Managing your time is at work and home is a goal every individual should have at the top of their list. As a young professional in the Construction Industry, my days revolve around time management, schedules, site visits, deadlines, task lists and more. Session 2 of the YCPI program focused on improving time management, focusing on project management in particular.
We started the seminar working in groups of six (all from different companies) to allow for a more diverse and in-depth discussion. We worked with a case study of a large scale construction project in the 1980’s. We were tasked (a week prior to the session) to come prepared with an understanding of the characters in the case study, their involvement and what their motivations were to see the project through. Each of the groups took on a different character and itemized the character’s motivations.
I found this part of the case study one of the most important to me, as I got to see and hear my peers think out loud, discuss options and opinions and break down what qualities we all thought made a difference in the outcomes of our character. I got to see how other young professionals in my field worked on solving problems, dilemmas and categorizing management flaws we could use for the next part of the case study.
Once each group had enough time to get up to speed, our speakers Bill Aalerud and Jason Smith used their knowledge and experience to role play as Project Executives assessing the project at its current point in construction. We used the voices of our groups (Project Manager, Architects, Client, Interior Designer, OPM) to simulate meetings that would help fix the issues in the case study project. Being able to watch, listen and participate in each of these meetings was very beneficial as I was able to analyze how each person tackled the argument, their idea(s) or approach to the issues at hand and how to stay positive going forward.
You believe you have a great idea or plan set forth, and it’s possible you do. Yet when you hear another individual with a plan similar to yours with better ideas, you realize how beneficial it is to have communication with your team. Having a team that is cohesive and communicates well, from the top down, is a team that I feel will be successful. Jason Smith stated something I will remember “You may always be right, but you may not always win”.
YCPI is an exciting experience for any young professional and I highly recommend it to anyone trying to gain knowledge, experience and understanding of your career goals and ambitions in the construction industry.
A big thank you to Dr. William Ronco, our program Director, Bill Aalerud, Director of Planning for Columbia Construction and Jason Smith, Project Executive from Commodore Builders for their great insight and willingness to share their personal experiences to get where they are today.
We started the seminar working in groups of six (all from different companies) to allow for a more diverse and in-depth discussion. We worked with a case study of a large scale construction project in the 1980’s. We were tasked (a week prior to the session) to come prepared with an understanding of the characters in the case study, their involvement and what their motivations were to see the project through. Each of the groups took on a different character and itemized the character’s motivations.
I found this part of the case study one of the most important to me, as I got to see and hear my peers think out loud, discuss options and opinions and break down what qualities we all thought made a difference in the outcomes of our character. I got to see how other young professionals in my field worked on solving problems, dilemmas and categorizing management flaws we could use for the next part of the case study.
Once each group had enough time to get up to speed, our speakers Bill Aalerud and Jason Smith used their knowledge and experience to role play as Project Executives assessing the project at its current point in construction. We used the voices of our groups (Project Manager, Architects, Client, Interior Designer, OPM) to simulate meetings that would help fix the issues in the case study project. Being able to watch, listen and participate in each of these meetings was very beneficial as I was able to analyze how each person tackled the argument, their idea(s) or approach to the issues at hand and how to stay positive going forward.
You believe you have a great idea or plan set forth, and it’s possible you do. Yet when you hear another individual with a plan similar to yours with better ideas, you realize how beneficial it is to have communication with your team. Having a team that is cohesive and communicates well, from the top down, is a team that I feel will be successful. Jason Smith stated something I will remember “You may always be right, but you may not always win”.
YCPI is an exciting experience for any young professional and I highly recommend it to anyone trying to gain knowledge, experience and understanding of your career goals and ambitions in the construction industry.
A big thank you to Dr. William Ronco, our program Director, Bill Aalerud, Director of Planning for Columbia Construction and Jason Smith, Project Executive from Commodore Builders for their great insight and willingness to share their personal experiences to get where they are today.
