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IMPROVE PLANNING AND YOU'LL CONTROL COSTS Bill Smith Your firm may not be located in Alaska, as we are, but chances are you could stand to improve project planning. When you do, you'll find controlling costs becomes almost automatic. Arctic conditions and seismically sensitive construction sites pose unique construction challenges. Our designs must be able to accommodate extreme temperature variations, sustain large snow loads, and prevent excessive moisture conditions. While everyone strives to design low-maintenance projects and manage logistics in an economical manner, these are essential to design in Alaska, especially in remote areas. During the winter, extreme temperature and wind-chill conditions can make it unsafe for anyone to be outside for more than a few minutes, making repairs difficult. of our our projects, such as as waste systems and fuel farms, are designed for remote native villages. Construction is often completed with the assistance of a local labor force and maintained by local village residents. The successful completion of these projects depends on our ability to coordinate and manage design, material availability and logistics. This is especially true because materials are usually delivered to the sites by barge, often only once each summer season. It is no exaggeration to say that project planning in Alaska is unique, even in the urban areas such as Anchorage. "Summer" construction season generally lasts from the end of May to the beginning of September, depending on Spring thaw and Fall freeze-up. After freeze-up or first snowfall, construction costs escalate due to winter conditions. Timing is even more critical in rural areas. Building construction can proceed on a year-round schedule provided the contractors enclose the buildings before first snowfall. If the planning is not precise, or if a job falls behind schedule, construction may need to be extended to the following construction season. You can imagine the impact of that on costs, resource allocation, and, of course, client satisfaction. BENEFITS OF PROJECT PLANNING Better Proposals. We have a dedicated marketing coordinator who generally tracks proposals from securing the RFP to final preparation of the proposal. Each proposal has a principal in charge who oversees staff allocation and assigns the proposal project manager based on qualifications for the specific project, time available, and upcoming deadlines. The marketing coordinator and the project manager then draft a proposal for review by the principal-in-charge. At this early stage, we include a project plan that details tasks and schedules. (See illustration.) We use QuickGantt software to produce Gantt charts and reports. We include these in our proposals to reinforce our professional, efficient image and as a demonstration of our cost-effective planning and methodology. Better Client Communications. Like most clients, ours are primarily interested in costs and completion dates. They appreciate being kept informed of progress. A simple Gantt chart goes a long way toward explaining key time periods of a project. With clear and concise project schedules at the start of a project, it is easier to track the project status relative to impending deadlines. Clients will be better equipped to understand their roles and can also see quickly when things get off track. As every engineer knows, scope of work changes can drastically affect schedules and bottom line costs. We use project planning charts to show our clients the exact consequences of the changed scope to their projects. Clients know, beforehand, what to expect, and we are not faced with unrealistic expectations once the change order is implemented. Tight Cost Control. We have a reputation for meeting our deadlines within budget and estimating appropriate construction schedules and costs. If we fail to meet either, our reputation, and therefore our repeat client prospects, will diminish. Project planning is the key. Our project managers meet twice monthly to ensure that workload levels are evenly distributed and to discuss upcoming projects. Depending on jobs in progress, our structural department meets weekly to determine status, work hours and availability. Project managers receive reports from our accounting department detailing expense and hours for each project. They can then take the information they have learned in the meetings and combine it with billing information and determine the project's standing. Depending on the client, our project managers use the information to update charts and to keep clients informed of their project's status. TNH completed the design for an addition to the Processing and Distribution Center at the main Anchorage Post Office. The project had to be complete within less than a year from Notice to Proceed to Building Occupation. Scheduling was extremely important to ensure we met our client's goal. By bidding out the steel framework before the rest of the project, we ensured that the building was enclosed before snowfall became a hindrance and the inside finish work could be completed during the winter. Thanks to this careful planning and scheduling, construction costs for the project remained on budget and it opened as scheduled. Profile of Trvck Nyman Haves. Inc. Tryck Nyman Hayes, founded in 1953, is headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, but designs and builds state and municipal projects throughout Alaska, the Western United States and the Pacific Rim. Approximately 42 employees serve the firm's clients which include the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska DOT, smaller towns and municipalities throughout the state, and Federal entities such as the Corps of Engineers, the Air National Guard, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Postal Service. The firm has seven departments: Civil Engineering, Environmental (Sanitary) Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Structural Engineering, Special Projects and Industrial Facilities, Landscape Architecture, and Survey Projects have included military reuse planning, schools, playgrounds, antennas, buildings of all types, bridges, roads, highways, tunnels, docks, marine structures, water and sewer systems, and both underground and above-ground fuel tanks. We design projects in urban and remote areas of the state and have been required to accommodate unusual transportation systems. A recent survey project required our surveyors to travel on horseback to the remote site. Tryck Nyman Hayes, Inc. specializes in arctic and subarctic engineering (cold climates, permafrost, and discontinuous permafrost) and all designs are heavily influenced by extreme temperature fluctuations, seismic forces, snowloads, and icing conditions. The firm provides services for clients who have projects ranging from preliminary evaluations, feasibility studies, environmental assessments, site design and planning to final design and construction administration. William Smith, P.E., is a principal of Tryck Nyman Hayes, Inc. He serves as manager of the structural engineering department. Mr. Smith has over 34 years of civil/structural engineering experience, 24 in Alaska, specializing in designing for the unique environmental conditions inherent in the state. Return to the List of Articles Return to the Association for Project Managers Main Page |
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