alone – Page 4 – Godinterest

February 8, 2016July 1, 2022

How To Deliver On The Promise of MegaProjects

Due to the large scale and outlook attached to them, mega-projects have a large opportunity for failure. Typically, the failure begins at the outset of the project, whether that be due to poor justification for the project, misalignment among stakeholders, insufficient planning, or inability to find and use appropriate capabilities.

Underestimated costs and overestimated benefits often offset the baseline for assessing overall project performance. This is why it is important for organizations to first establish social and economic priorities before even considering what projects will answer their needs. Once social and economic priorities are established, only then can a project be considered. Selecting projects must be fact-based and transparent in order to ensure accountability with stakeholders and the public.

Successful Megaprojects Must Have Robust Risk-analysis or Risk-management Protocols

It’s also important to maintain adequate controls. Successful megaprojects must have robust risk-analysis or risk-management protocols and provide timely reports on progress relative to budgets and deadlines. Typically, progress is measured on the basis of cash flow, which is less than ideal as data could be out of date and payments to contractors do not correlate construction progress. Instead, project managers should deliver real-time data to measure activity in the field. For example, cubic meters of concrete poured relative to work plans and budgets.

Overall, improving project performance requires better planning and preparation in three areas: doing engineering and risk analysis before construction, streamlining permitting and land acquisition, and building a project team with the appropriate mix of abilities.

Project developers and sponsors should put more focus into pre-planning such as engineering and risk analysis before the construction phase. Unfortunately, most organizations and sponsors are reluctant to spend a significant amount of money on early-stage planning because they often lack the necessary funds, they are eager to break ground and they worry the design will be modified after construction is underway, making up-front designs pointless.

However, it’s proven that if developers spend three to five percent of capital cost on early-stage engineering and design, results are far better in terms of delivering the project on-time and on-budget. This is because through the design process, challenges will be addressed and resolved before they occur during the construction phase, saving both time and money.

It’s not unusual for permits and approvals to take longer than the building of a megaproject. However, if developers look to streamline permitting and land acquisition, that would significantly improve project performance. Best practices in issuing permits involve prioritizing projects, defining clear roles and responsibilities and establishing deadlines.

In England and Wales, developers applied these approaches to cut the time needed to approve power-industry infrastructure from 12 months to only nine months. On average, timelines for approval spanned four years throughout the rest of Europe. Likewise, the state of Virginia’s plan to widen Interstate 495 in 2012 was able to cut costs and save hundreds of homes thanks to land acquisition planning by a private design company.

Investors and Owners Must Take an Active Role in Creating the Project Team

When it’s all said and done, projects cannot deliver the best possible return on investment without a well-resourced and qualified network of project managers, advisers and controllers. Investors and owners must take an active role in creating the project team.

It’s not enough to have a vague overview of what the project might look like in the end. Instead, it’s necessary to review risks and costs and draft a detailed, practical approach to tackle various issues. An experienced project manager cannot do it all alone. The project team must include individuals with the appropriate skills, such as legal and technical expertise, contract management, project reporting, stakeholder management, and government and community relations among others.

Failure to Properly Plan for These Projects Could Have a Negative Impact on Society

While mega-projects are important in filling economic and social needs, failure to properly plan for these projects could have a negative impact on society. Take Centro Financiero Confinanzas (Venezuela), the eighth tallest building in Latin America at 45 stories, located in the financial district of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas for example.

To those unaware of its history, the Centro Financiero Confinanzas is actually home to over 700 families, a “vertical slum” that is a truly fascinating example of reappropriation of space in an urban environment. An ironic symbol of financial failure that was intended to represent the unstoppable march of Venezuela’s booming economy.

It’s much more than an unbuilt building, bridge or tunnel, failed mega-projects are a blow to the economic growth and social improvements of communities around the world.

November 2, 2015July 1, 2022

13 Basic Facts You Should Know about Modular Homes

The concept behind a tiny garden pavilion in London, UK was simplified by the following equation: shed + office = Shoffice.

Modular homes sometimes referred to as “factory-built construction“, encompass a category of housing built in sections typically at a factory location. These houses must conform to local and regional building codes for the country the buyer plans to situate the dwelling.

Just like site-built housing, construction teams build modular homes to last and increase in value over time. As the factory finishes building sections of the house, each piece is transported to the homeowners build site on large truck beds. Local building contractors then assemble the house and inspectors ensure the manufacturer has built your residence to code. Most customers find that modular housing is less expensive than site-built homes.

1. Benefits of Construction

One of the benefits of construction is that manufacturers build them indoors in an enclosed factory setting, where the materials used to build the homes are not subject to adverse weather during construction.

Most building contractors can finish erecting a house in as little as 1-2 weeks, though it may take up to 4 weeks or more for local contractors to finish building the dwelling on-site once it has been delivered.

2. Differences Between Modular and Site Built

Modular homes are not the same as site-built homes, which contractors create 100% at the build site. That means the
contractor must collect all the materials for a house and built it on-site. Like a modular home, the site-built home must conform to all regional, state and local building codes. Many refer to site-built construction as stick-built homes. Stick built housing is also well-built and designed to last a lifetime.

3. Difference Between Modular and Manufactured

Manufactured housing is another form of factory construction. Many consumers have mistakenly referred to these homes in the past as mobile homes. Others refer to manufactured homes as trailers. Manufacturers do build these houses in a factory like modular homes on a steel chassis.

The manufacturer then transports sections of the home to the building site as completed. These dwellings are usually less expensive than both modular housing and site built housing, in part because they don’t come with a permanent foundation. Trailers and mobile homes are more likely to depreciate than modular or site built homes.

4, Advantages of Modular Construction Over Site Built

Modular homes offer many advantages over traditional site built dwellings. Many consider modular homes a hybrid breed of housing. Not a manufactured house and not a site built house, these homes offer consumers multiple benefits including costs savings, quality and convenience. In many ways modular homes surpasses site built housing in quality and efficiency.

Modulars have grown up. They are more and more becoming a mainstream selection for first time and secondary homebuyers. Most people now realise they don’t’ have to give up design quality or customization to buy a prefabricated house. One of the biggest misconceptions people have of prefabricated housing is they are look alike. “Boxy” is not a word that can begin to describe prefab dwellings. In fact, more suitable descriptions of these buidlings would include: “Elegant, durable, customised and high-class”. Many people find they can afford to include more specialization and customization when they buy a factory built house over a traditional stick built construction.

5. Cutting-edge Designs

Looking for a building design with a little pizzazz? You need to check out the latest architectural designs associated with prefabricated buildings. Firms are now building more elegant and unique designs to meet the increasing demands of selective customers. People are selecting modular designs over stick built designs to build their dream homes.

6. Customised Design and Modification

There are hundreds of companies that offer modular prefabricated construction kits and plans, and most employ various architects and specialized designers to help customize your home. That means you have more choices and a wider selection of designers to choose from. If you don’t find a style you like with one designer you can often move onto another, without even switching manufacturers.

7. Huge Range of Selection

Its always best to select a home that matches your lifestyle and design preferences.

8. Rapid Customisation

These are often the ideal selection for homeowners in need of a speedily designed homes. You simply can’t build a dwelling faster. Site built housing can take months to design and build. A manufacturer can design and place a prefab house in a few short weeks. You can pick from just as many different styles as you would a site built home if not more, but don’t have to wait weeks for contractors to build your custom house.

9. Precise Budgeting and Timing

Yet another benefit of these designs is the lack of guesswork involved. You don’t have to worry about how something will look. You know that everything will arrive to the build site complete and you will know the exact outcome. You also don’t need to worry about unexpected expenses, which is commonly the case with site built homes. With a prefabricated house, you know exactly what your home will cost and can control that cost from the point of buying to final construction. This isn’t the case with stick built housing. With stick built housing you also have to worry about surprises in the middle of construction. It isn’t uncommon for example, for a contractor to quit in the middle of a project. If this happens you have few choices.

Your home will sit partially built until you are able to find a new construction team. This alone may cost you valuable time and money.

10. Improved Energy Efficiency

Many prefab houses also come with what manufacturers call the “Energy Star” certification. This is a national company that promotes energy efficiency. Buildings with this label use 30-40 percent less energy yearly than traditional stick built housing.

This saves you time and money. Some key features of prefabricated housing that help improve energy efficiency include tight installation, high performance and weather resistant windows, controlled air systems and duct systems, upgraded air-conditioning and heating units and use of efficient lighting and heating appliances. As a bonus, these features not only save on annual energy costs but also improve the quality of your indoor air. Think energy efficiency isn’t significant? Think again. Over the lifetime of your house you could save thousands of pounds in energy bills by buying a prefabricated dwelling.

11. Design Modification is Easier

Most prefab homemakers now use computer aided design systems when conducting operations. This adds to the efficiency of construction and improves the appearance and architecture of homes. Prefabricated construction ranges from plain vanilla styling to intricate and complex modern designs.

12. On Time and on Budget

Perhaps the two biggest features or benefits of prefabricated housing that manufacturers hone in on are the speed that they can be built with and the competitive pricing they can offer on the final product. This is one reason that modular homes are gaining popularity.

13. Appreciate in Value

These dwellings also appreciate much like site built housing designs. Most homeowners are interested in building value in their house over time. Prefab housing afford you the opportunity to do this (keep in mind however much appreciation is dependent on real estate location). Select a good build site and your house will gain significant value over time. Other factors may also affect appreciation including landscaping and how well the house is cared for year after year. These factors also affect site built housing. Unlike mobile homes, which depreciate, a modular homeowner can expect to gain value from their home year after year. Study after study suggests that modular homes appreciate just as well as site built homes. They are also just as easily insured and financed.

As far as risk goes, you are no more at risk buying prefabricated housing than site built construction.

Modular Home Facts

Modular homes appraise the same as their on-site built counterparts do.
Modular homes can be more easilly customised.
Most modular home companies have their own in-house engineering departments that utilize CAD (Computer Aided Design).
Modular home designs vary in style and size.
Modular homes are permanent structures – “real property.”
Modular homes are considered a form of “Green Building.”
Modular homes are faster to build than a 100% site-built home.
Home loans for modular are the same as if buying a 100% site-built home.
Insuring your modular home is the same as a 100% site-built home.
Modular homes can be built to withstand 175 mph winds.
Modular homes can be built for accessible living and designed for future conveniences.

Would you consider a modular home for yourself, or are you more of a traditionalist?

October 30, 2015July 1, 2022

50 Quotes to Inspire Successful Leadership

Most people believe that the key to successful leadership is influence, not authority. Do you agree? The answer to that question, it seems, lies in whether the goal is to get others to work from a place of compliance or from a place of commitment which underlines the difference between influential leadership and authoritative leadership.

Working within an influential leadership model, committed employees will give up discretionary time to solve problems, serve customers, and think creatively. On the other hand, people working under command and control, as we more commonly know it will only work to achieve compliance, doing only what needs to be done to get by.

As a leader you must realise that every decision you make influences your next five decisions. Fortunately, great leaders are made, not born.

Maximise your effectiveness by emulating these words of wisdom that will motivate you in achieving your goals and overcoming your fears:

Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs — Farrah Gray
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence — Unknown
proverb is to speech what salt is to food — Arabic Proverb
Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly — Langston Hughes
Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent — Eleanor Roosevelt
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light — Plato
Every strike brings me closer to the next home run — Babe Ruth
If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe — Abraham Lincoln
If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough — Oprah Winfrey
I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination — Jimmy Dean
Believe you can and you’re halfway there — Theodore Roosevelt
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover — Mark Twain
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart — Eleanor Roosevelt
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears — Les Brown
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve — Unknown
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions — Stephen Covey
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it — Henry Ford
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any — Unknown
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light — Unknown
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant — Robert Louis Stevenson
The only way to do great work is to love what you do — Steve Jobs
Change your thoughts and you change your world — Unknown
The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me — Ayn Rand
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck — Dalai Lama
You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have — Maya Angelou
I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear — Rosa Parks
I would rather die of passion than of boredom — Vincent Van Gogh
A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new — Unknown
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else — Booker T. Washington
Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless — Unknown
Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart — Ancient Indian Proverb
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world — Unknown
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be — Ralph Waldo Emerson
We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone — Ronald Reagan
Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear — George Addair
Nothing will work unless you do — Maya Angelou
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples — Mother Teresa
What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality — Plutarch
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway — John Wayne
Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm — Winston Churchill
It always seems impossible until it’s done — Nelson Mandela
Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential — John Maxwell
Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it — Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are no traffic jams along the extra mile — Roger Staubach
Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning — Gloria Steinem
Stealing someone else’s words frequently spares the embarrassment of eating your own — Peter Anderson
The Book of Proverbs are the cream of a nation’s thought — Unknown
Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it — Charles Swindoll
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity — Amelia Earhart
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life — John Lennon

October 24, 2015July 1, 2022

9 Suggestions for Overcoming Barriers to Good Design When Using Modern Methods of Construction (Mmc)

The term ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ (MMC) embraces a range of technologies involving various forms of prefabrication and off-site assembly.

MMC is increasingly regarded as a realistic means of improving quality, reducing time spent on-site, improving on-site safety and addressing skills shortages in the construction of UK housing.

The variety of systems now available potentially allows the designer enough choice to sidestep problems deriving from constraints posed by the use of any one method. MMC systems, from closed-panel timber framed systems to bathroom pods are a palette from which designers can make choices. They are not necessarily stand-alone solutions that anticipate all the needs of an individual site and can be mixed and matched as appropriate.

These limitations are not obstacles to achieving the good design in MMC-based schemes, but may hinder the incorporation of more complex and innovative types of MMC from which greater overall benefits may be obtained which are considered under the following headings:

1. COST UNCERTAINTY

There is no doubt that, given products of comparable performance the key issue in purchases of MMC construction systems is the price. At present not enough is known about the potential costs of using volumetric and closed panel systems to enable confident specification at an early date. This inhibits designers from exploring the full potential of MMC systems. This is particularly true of the less repetitive, small, one-off scheme, where a smaller margin of benefits is gained from using MMC. The principal barrier to the uptake of MMC, therefore, seems to be the perception of cost uncertainty with respect to using more complex systems. Without doing substantial project-specific research, consultants and their clients simply do not know with enough degree of certainty how much the volumetric or closed panel systems are likely to cost, and what would be the savings to overall project costs produced by potential speed gains to offset against increased capital expenditure.

This is due to the complexity of assessing the ratio of cost of repetitive elements where pricing is relatively straightforward to the cost of adjusting elements or building in another method for the abnormal condition. Decisions to use innovative systems are likely to be made once designs are well progressed to enable teams to be more certain of costs. This can increase the potential for change or result in design compromise as the designer attempts to incorporate the specific limitations of a particular system in their design.

In an attempt to improve this situation, the MMC consultant and or clients could pull together a directory of MMC expanded to include cost comparison data. The huge range of variables involved inevitably makes this difficult, but a database of current construction cost information would be an invaluable resource.

2. PLANNING PROCESS AND EARLY COMMITMENT TO A SYSTEM

The time it can take to obtain planning permission has obvious implications both for project cost but also, in some circumstances, for architectural design innovation.

Most of the more complex types of MMC have an impact on dimensioning, the choice of external finish and detailing may have some effect on the buildings mass. Therefore, the construction system should be chosen prior to a planning application to avoid abortive work, redesign or amendment, or even resubmission for planning permission.

However, developers whose money is at risk, frequently hold off deciding on the construction technique until the last practicable moment, in order to get any advantage from fluctuations in material or component pricing.

Given the potential for lengthy duration of planning applications, this means that there is little incentive to prepare initial designs for planning with a prior decision to incorporate MMC firmly embedded. In cases where the developer has a financial or business link with the supplier, this is less likely to be the case. As the majority of commercial or residential developments involve some kind of arrangement with a developer, agreement on construction systems is often left to the stage after planning.

3. TIME INVESTMENT

Another very significant factor is the time investment required at the early stages of projects. This is needed to develop the design when the project is still at risk. There is a direct relationship between the scale and complexity of MMC component and the amount of time required to develop a design at an early stage.

The introduction of advanced or complex MMC techniques into the design process is potentially costly to the design team. A significant amount of research is needed to explore alternative systems, to obtain verification of suppliers’ credentials, investigate mortgage and insurance issues, visit previous sites, talk to system suppliers, obtain technical performance guidelines, understand junctions and interfaces, coordinate other consultants, obtain building control input and so on.

For a consultant, the only way of investing in this research is either through timely payment of increased fees by a visionary understanding client or through the anticipation of increased future productivity through repetition when a project is phased, or large enough, or likely to be followed by another similar project.

The potential of learning a system and then being able to repeat lessons learned efficiently is a powerful incentive for both client and consultant. By contrast, HTA’ s project at Basingstoke is an example of a phased project with a three to four-year duration allowed the design team to repeat various elements of the design, and the manufacturer to develop improved solutions to technical and supply problems.

4. INSUFFICIENT COMMUNICATION

Improved dialogue at the outset of the project is vital if design quality is to be maximised. Constraints and opportunities implicit within a particular system are more easily incorporated into design if partners communicate pre-planning. Increased early communication can be fostered through improved long-term partnering relationships.

Clients should also partner with a range of suppliers and architects so that choice and flexibility is not restricted.

5. INEXPERIENCE

Generally, the inexperienced client or design team will have to do more research, with the result that there is likely to be significant design development without a specific system being incorporated.

This is a disincentive to using a more complex system involving a higher proportion of MMC, where early decision making and knowledge of a system’ s capabilities have a decisive influence on the nature of the architecture. However, encouraging the take up of MMC through the use of a dedicated funding mechanism may assist clients in finding time for research into suitable MMC techniques.

6. SUPPLIER’S ROLE

Site capacity studies and early stage pre-planning design studies could be undertaken directly by system suppliers on behalf of clients, cutting out the usual procedure of commissioning design work by independent consultants.

7. ASSUMPTIONS

There are a number of assumptions that are generally held about certain types of MMC that may have been valid at one time but are no longer true today. There is a need for reliable and up to date information comparing system criteria, performance data, timescales, lead in times, capacity, construction time, sequencing issues, limitations, and benefits.

Therefore it would be helpful if a forum for discussion and experience exchange was set up.

8. DEMONSTRATING THE BENEFITS OF MMC

There is still a large amount of skepticism about the need to go very far down the line with MMC. This is reflected in the acceptance of the desirability of maintaining or indeed enhancing the pool of traditional craft skills throughout the UK.

A balanced view is that there is a demonstrable need for the wider use of MMC which is recognized by both industry and government. The best way for clients and the public generally to become more confident and knowledgeable about the quality of design achievable through MMC is to see it demonstrated.

9. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES

There is no doubt that spreading the burden of investment through the life of a project helps to ensure a higher standard of specification and hence quality. In the Netherlands, a ‘ Green Financing’ system has been developed by the Dutch government that provides favorable loan finance when certain sustainable standards are reached. In the UK, the Gallions HA has pioneered a study of this, based on a scheme in Thamesmead, ‘ the Ecopark project’.

Eco Park is an eco-friendly business park built on the False Bay coast. This business park is at the cutting-edge of sustainable design and offers a unique working environment in a secure, well-managed facility.

October 18, 2015July 1, 2022

29 Awesome Quotes on Risk Management

If you treat risk management as a part-time job, you might soon find yourself looking for one ’- Deloitte white paper (Putting Risk in the Comfort Zone)
I have learned that nothing is certain except for the need to have strong risk management, a lot of cash, the willingness to invest even when the future is unclear, and great people ’- Jeffrey R. Immelt
Thoughtfully assessing and addressing enterprise risk and placing a high value on corporate transparency can protect the one thing we cannot afford to lose trust ’- Dale E. Jones, vice chairman and partner with Heidrick & Struggles
We have no future because our present is to volatile. Will only have risk management ’- William Gibson
Risk management is a culture, not a cult. It only works if everyone lives it, not if its practiced by a few high priests ’- Tom Wilson
I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in financial history ’- Niall Ferguson
There is no doubt that Formula 1 has the best risk management of any sport and any industry in the world ’- Jackie Stewart
Stronger regulation and supervision aimed at problems with underwriting practices and lenders’ risk management would have been a more effective and surgical approach to constraining the housing bubble than a general increase in interest rates ’- Ben Bernanke
If you don’t invest in risk management, it doesnt matter what business you’re in, it’s a risky business ’- Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn
Adventure without risk is Disneyland ’- Douglas Coupland
Risk and time are opposite sides of the same coin, for if there were no tomorrow there would be no risk. Time transforms risk, and the nature of risk is shaped by the time horizon: the future is the playing field ’- Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods
As population susceptibilities are better understood, we will be in a better position than we are in today to make informed decisions about risk management ’- Samuel Wilson
Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash ’- General George Patton
All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger, but calculating risk and acting decisively ’- Niccolo Machiavelli
Total enterprise risk management is critical, but implementing it is both expensive and easier said than done. Even the most sophisticated financial institutions are still basically silo risk managers ’- Danny Klinefelter, Professor and Extension Economist with Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University
Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make ’- Sarah Ban
The question of whether or to what extent human activities are causing global warming is not a matter of ideology, let alone of belief. The issue is simply one of risk management ’- Malcolm Turnbull
Business people need to understand the psychology of risk more than the mathematics of risk ’- Paul Gibbons,
Risk comes from not knowing what your doing ’-Warren Buffett
You have to take risks. You will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen ’- Paulo Coelho
Risk is a function of how poorly a strategy will perform if the ‘wrong’ scenario occurs ’- Michael Porter, Competitive Advantage
Risk management should be an enterprisewide exercise and engrained in the business culture of the organisation ’- OSFI Superintendent Julie Dickson, June 1, 2011 (courtesy Ethidex)
Risk is our business ’- Oswald GrÃƒ¼bel, CEO at UBS
When our leaders accept the status quo, we run the risk of disaster ’- Max Bazerman from “Predictable Surprises”
The concept of ‘inherent risk’ is impossible to measure or even define. The idea of looking at risk absent all hard controls, soft controls, or mitigations, provides little or no useful information in most cases ’- Todd Perkins (from Journal of Applied Corporate Finance – volume 19 number 4)
It’s important to take risks but it’s idiotic to take them blindly ’- Terry Levine
Fail to identify the strategic risks and you fail as a business, no matter how well you manage your operational and project risks ’- Keith Baxter
Business as usual is business at risk ’- Deloitte white paper
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritisation of risks ’- Wikipedia

October 1, 2015July 1, 2022

43 Great Quotes To Inspire You To Be a Better Christian Leader

Anyone who has responsibility for the work of others understands the unique challenges that come with managing people.

Over the years, various thought leaders have come up with pearls of wisdom in the form of quotations that when given some thought, have a lot to teach us. Sometimes a simple quote is just the thing to lift our spirits, to make us smile or to give us the energy to keep going when we’re feeling low.

Here are 43 such quotes to make us better Christian leaders.

“The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self.” – Unknown
“In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” – Unknown
“The good news is, God has provided us with a LifeBook to help us – the Bible.” – Unknown
“Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.” – John Maxwell
“There’s only two things you can start without a plan: a riot and a family, for everything else you need a plan.” – Unknown
“Rejection is an opportunity for your selection.” – Unknown
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – John Maxwell
“Leadership is getting people to work for you when they are not obligated.” – Fred Price
“Running a project without a work breakdown structure is like going to a strange land without a roadmap” – J Phillips
“You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.” – Henry Ford”
“Have a good plan, Execute it violently, Do it today” – General Douglas McArthur
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that is has taken place.” – Unknown
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
“A project without a critical path is like a ship without a rudder.” – D. Meyer
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
“What’s measured improves.” – Unknown
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint Exupry 1900-1944, French writer and aviator
“If it is not documented, it doesn’t exist. As long as information is retained in someone’s head, it is vulnerable to loss.” – Unknown
“It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out nor more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things.” – Machiavelli 1446-1507, Italian statesman and philosopher
“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra.” – Unknown
“Luck is for the ill-prepared.” – Unknown
“Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.” – Chinese Proverb
“Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating the talents of those who work for us and pointing them towards a certain goal.” –Unknown
“PMs are the most creative pros in the world; we have to figure out everything that could go wrong before it does.” – Fredrik Haren
“Why do so many professionals say they are project managing when what they are actually doing is firefighting?” –Unknown
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” –Unknown
“Ensure your documentation is short and sharp and make much more use of people-to-people communication.” –Unknown
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford
“Leadership offers an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, no matter what the project.” – Bill Owens
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” – John C. Maxwell
“Leaders have two characteristics: first they are going somewhere, and second they are able to persuade other people to go with them.” – John Maxwell
“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard
“The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.” – Warren Bennis
“The best example of leadership is leadership by example.” – Jerry McClain
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
“The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.” – John Stott
“We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.” – Charles F. Stanley
“Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” –Unknown
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa
“The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the storm.” – Matt Chandler
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential” – Winston Churchill
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” – John Piper

If you know a great quote or scripture that will inspire others to lead their churches better, please feel free to share it in the comments below.

September 29, 2015July 1, 2022

7 Signs that Suggest You Should Step Away from Managing the Church Project

Signs That You Aren't Cut-Out To Be A Project Manager

The lack of project management training or experience of many Christian leaders can be an enormous stress factor for them. Whilst natural organizational ability is enormously helpful, in itself it is no guarantee of any project being both successful and low stress.

As a Project Manager, you will need to manage every aspect of the project from start to finish, working on a series of pre-determined goals and objectives. Not everyone is cut out to be a Project Manager. It’s not even necessarily a highly desirable job. You get a lot of visibility, but not necessarily a lot of recognition, unless the project is very successful and highly visible. As such project management is not for the faint-hearted.

Although specific responsibilities vary from industry to industry, the role of a Project Manager will generally include the following:

Defining the project
Scheduling
Budgeting
Risk assessing
Project control
Providing direction and support to the team
Quality checking
Reporting progress, problems, and solutions
Assessing results of the project
Closing down the project
Managing and working with multiple stakeholders

When it comes to project managing, it is important to have certain skills to be the most effective Project Manager you can be. Some people have these skills and others do not. Here’s our list of indicators that you may not be well suited to be a Project Manager in no particular order:

1. You’re a poor communicator

More than 50% of a Project Managers time is spent on some aspect of communication. The majority of conflicts in a team involve problems in communication, either as a cause or an effect. A lack of understanding can result from ineffective communication and can then lead to further communication issues. Communication skills are ranked first among a job candidate’s ‘must have’ skills and qualities according to a 2010 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Poor communicators will often believe that giving people facts about a situation will be sufficient to influence them into following a particular course of action. However as Richard Nixon said,

“People Are Persuaded by Reason, but Moved by Emotion; The Leader Must Both Persuade Them and Move Them.”

Avoiding communication is a common occurrence when a difficult conversation is anticipated. Project Managers with low confidence will tend to ignore opportunities to pass on difficult messages with the result that the communication vacuum only serves to increase the size of the problem in the team. The old adage that “no news is good news” doesn’t usually apply in such circumstances as the team on the receiving end of the silence will fill the void with their own perceptions, doubts, and fears.

Poor Project Managers also tend to react emotionally and erratically when communicating with the team which can make it difficult for the team on the receiving end to anticipate how the communication will progress. Lack of honesty and not sharing how you really feel can also lead to a lack of trust in the team.

2. You don’t work well with people

Good Project Managers make an effort to spend a lot of time with clients, stakeholders, and team members. If you don’t like working within a team and prefer to stay in one location and focus on your own work, you probably don’t have the collaborative ability to be a good Project Manager. While one person working alone can have an impact, your role as a leader is to guide your team to accomplish bigger goals than they could achieve on their own.

A Great Person Attracts Great People and Knows How to Hold Them Together — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

3. You don’t like to manage people

You don’t have much of a project if you’re the only resource. If you want to be a good project manager, you need to be able to manage people well. You will probably never have a 100% responsibility for people, but you will need to show leadership, hold them accountable, manage conflict, etc. Some project managers say they could do a much better job if they did not have to deal with people. If that’s how you feel, project management is probably not for you.

Earn Your Leadership Every Day – Michael Jordan

4. You don’t like to document things or follow processes

Many aspects of project management requires documenting things, including status reporting, communication plans, scope changes, and project plans. A Lack of process increases the risk that tasks related to the project will fall through the cracks, that projects will have to be re-worked, and ultimately that a project won’t be completed on time or on budget. A good project manager needs to be effective at process and information management.

The Art of Leadership Is Saying No, Not Saying Yes. It Is Very Easy to Say Yes — Tony Blair

5. You cannot tell the client “no”

Clients aren’t the same as customers. Sometimes they need to be guided in the right direction. This is your job. Clients who change project requirements all the time or who demand unreasonable working hours need to be managed.

A Leader is One who Knows the Way, Goes the way, and Shows the way — John Maxwell

6. You don’t like to plan and are not organised

The project managers job is to organise everyone in the team. If you cannot plan, you can hardly be an effective leader. When a client gives you a project, if your first inclination is start working, you probably don’t have a project management mindset. The Project Managers overall task is to keep the project on budget and on target. Sticking to deadlines is very important.

The Key to Successful Leadership Today is Influence, Not Authority — Kenneth Blanchard

7. You Micromanage the team

Babysitting the team. It’s very common for poor Project Managers to treat their job like an enforcer, policing the project team for progress and updates.

September 23, 2015July 1, 2022

From Outreach Ideas to Action in Three Easy Steps

A good idea is great. A good idea that’s executed perfectly can change the world. But a simple idea alone is useless.

A Good Idea That’s Executed Perfectly Can Change the World

There’s an idea that flops and an idea that becomes the next biggest thing. It’s all about how it’s executed. If it doesn’t come with a plan, or if it appears too difficult to introduce, someone else will do it, leaving you with a has-been idea that can no longer be implemented. This is why every ‘brainwave’ ‘eureka’ moment idea needs to be teamed together with a worthy execution”¦if not, don’t expect much.

Pushing an innovative idea forward into something else remains one of our biggest challenges. Admittedly, it can be a super exhausting process, which is why it’s always a great idea to invite the crowd to not only come up with the wonderful ideas, but to also help develop them as well.

There are a few key stages that need to be followed when it comes to getting your crowd in on the idea decision-making and development game.

1. Create a Unique Team

Almost anyone can research and refine new innovative ideas. However, you can take it a step further and invite the crowd to join in the fun and be a part of your team. This will give your idea more validation. It will also decrease any potential risk, and at the same time it could be a huge timesaver when it comes to marketing and finances.

In short, each and every idea should be unique enough to sway people to join a team that supports the idea.

2. Fine Tune that Idea

They say that behind every great idea catapulted onto the market, there was an equally great plan. Every idea requires some sort of plan. It could be just a basic one that briefly outlines the various possibilities connected to it, or it could be a more complex plan that delves into the intricacies of it.

A good plan should include a business plan. This might seem like a given, but you’d be surprised as to how many people don’t have a good business plan to back up their ideas. Plans should also include target audiences, marketing ideas and much more.

You need to approach every idea in a methodical way. You’ll need a unique set of criteria that pertains to one idea – it’s not a case of one-size fits all. You’ll need to answer any question that arises, and until this is done, you can’t move forward and successfully turn your idea into reality.

Use and involve your crowd. Ask them to research various aspects of the idea, and then have them report back and share their ideas and findings with the rest of the group.

3. Don’t Stand for Mediocre

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of okay ideas. There are even hundreds of great ideas. But, an average or good idea is not enough, which is why it’s absolutely essential to select only the best of the best ideas. It doesn’t matter if it’s only one mind-blowing idea because as the old adage goes, quality is better than quantity.

Quality Is Better than Quantity

The good and even the great ideas might struggle. Such ideas are difficult to get funding for, and it’s more challenging to prototype and deliver them. If you want to make your idea come alive, you need to have defined criteria, which allows for choosing the best idea to follow up on. After the criteria has been established, it’s time to use the crowd again aka Christian community. Ask them to respond accordingly and honestly – does the idea meet all the listed criteria?

If yes, that’s great, you’re moving towards success. If not, it’s back to the drawing board to get it right.

You need to act now and remember this: it’s okay to simply start by putting just one outreach idea into action.

What kinds of challenges do you and your team face when trying to develop your ideas further?