LEANING IN A NEW DIRECTION - A CONVERSATION WITH GREG HOWELL LEAN CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE

A good size group for the first of two days hosted by Haselden Construction. This annual event dived a little deeper following the 2012 introduction to lean principles program. Way to go Greg. Thanks to Charles Rountree and his executive for this fascinating peek inside the future of construction. Our corporate vision imagines a world where the 50% savings possible are reinvested in the economy. Today we got a glimpse of that future. We talked about uncertainty replaced  by predictability forming a big piece of that pie, with BIM and IPD and application of other lean principles yielding the remainder.

So this morning I enjoyed participating in a conversation with Ned Minor, author and founding partner of Minor and Brown PC, facilitated by Scott Lippitt (who has apparently rebranded himself). Scott asked who among the audience blogged, and of those, how often. I hung my head in shame along with the majority. As a take-away I left with an autographed copy of Ned's book and a couple of useful insights. Ned seems to be a bit of a marketing guru.
CC2BL INC has, without much marketing at all really, picked up a lot of traction of late and so now I go from wondering how I was going to repay myself, to wondering how I am going to clone myself.
Since I have undertaken to do more for my creator from here on out, I guess I will leave that to him. Never be anxious etc etc.
Keep watching this space for more developments and musiongs as Scott says I have to post three times a week!

Linking In

So today it was breakfast with the Transportation Committee Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce at which the economic weather forecast from the government spokesman was "increased volatility and uncertainty on all fronts". Your scribe followed that with a two hour session at a Sandler training center getting to drill down deeper into LinkedIn. Expect an invitation soon!

Where did the time go?

2011 is speeding by so fast I can't keep up. We have been involved in some prestigious educational projects with the likes of Mortenson Construction through a client relationship with a couple of MEP subcontractors, become re-acquainted with Revit MEP, made measurable advances in proficiency with Autcad MEP and Navisworks Manage, and now are collaborating with our former client Virtual Buildiong Logistics on a prototype package for a National Pharmacy Retail Chain. I have also had the privilage of being a panelist at two Bluebook presentations, and won an I-Pad doorprize at a Colorado Association of General Contractors BIM Expo. We are currently exploring possibilities with a well known Architectural practice setting out on the transition from 2d to 3d building design. Our involvement with Trimble has also moved forward as one of our clients purchased a robotic total station and realized its full potential in a multi-storey building with a Pentagon-like foorprint. We are also currently evaluating Tekla's entry into the VDC marketplace with its TEKLABIMSIGHT offering and laser-scanning wares. All very high tech and glitzy, but when all is said and done, collaboration is about people thinking and acting beyond their normal horizons.

More high tech every day

New Year, New Business

It's been a while, time for another post. My new venture, CC2BL, INC is now official in Nevada, and soon to be legit in Colorado. After lying dormant for quite a while, my website hosting has been re-established and I learned that the price of that omission was to get to redesign the entire site. Oh joy. Commerce, like the weather here, blows hot and cold. Still not getting to iso anything, but the mep coordination is humming along, and I've picked up some consulting work. Total Station is in the offing - wecanlayoutthat! way faster than a guy with a tape and string line. Since I got into this business back in 86, the progression has been 2d autocad to 3d autocad to 2d microstation to 3d integraph PDS+SmartPlant DesignReview+Isogen to kinda 3d Fire-ACAD to 3d CAD-Pipe to 3d CAD-Duct/Mech+Architectural Desktop to 3d QuickPen DD3D/PD3D to Revit MEP+Architecture to Autocad MEP+Architecture to 3D East Coast Fab with some Carrier HAP, Trane Trace, Navisworks Jetstream and then Manage along the way, not to mention dabbling in Ecotect and Green Building Studio. Yes the only thing constant is change. I learned so much in 2009/2010 and am continuing in that vein in 2011 with Paul F Aubin et al, learning the right way to wrestle Autocad MEP to the ground, and Autodesk Revit MEP 2010 fundamentals from the folks at advanced solutions. It was so good to see that my previously developed thinking on how to run with Project Navigator is in complete synch with Paul's advice. And thanks to a tip from the lazy drafter, I purchased  Revit 2010 Family Standards and Best Practices - take the dysfunction out of your families by Shawn Zibes & Integrated Content Solutions Inc. I also now participate in the Denver Revit User Group and the Denver Boulder Architect Group. Seems I can't live without a" face" and a "suit" plus a bookkeeper and a banker, I gotta up my rates or get a whole bunch faster. That pretty much brings us up-to-date so it's back to cleaning up some-one els'es mess and preparing for the next great project.