Project Management: Punto de Encuentro de la Ciencia, Arte y Tecnología

La evolución del Project Management ha llegado a ser mas un arte que una ciencia. Tradicionalmente, el Project Management, se relaciona directamente a la administración de proyectos, donde los números, controles, mediciones y la organización es lo que lleva un proyecto de inicio a fin, siguiendo las famosas 5 fases (Inicio, Planeación, Concursos, Construcción y Cierre). Sin embargo, estas fases poco a poco van desapareciendo, se van empalmando, se hacen mas cortas, mas complejas y para ello debemos ser más eficientes utilizando procesos creativos, cambiando totalmente la manera en cómo aprendimos implementando la innovación y tecnologías.

Hoy en día, podemos reunir 3 fases en una sola, BIM, Drones, Escaneos, Inteligencia Artificial, nos brindan las herramientas y procesos para llevarlo a cabo. Con un modelo (BIM) puedes conceptualizar, diseñar e incluso apoyar la fase de Contratación y Construcción al mismo tiempo. Con Drones puedes revisar el estatus actual de la construcción mientras elaboras los As builts que tradicionalmente quedaban en la fase de Cierre.

El arte del Project Management es la destreza, innovación y creatividad de fusionar y utilizar las herramientas tecnológicas y cambiar la manera tradicional del Project Management hacia la eficiencia y efectividad que hoy en día nos exige la falta de madurez que por tantos años hemos tenido en la industria.

BIM for Construction

To this day, many professionals relate BIM to Collaborative work for Designers only, this is a mistake many companies make, that if implemented could save them more than 5% of project costs.

Here are 3 examples on how we leverage BIM during Construction

1.- Logistics: If we can Virtually manage Construction, we can certainly analyze several options to build the same thing in a different way. Below we analyzed how the cut and fill of these foundations was going to be done. We gathered the Engineers, Contractors and Construction Managers, and analyzed 2 options on a virtual setting, ended up saving 50 thousand dollars

2.- Safety: Similar to the example above, we analyzed the best way to excavate the 4 sides of our project with the highest level of safety, we gathered the Soil Mechanics Engineer, Contractors and CM´s from our Team and went through the options, we actually lost 2 months because the method we needed to apply was staggering the foundations and retention walls, but we probably saved lives, which is unvaluable

3.- Progress Estimates: A contractor normally sends his progress with the Quantities they build, this document is so heavy that takes many hours to review, with BIM, this is reviewed in minutes, and not only that, the audits we have made for other projects the contractor has been very clever in hiding over-costs on each and every estimate an amount of 10K or 5K, which would have added up to 500 millons dlls if it wasn’t for BIM.

There are many other very good processes that we implement during construction, such as Field Verify which we overlay Model with 360 Images and can exactly point the differences. check our Linkedin regularly and other social media. @pizainternational.com @damianpiza

Written by Damián Pizá, Founder of PIZA International, Winner of CMAA, ENR, PropTech Project Achievement Awards, for Innovation and the use of Technology in Managing Construction Projects.

Civil Engineer from the TECH of MONTERREY and Masters Degree from Univ of Texas at Arlington.

PIZA INTERNATIONAL is a Mexico based company that specializes in developing and providing Project Management Office (PMO); Construction Management (CM Agency); Technology Management Services to construction developers and global companies

Focusing on COST leads to OVER-COST

In my years of working for global companies, the focus was always COST, budgets, estimates, change orders, among other admin activities related to COST Controls, COST Reviews, COST Reports, … so on..

Took many years to realize that OVER-COST is the consequence of improper management, and improper management is the consequence of poor methods, and poor methods are the consequence of leadership and leadership has to do with many intangibles such Collaboration, Communication, Coordination.

So being overbudget is the consequence of poor leadership? The short answer is YES, but to get from Leadership to COST there are many in-betweens.

Good Methods will enhance good Leadership which will enhance good Management. Methods focused on improving the intangibles are a good way to start: TECHNOLOGY.

dp@pizainternational.com

Written by Damián Pizá, Founder of PIZA International, Winner of the CMAA’s and ENR 2022 Project Achievement Award, for Innovation and the use of Technology in Managing Construction Projects. Civil Engineer from the TECH of MONTERREY and Masters Degree from Univ of Texas at Arlington.

Holding Teams Together

It’s no secret, there are capable professionals and uncapable professionals, there are loyal collaborators, but also un-loyal collaborators, it’s not that difficult if you open your eyes, you will encounter committed people and people who have no commitment at all, and guess what? Same goes for companies but I’ll focus on human resources for now. So, what can you do to have loyal, capable, committed professionals (the full package)?

The Pre-requisite:

Be a Leader, not a Boss: understanding the needs, having empathy, providing training, support, family first, professional improvement second, project execution third.

The Answer which not many global companies know:

Methodology: it’s the best solution for change, methods do not change, they remain the same, processes, procedures, standards prevail more than professionals do in a project, so if someone decides to leave, there is a very clear path to follow for the person who will fill that position

Methodology becomes very important and vital for a project, people will come and go, people are very unpredictable and to nail the full package is very difficult, but if you have discipline in following your method for the project, having people on board could save your project from a disastrous ending..

Establish your method, training, follow up, do not be swayed, have a PMO, have your weekly processes meetings.

Applying this, you have a much better chance of keeping your team together, and when the time comes for a transition of positions, it will take 1 week instead of 3 months like it usually does.

dp@pizainternational.com

What holds teams together?

The Pre-requisite:

Be a Leader, not a Boss: understanding the needs, having empathy, providing training, support, family first, professional improvement second, project execution third.

The Answer which not many global companies know:

Establish your method, training, follow up, do not be swayed, have a PMO, have your weekly processes meetings.

Applying this, you have a much better chance of keeping your team together, and when the time comes for a transition of positions, it will take 1 week instead of 3 months like it usually does.

dp@pizainternational.com

Plan as you Build

How exciting are actual times that a 200 hundred year old say “you build as you plan” is now changing to “you plan as you build” well at least in my perspective, here is why..

We know we can plan better and execute much better than before our construction projects, if this is not your case then you havent used proper processes, procedures and software that will make your construction site a virtual reality site months ahead of earthworks. Within our company we call this process “Virtual Construction” where you can identify the majority of the risks as well as value like no other pre-construction process in the past has given you. The ability to collaborate, to have more people support the project, quantify, have better budget accuracy and scope, identify issues / risks, having better safety logistics is really in a league of its own.

However for “Virtual Construction” to be effective, you must know how Construction is done in reality, else you will not get the full benefits of risk avoidance and project controls during construction.

Many students and professionals fresh out of college go to an office job, where BIM and Virtual settings are attractive for them, the pay is good, office hours and you can work remote, however my message to them is very simple, if you do not know how things work on the field your efforts could actually be lowering the value of Technology and will become unusable, otherwise called “EVIL BIM” https://pizaconsulting.wordpress.com/2021/12/17/anti-bim-en-proyectos-inmobiliarios/

Nowadays Planning as you Build takes precedence within our “Virtual Construction” method.

dp@pizainternational.com http://www.pizainternational.com

How Technology is Changing the Management Landscape

20 years ago the only technology we had to manage a project, were web based PM software’s that basically helped you manage documents and workflows. Not very efficient by the way, you couldn’t have visuals, it stalled, it reset, and it was annoying to receive emails of each and every edit someone did. In other words, it safe to say that it didn’t do anything to create value or to have better collaboration, but it was a start, and I mean a real start, because it helped understand the future of technology and construction, yes, that annoying software helped a lot but not because of the actual software, but of where we were going with this.

Fast forward to 2022, you have technologies such as Drones, BIM, Scanners, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Apps and Softwares for photos, drawings, RFI, Submittals, Virtual tours, etc etc. it’s a whirlwind of technology that actually many Construction Managers still do not use or understand, because they never engaged in changing, and the less they know, the more in the past im sure they feel.

So how do you start using technology in your projects? For me, it all starts with BIM, understanding how it works, what can it do, and how.. it will immerse yourself in the basics of what a CM needs to know, however, you must engage fully, im not saying you need to model or program or design, but you must be involved and understand how it works, believe me, you will get better. Here are some helpful steps you can implement

a.- Find the Time, you will need time and prioritize Technology, otherwise will NOT work

b.- Engage the Model with a Visualizer, we use 360coordinates by Autodesk Model visualizer, otherwise known as 360 Glue

c.- Start asking questions to your BIM Coordinator on getting you the info you need

d.- Have a purpose, what are you going to use Technology for

e.- Start building software around BIM, like Plangrid, PM Apps, Drones, Scanners, others.

For the last 12 years we have been at the forefront of this ever changing technology that is disrupting, in a fantastic way, the construction industry, the more we embrace it as CMs the better results we’ll getin cost, time, quality and safety

dp@pizainternational.com http://www.pizainternational.com

Written by Damián Pizá, Founder of PIZA International, Winner of the CMAA’s 2022 Project Achievement Award, for Innovation and the use of Technology in Managing Construction Projects, serving as an example of Excellence to the Industry.

Mexico based company that specializes in developing and providing Project Management Office (PMO); Construction Management (CM Agency); Technology Management Services to developers and global corporations

How can BIM help with a wave of corruption hitting construction projects.

Back in the day when I was a field engineer, I learned very quickly how to short cut, how to overcharge and how to do unethical things that at the time I didn’t really thought about it as being corrupt in any sense. Actually the owner of my company praised and he loved scoring “goals” to the client.

Just re-thinking about this makes me sick, but it was just the way it was and its exactly the way it is for many professionals and projects right now. You see it is not considered unethical, its considered a Sport.. The owner of my company would actually put the mic on mute and flip a finger to the telephone; would make a dance; or would high five everyone in the room, and fresh out of college Civil Engineers and Architects were happy our boss was happy..

You learn from the good and you learn more from the bad, the worse thing is that the BAD is 10 times more contagious than the GOOD, so you must be very careful on your choices.

Having this in mind, we started to audit cost estimates from the contractor using BIM and using a quantity software to review which families were already paid and which were not, we had a quantity take offs on each and every cost progress estimate. We were very surprised that the contractors were overcharging in a very diligent way, these are some clever means used by them

Doubling up on construction elements that were already paid
Increasing the dimensions of an element creating an overcharge
Estimating quantities still not constructed

All of this adds up to thousand of dollars and probably millions once project is finished.

Corruption is everywhere and its not necessarily unethical, but its how many score goals, and believe me, everyone likes to score..

Use your BIM Execution Plan and model as it will be constructed, it will help you control your budget and avoid paying more than what you agreed to. Will save you thousands and probably millions in the years to come.

http://www.pizainternational.com

dp@pizainternational.com

Written by Damián Pizá, Founder of PIZA International. Mexico based company that specializes in developing and providing Project Management Office (PMO); Construction Management (CM Agency); Technology Management Services for cost and time savings to developers and global corporations

Certified Construction Manager; CM-BIM
Certified, Civil Engineer (ITESM),
Masters in Construction Administration at the University of Texas at Arlington;
LEED AP; OSHA +30

Member of the Board of Civil Engineering of the TECH of Monterrey

Technology for Construction Audits

Usually, Audits are conducted by PEER’s, they will review the project information using the same tools, the same practices and the same workflows than the people who developed the information in the first place. So how effective are the Audits?

The result of an audit might lead to the same or different result of what is being reviewed, that is exactly the point of the audit, to either confirm or disagree on. However, how can anyone be certain that the review was done correctly if they are following the same processes with the same tools? this often leads to further discussions supported by opinions and a bunch of numbers nobody understands.

To reduce this risk it is much better to rely on technology, the visibility the technology provides is very advanced making the numbers, opinions, assessments, analysis and information much more factual and visual than handing over a worksheet. Technology gives the PEER a different approach, the process is different, and the result should be a well founded review comparing the technology analysis vs the analog or traditional work.

We audit project by scanning the interior and exterior, contrary to what many people think, this is not expensive and its very efficient. We also review the Construction Model. This gives us the tools to compare planned vs executed of any given document, scope, budget, timeline.

Relying on Virtual Models instead of drawings and pictures will have a much more effective and efficient result, will eliminate discussions which could take months and you will be able to come up with a plan for immediate re-alignment. A much more valuable solution.

http://www.pizainternational.com

dp@pizainternational.com

Certified Construction Manager; CM-BIM
Certified, Civil Engineer (ITESM),
Masters in Construction Administration at the University of Texas at Arlington;
LEED AP; OSHA +30

Member of the Board of Civil Engineering of the TECH of Monterrey

The True Key for Successful Projects

* This column was published “Integratec” Magazine

http://pizaconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Colab_Clave_Exito.pdf

As a CM Agency & Consultant for Latin America, many US clients ask me what is the key to success in projects South of the Border? Well my response is very simple, its “Collaboration”

I believe Collaboration is the most important and critical discipline a project must have than any other management activity such as Leadership, Communication, Coordination, or any other Tool or Process or Procedures. Many could argue differently but at the end of the day you will find out that Collaboration is a Fixer of many causes of failed projects.

Fortunately or Unfortunately, the first 10 years of my career, i participated, one way or the other on Failed project. I don’t know if Failure is the word, but that is how it felt. My definition of Failed project is a project that doesnt finish the way its planned from the get go, not even on the same ballpark, also its a project where everybody is stressed out, and tension is high every week in the board room. During this period of my career i thought to myself “WOW do I really want to do this for the rest of my life?, this is not at all healthy, I really want to quit being a CM (who wouldn’t), this is not for me, how can anybody have fun in this nightmare”. it was terrible, everybody fighting, everybody yelling. And let me tell you , it wasnt one project or any other project, it was all of my projects for the first 10 years, and guess what, all of them were failures. My only motiviation was my passion to the CM practice.

It wasn’t until I ended up participating in one of my still current accounts (3 years ago) that I started to notice that 90% of my Projects were succesfull, I just couldn’t believe we finished on time and on budget as planned months ago, this was a 180 degree turnaround.. we didn’t had the best CM Practices, we didn’t had the best CM leading or coordination or communication or even the best of tools processes or procedures, i actually can tell you that we had the same “weaknesses” we had experienced in other projects that were consider failures, but this time we had Major Collaboration with the Client, we supported each other, my problems were their problems and the other way around. There is an understanding about teamwork, and they (my client) not only acted as a collaborative client but also the contract was very risk proportional. (you will not have collaboration if the contract stipulates a barrier, because everybody will look for their own interests and not find a way to collaborate and solve)

So is Collaboration the key to success?? Well, many can argue that identifying the causes of the problems increases the success of a project, and that is true, but no project is the same, and therefore no problem is the same, so once the cause is identified it will be very difficult to turnaround the problem in the same timeframe of the project.

I believe Collaboration solves the cause before it becomes a problem, so my answer to the question , as we Mexicans say.. “A huevo que si” (Hell yeahhh !!!) (article original published September 27,2012)

www.pizainternational.com ; info@pizainternational.com

Written by: Damian Piza, Certified Construction Manager, Masters in Construction Administration and member of the CMAA Technology Committee. LEED AP, OSHA +30.

Construction Management &Technology

Gerencia de Proyectos de Construcción y Tecnología

Project Management: Punto de Encuentro de la Ciencia, Arte y Tecnología

BIM for Construction

Focusing on COST leads to OVER-COST

Holding Teams Together

What holds teams together?

Plan as you Build

How Technology is Changing the Management Landscape

How can BIM help with a wave of corruption hitting construction projects.

Technology for Construction Audits

The True Key for Successful Projects

* This column was published “Integratec” Magazine

http://pizaconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Colab_Clave_Exito.pdf