Randomness, Observations, Experiences

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

For today, in no particular order or connectivity—just writing from experiences…..

People are better at constructing, building up, and expanding than de-constructing, tearing down, retracting. But sometime life calls for more deletion, simplification, deconstruction. This is true personally and professionally.

When all else is stripped away, the the first priority of any business is survival. It’s not fancy, but survival is 1st. Sell work, do work, bill work, collect for the billed work, profit by spending less than we take in. Being visionary or doing long range planning is a waste of energy if we aren’t dealing with sustainability of delivering excellence over and over and growing outward.

Cash is underrated. We can’t eat (literally) off of equity (unless it’s in land producing food.) We can grow wealth by equity, but we need cash for daily life. Each has its place. Don’t mistake one for the other.

It can be healthy to consider the “least plausible explanation” for an outcome or occurrence. This is threatening to some people, but it can be refreshing to consider.

Conspiracy theories are only such until they aren’t.

Much can be discerned from pattern recognition. This is not really emphasized in most formal educations. Patterns, broken patterns, changing patterns can reveal much. Sometimes we call this “trusting our gut,” but it really isn’t about the gut. It’s about awareness and processing patterns. Don’t discount it.

Everything matters, small or big. So finish it.

Making the bed in the morning really is the start to a more organized and ordered life. It sets in motion a pattern of getting things done, owning the day, developing healthy habits. (We own the bed, the bed doesn’t own us.)

Agility and resilience are key qualities of people, families and businesses that continue to endure in spite of constantly changing circumstances.

Buildings constructed without a qualified Building Envelope Consultant under-perform compared to those constructed with one. This is a key investment that provides a short and long term ROI (return on investment) in better comfort, longevity, aesthetics, capability, reduced risk. The old phrase, “pay now or pay (a lot more) later” applies to this in every instance.

It may sound obvious, but builders, architects, and engineers all have their role in the built world. Don’t confuse one for the other. Engage each according to their value to a project

The Antarctic Ice sheet gained significant mass from 2021 to 2023, reversing the trend of mass loss. This doesn’t make headline news. Look it up. This is not a political statement, just a fact.

Accounts receivable (collecting cash payments for billed services or products) is the hardest part of managing a small private business in B2B world. The “work” of the business is easy. Keeping AR moving is hard unless we can dictate terms 100% of the time, which is not reality. Every client has a different process, platform, payment method, chain of command, etc. Be wise, be sensible, be reasonable, but set boundaries.

Outsourcing anything is a mixed bag; it’s two sides of the same coin. It requires sacrificing some measure of control for convenience. Assess and monitor regularly

That’s it for today. Randomness. I had to get that off my chest. Comment if you choose.

Professional Engineer License Procurement-“Rubber Stamp vs. Value”

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

For those in the construction markets, the built world, and related business, we’ve heard this statement before, “I just need a PE stamp on this project.” It’s such a revealing statement from the buyer.

Purchasing the services of a licensed professional engineer (PE) covers a broad range of value from lesser (“glorified rubber stamp”) to greater (“value added service.”)

The primary responsibility of the licensed engineering professional is to the public; to protect the health and welfare of any person that would use or come in contact with the constructed work. This is a given. The PE also must work to support at least the minimum necessary codified standards of the applicable building code for the project location. Within this context, the client can then receive “the PE stamp and signature” and whatever benefit from the engagement and collaboration as the purchaser of the services.

The “glorified rubber stamp service” is one that meets the minimum standard of being within code while not putting the health and welfare of the public at risk. That’s it. It likely doesn’t engage deeply with, or may not think much about, the client’s needs and value propositions for things like material optimization, cost-to-value ratio, labor savings, and more. It’s more of a “checked box” on the line item. Nothing gained, but maybe something lost. Not many questions asked. Just low cost. Just checked and stamped.

On the other hand, the “value added PE seal,” the one benefiting the client while accomplishing the necessary obligation of the PE, puts “substance” behind the stamp. It’s an expression of the professional’s work. That substance includes a level of thoughtfulness, collaboration, client engagement, interpretation, context, and more. It’s an investment, not just a cost.

To provide appropriate value for the client, the PE stamp on the work product should be saying, “This work product has been delivered in a thoughtful manner, and the expression of the service, relationship, and decisions involved to produce positive outcomes have been validated through this seal and signature.” There should be value received.

What “stamp” are you purchasing?

Go Big or Go Home?

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

Not really.

Do the work in a way that is natural to the context.

Do what you’re led to do.

Do what the vision inspires.

Not everything is meant to be big or scalable.

If it is, great. If not, no worries.

Stick to the essence of the vision, mission, and value being expressed.

Find your sweet spot.

Enjoy it.

Engineering Services Providers – Selection Criteria

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

If the low cost professional engineering and consulting services will provide a client the same value as a higher priced cost provider, then by all means, select the low cost option. That’s the best choice. However, this is often not the case. In fact it is almost 100% not the case.

The difference in this category of selecting and purchasing professional services work is the element of interpretive, contextual decisions that impact schedule, materials, labor, and client experience, good or bad. The category of engineering services, the delivery of a professional service manifested in various documented deliverable work products (instruments of services) to a client in the built-world, is both a necessary line item expense and an investment. Why is it an investment? Because it is defining a cost for those subjective, contextual, and interpretive elements. These qualitative elements include categories such as communication, collaboration, client awareness. It also includes quantitative elements (though subject to interpretation) including codified knowledge, material optimization considerations, sequencing, shop and field labor, and more. It’s not a widget that is being purchased as a predefined “hard good.”

I think if clients in the manufacturing, supply, subcontracting, design, contracting, and related markets were made more aware of the differences and values delivered by those of us providing professional services, they could make more informed decisions on the potential cause-effect of their selection and purchase. We do clients a disservice to not explain the nuances between the choices. Conversely, I’ve had the conversations at length with some clients, and even when they acknowledged that they knew they would get a better service that translated into a better outcome, they still chose the low price. We also do our professional services category and peer businesses a disservice to not explain the differences and to compare as if all services are equal. They are not.

If the “low fee” provider will deliver the same scope and positive results, then a client should go with the low fee. If there is something of more value included in the higher fee, then it is up to the provider to define it to the client, make it contextually relevant, and to help facilitate them making the best choice for the specific project. The “right cost” is the cost that is “right in the groove,” no more and no less than it needs to be, for the appropriate results to be achieved. Every dollar spent should yield a return on the investment.

What’s your value proposition?

The Reality of Design Constraints

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

In the creative process, most of the time, the last thing a person or team doing the creating is thinking about as design constraints are budget and schedule.

But budget and schedule are design constraints; boundary conditions. We see it, feel it, work with it, live with it, sell it, and buy it every day. Products and services for a cost. I’m talking in the business context here. I’m not talking about the idea of just wide-open free time to create and develop something without any boundaries. That’s got its place in our personal lives to doodle, noodle, create, in many contexts. I am talking about selling or buying a created product or service, or buying the creative process.

We purchase goods and services every day that have been created with design constraints that include spec, budget, and schedule. Once the specified performance standard is defined or revealed, then we define a schedule and a price. The result of the process can’t be “Hey, I know we put a price and schedule on this, but the creative process is what it is. It takes whatever time it takes.” No it doesn’t. It takes the time we’ve allocated for the budget established within the specification we’ve defined to create a solution within the parameters. Want to buy a car? You’ll want to define the standard (spec), budget (what you can pay) and when it will be delivered (schedule.) A car, like any other product, is a created work. The same is true with a piece of paper, an engineering service, web design, software, and on and on. Schedule and budget define how much could be invested in creating and producing the product or service.

In fact, budgets and schedules are gifts to us; signposts, mile markers, fenced pastures, defining limits and contexts, giving us a direction, identity to the work, and an expectation to be fulfilled. Finishing something is satisfying. Finishing it on time, on budget, and delivering to a satisfied client, is an art in itself, and very satisfying to both parties.

Deliver to the standard, make it a positive experience, include the client in a collaborative manner, communicate along the way, listen, develop, define, deliver value. But finish it. Ship it. Complete it. Do it within the time and budget established.

We all need end dates by which to make decisions and complete the work. The creator that can complete it and deliver the value to the client, will be sought after.

Be that person.

Developing Identity vs Being Commodity

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

If we own or are working in a business, we are delivering a service or product. The client or customer expects to receive what it is they’ve purchased according to the specifications, scope, and price. This is a fact that is true, whether conscious in the mind of the buyer and seller or not. This is the baseline. Let’s dive deeper now.

All companies in a category are expected to deliver to the category. Let’s even say that we expect all the scope of work to be delivered to the exact same standard, that we could pick any one of the enterprises in the category, and expect the same exact results. What then would be the differentiator in selection? Price (cost) of course. If all things are 100% equal, then select and work with the lowest cost provider for the specified service or product.

But this is never the case. Products or services from different companies are not all delivered to the same standard. Why is this so? There are many reasons. But let’s focus on differentiation here; let’s focus on core purpose, core focus, core values. Defining the differentiators, the “why,” “what,” and “how,” define the difference, and create the unique value proposition of any enterprise. In fact, all companies have these defining attributes, they just don’t always know what they really are, or how to define them.

“Our Why”: Core Purpose.

This is our reason, our essence, why we do what we do. Unless we want to be more of a commodity, we need a core purpose; a “why;” a reason for the enterprise’s existence. This has nothing to do with WHAT we do, but why we do it. For instance in my company, we “Enable Facades that Inspire.” We “do” things to support that, but those “things” are not our “why.” We love to work on, and to help develop, improve, remediate, fix, oversee facades, building skins, building exteriors, in an inspired manner and to create inspiring outcomes. That’s why we show up every day.

“Our What:” Core Focus.

What is it that we deliver or do as a core focus to support our core purpose? This is the “what” to support the “why.” In my company for instance, we provide design, engineering, science and consulting to support the core purpose to enable facades that inspire. When you work with us you may “get engineering” for example among other things as part of the service, but you don’t buy “engineering” from us. You buy our core purpose (knowingly or not.) You work with us to support your vision on an inspiring facade or exterior building skin. To support that, one service we provide is “engineering” expressed in various forms. What we all do in enterprises is different than why we do it.

“Our How:” Core Values.

How do we do what we do to deliver why we do it? These are the core values; the “how.” What’s our personality, and what values do we live out, manifest, and provide as a group, an enterprise, an organization? Core values (the how) are our guard rails, our sign posts. For instance, at our company we have five core values, developed as a team. They are as follows: communication, integrity, collaboration, client conscious, and capable. Everything we “do” is filtered through this grid, this reality. These are not aspirational, they are reality. These core values define us. For instance, if you don’t want to communicate, and it’s not a value for you, then you wouldn’t want to work for us. The core values are in every job offer, discussed during recruiting, and measured during annual reviews. You don’t have to be perfect in living out the core values, but you have to care, to buy into them, be committed to improvement, and to be accountable to them. Goods and services are delivered with, through and by the core values.

The Story:

So the “why,” the “what,” and the “how” allow us to build our story, a common story, that anyone in the company can express. It gives us a common context to work within, a common reality, a shared experience. This is a powerful lever in advancing with focus and velocity. The story may be manifested or experienced in different forms and expressions. But in the big picture, if talking to someone in the elevator, at the coffee bar, or on break at the conference, asking us, “So what do you do,” we could say something like this, “Well, we enable facades that inspire through services like engineering, design, science, and consulting. You can count on us to be communicative, and express integrity around commitments and solutions. Plus, we really focus on collaboration, building a shared experience, with a client conscious focus throughout (beginning with the end in in mind). With all that we are as capable as they come.” This is one version of our “story.” This is what you get when you get “us.”

Closing Thoughts and Remarks

So are all enterprises the same? When we purchase a service or product to a spec, a definition, a scope, can we expect the exact same experience from all? Obviously not.

With whom would we rather work? The no purpose, low cost provider, or the clearly purposed, value driven niche company?

Without a “why” everything looks the same. Without a “what” there’s no clarity on what service or product is expected to be delivered and received. Without a “how” it’s all just colorless and without consistent experience; there’s no value added.

Without the core purpose, focus and values, we are just a commodity, a nameless, faceless organization that can only rely on being less expensive. This is a tough reality to live within; impossible really.

Does cost matter? Of course. But that is a topic for another blog post.

Get excited. Start defining today. There’s a process by which you can do so. Put it in writing. Shout it from the roof tops. Make a difference.

Meetings – Tips for Productive Outcomes

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

**On the topic of MEETINGS**

People say, “meetings are a waste of time, or “meetings are unproductive.”

Yet, I don’t think this is true, in the right context.

Everything is about context.

Poorly planned, unscripted, no-agenda, purposeless meetings for the sake of meeting are a waste of time.

Scheduled, planned, intentional, agenda-driven, purpose driven meetings with expected outcomes are valuable.

I don’t think it’s productive to make “carte-blanche” statements about anything that categorizes it as “all or nothing.”

I think perhaps most of us don’t know how to achieve positive outcomes to meetings without a script, plan, outline, experience. Plus, meetings take many formats depending on who is leading.

I recommend some of the following as a starting point:

1. Establish a consistent meeting format for your entire organization. Same format, context, pattern for each, at every level.

2. Use a meeting system like, or similar to the EOS Worldwide System (if you aren’t an EOS company already using their IDS style.)

3. Identify the issues to be discussed, discuss them, and solve them.

4. A meeting without “solves” is not a productive meeting.

5. If the issues are not solved in the meeting, set “to-do’s.” To-do’s require a specific deadline and owner of the to-do. Write it down, keep it transparent, follow up. The person assigned is accountable to complete it. When the to-do is done, the issue is solved.

6. Make sure the facilitator keeps the meeting on track.

7. Don’t interrupt others, ever.

8. Start and end on time. That is the first priority. Be on time, prepared, ready to engage.

Leveraging the time with a team can be differentiator.

If you want to continue to avoid meetings or not utilize them well, then you may fall behind. Those who do meetings well and get things done as aligned team, have the advantage, as they multiply progress.

This list isn’t 100% comprehensive, but has some key recommendations.

If you’re doing meetings work to increase their value.

Fascinating and Motivating- Gauging Emotional Energy

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

As we gain experience, that which is “fascinating and motivating” changes. What may have been so at one time can become “just ok,” or even “annoying and frustrating.” It’s alright to move on and move forward into the next “fascinating and motivating.” This takes awareness.

While doing so, we can’t forget that our “frustration” with something now is likely someone else’s new opportunity (just like it was for us prior.) We can delegate it, or better yet, hand it over entirely to another colleague or recruit, someone wanting to step into their next “fascinating and motivating.”

It is liberating to recognize this, and to assess our priorities by gauging our emotional energy. Step back and audit what is exciting, what is motivating, where the value is best provided to clients and staff, what increases emotional energy, and what drains it. Re-prioritize, amend, delegate, delete. Stay present to coach, advise, support, and help those to whom we hand off the work,

Don’t Always Listen

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

“I don’t need all the calculations right now, just get me some answers.”

“Don’t send me the proposal, I just need you to get going. I am sure your scope and fee will be just fine.”

“No need to send a change order, just get going on the work, we’ll shake it out later.”

“We don’t need any further context or background, just get us the financial numbers and we’ll send it to the credit analyst.”

These are real statements made to me in the course of business. They also have provided excellent learning experiences.

These and similar statements may sound good on the surface, or perhaps even provide a measure of comfort if we don’t think more deeply. It may lead to us thinking, “no worries, sounds like we’ve got good affirmation.”

But don’t “listen” to the person in these ways. They may mean well, but it’s not good for business or relationship. It doesn’t create clarity, transparency or accountability.

Do the due diligence, send the work product, share the full picture, write the proposal, send the change order, provide the background along with the numbers. Be clear. Document. Share the context. Not doing so will likely lead to some form of negative consequence. Doing so never will. You’ll get answers up front. It will create more peace and reduce risk.

Every client, vendor, or partner has an expectation whether it is stated or not. Putting things in writing and communicating clearly threshes out the expectations. It either aligns, resulting in affirmation, or it exposes the differences and allows the opportunity to re-align, or to move in another direction.

Not listening in these regards is a matter of respecting the other person and ourselves by establishing defined boundaries. “People like us do things like this,” or “People like us do business in this manner.”

Professionals act professionally, and not by whatever whim or request that may come from others. Flexibility is important, but not outside of established standards.

Let’s keep learning, growing, defining. Let’s stay humble. Listen, monitor, own what we can own and manage what we can manage. Let our “yes be yes and our no be no.” Clarity brings more predictability and reduces stress.

Imagine- Achievement vs Effort

Posted on by johnlwheaton1

A VISION for those in Professional Services:

The standard form of pricing professional services work among architecture and engineering firms still mostly involves some form of “gross up” cost estimating based on predicted labor investment at a defined labor rate. Even when setting fees on a “top down” basis or “cost of construction,” there’s still a “bottom up” exercise in regards to budgeting labor. Almost all firms “monetize” their time in some way by also filling out time sheets. The hours are loaded into the accounting system by project, by phase, by labor code.

Re-imagining

Let’s just imagine for a moment instead, a professional services business based only on results and value. There’s no time-sheet in the traditional sense. The business is not selling their time for a labor rate, but is focused solely on outcomes.

What is the issue? The time-sheet, recording time by increment, by labor code, by job number, on an hourly basis, is focused through the lens of effort– a justification model, “People like us focus on monetizing our time, documenting that effort, billing for it, while we hope to get the right results on the project.”

The opposite is a business focused through the lens of results- an achievement model, “People like us produce results like these for fees like this.”

Imagine:

  • Everyone is paid a salary – no hourly workers at any level.
  • There’s no discussion about “billable time,” only expected outcomes within time frames.
  • The focus is entirely on an achievement and income model:
    • “People like us produce results driven by value, scheduled completion dates, project milestones and deliverables that are billed at pre-determined values.”
  • The expected work week is to “complete the targeted work”- no exceptions. Work status is either “done or not done,” or “on-track or off-track.”
  • Jobs are billed based on percentage basis according to the fee and progress against the deliverable, not the time accrued.
  • There’s no accounting for time, but only revenue, only outcomes. We determine the percentage complete based on the results achieved vs the results planned. We set the fee based on the value to the market, region, project type, client.

What about Time and Materials ( T & M hourly) work, you ask? Perhaps there needs to be an exception for certain activities, but then why not charge more for T & M work than for fixed fee work. (We can’t achieve the margin a fixed fee can allow when we bill T & M.)

Alternatively, we simply stop working entirely on the effort-based model of billing for time. No T & M, ever. We work for clients that value the fixed fee model. For those clients that aren’t willing to pay a fixed fee we take the position of, “People like us produce the type of value where we believe a fixed fee is the only reasonable approach.”

Imagine this business, where everything is results, outcome, achievement driven rather than time-effort driven. Imagine piloting a project or a group that tests this approach.

Imagine quoting projects from the top down only, “We think a project like this should cost this much”. Our thinking is centered on the mindset of, ”Our business costs this much to run per year so we need to sell X-times that cost in executable backlog to be completed within this time frame”

Imagine.