Managing projects that will even weather earthquakes
Last week’s training was pretty good. The A/E/C Project Management Bootcamp was presented by PSMJ Resources, Inc. and held in Seattle. This two-day class covered a comprehensive range of topics related to project management in architecture, engineering, and construction projects:
- Business development
- Planning the project
- Project scheduling
- Project financial plan
- Leading the project team
- Managing clients
- Managing quality and risk
- Personal productivity
- Managing multiple projects
- Controlling the project
- Getting out of trouble (i.e., course corrections)
- Wrapping up the project
The presenter, Patty Huntley, was excellent. You could tell within minutes that she knew her stuff and that her class would be useful. She was knowledgeable, no-nonsense, practical, and entertaining, keeping a close eye on the attendees’ ability to focus.
The class notebook was pretty comprehensive, and came accompanied by a CD containing notes, examples, templates, and software. I certainly recommend the class as a useful introduction or refresher.
On Friday morning around 5:20, there was a little earthquake in Seattle. Nothing big — it woke me up but I thought it was the heating system rattling — but it gave class attendees a bit of amusement. On Thursday afternoon, we had had a wake-up-and-move-around team exercise to shake us awake, which involved teaming up to create the highest possible towers using cards, and after a bit of adjustment one team had proudly reached the record height of 39 inches with their creation. And the tower withstood the earthquake!
"Drink me"?
While I was in Seattle, I was happy to see several friends. I also noticed that the city is hit as hard as any by the current economy. Places like Sharper Image have closed, and just about any store or restaurant that is open offers a sale or special. The hotel where I stayed was trendy but the prices had dropped monumentally compared to last year’s.
They still had the $6 water bottles in the rooms, though! For people who are thirsty enough to pay $6 for a bottle of water, but not thirsty enough to drink a glass of tap water.
