training and metrics that provide visibility on compliance and the bottom-line impact.

Session 9 – With the technology available to the industry, it is entirely possible to price work utilizing data in lieu of estimating software with the “hope” that it contains the right information to help land the job AND not lose profit. During this session, we will discuss the life cycle of estimating and the critical path of information that must be shared through the get work, do work, and keep score functions to allow for this critical information to be gathered, extracted, and utilized. Learning objectives:

• Define bid selection criteria - not all opportunities are good ones

• Discuss the utilization of data and data mining in bid strategy

• Outline the link of consistency required between estimating and work breakdown structure

• Show the critical role of the estimator in the essential preconstruction planning process

• List the lessons learned needed to close the information loop. This is the most valuable information that is so seldom shared

Session 10 – Case studies dispel common myths and pitfalls of typical field productivity approaches. Case studies illustrate effective Crew Level Production Planning techniques, including visual batching of work, input worksheets, resource (manpower) loaded scheduling, and labor cost analysis, simple daily productivity tracking and forecasting, and effective, measurable improvement strategies. Following this course, participants will be able to: • Clearly and simply define and measure productivity. • See first-hand case studies and real examples of planning tools designed to set targets and manage labor productivity for superior results.

Session 11 – One survey reported that Project Managers spend 90% of their time communicating. We will explore the mediums of communication and discuss how to be more successful communicators by knowing ourselves better, avoiding roadblocks to communication and listening better. Participants will learn skills that will help them be more inefficient and improve their relationships internally and externally.

Session 12 – At the conclusion of the program, we will provide participants with the opportunity to set goals and develop personalized action plans for their development. The purpose of this session is two-fold. We are seeking to help participants make the learning stick by defining and committing to make changes when they return to the office. Secondly, we strive to encourage goal setting behavior by teaching how to set goals and develop plans to achieve those goals.