ICS-INNOVATION
As elsewhere stated , Project Management requires mastery of four Core PM Performance Abilities: Collaboration, Coordination, Cooperation, and Communication. Collaboration is distinct from the other three in that it describes the predominant environment in which the the other three Performance Abilities must be achieved.
On construction projects, numerous competing forces struggle to ‘work together’ for the greater good. The extent to which they ultimately coordinate, cooperate, and communicate correlates directly with the quality of the implemented Project Time Management program, and the professionals who staff and guide it.
ICS‑Collaboration is the business group within ICS‑Global that brings together Construction PTM professionals that are best suited for each Construction Project Management challenge.
ICS-Collaboration’s Contribution to Construction Project Time Management
For the most part, Owners and Contractors prefer to handle their own Construction Project Time Management. We encourage and applaud this, our only suggestion being that they invest in Continuing Scheducation for their project and home office team members. Still, there come times when staff augmentation is well warranted and preferable.
At these moments, a few key decisions will determine whether the technical support they receive ultimately makes matters better —or worse. The first decision is whether to hire a new staff member, or to retain a consultant. Hiring a Construction PTM specialist is no easy task. For starters, the range of talent is wide ‑ from newbie to well seasoned. Knowing how much expertise you really need is an early decision. Another consideration is whether the candidate’s experience is commensurate with the type of projects your company builds? Finally, are they up to date on the latest Construction PTM knowledge? Hint: If they present themselves as “planners” or “schedulers,” they probably are not. Remember our slogan; there is much more to Construction Project Time Management than just planning and scheduling.”
Retaining the services of an outside professional raises the same questions as above. They also introduce two new ones because a consultant was not in the Project Budget. Consulting costs are almost always an unwanted and unexpected overhead cost. So now you must ask: how much talent do you need to buy, and what will the consultant’s Scope of Work? ICS-Collaboration can help with all of this.
ICS-Collaboration’s Operational Divisions
No matter which direction you go, ICS-Collaboration will be your best friend. If you decide to hire a new staff member, check out our services under ICS-Placement. ICS-Placement is superior to all other executive search firms because each of our recruiters is him/herself a Construction Project Time Management professional with at least 15 years of hands-on experience. As for cost, our clients routinely report that our fees are less than our competitors, and even lower than when our clients recruit, vet, and qualify candidates on their own. We offer four options when it comes time to retaining outside assistance: ICS-GlobalStaff, ICS-League, and ICS-Network. And don’t forget Featured Programs under ICS-Scheduling (see ICS-Facilitation).
ICS-Research conducts ongoing scholarly studies which lead to discoveries and reports about Construction Project Time Management. Its work products provide empirical data necessary to sharpen the cutting edge of Construction PTM, and inspire Research Studies in the academic world.
Construction Project Time Management has long needed an independent clearinghouse for review and appraisal of new products, services, concepts, and theories. The Construction Industry in North America needs — and deserves – more credible information upon which to make informed decisions than just slick marketing hype and gratuitous self-promotion.
ICS-Specifications oversees development and administration of processes and tools that establish performance thresholds to be attained by the Project Schedule and the Construction PTM support effort. In partnership, ICS-Scoring confirms Contractor compliance.
This one-two punch doesn’t just benefit the Owner. It also rewards General Contractors and Construction Managers, who will have a competitive advantage over their competitors when they demonstrate that their Construction PTM practices are in accordance with the ICS-Compendium. In contrast, those who still using old, ineffective ways to schedule will lose out, twice: by not securing new work, and not being profitable on the contracts they do land.
ICS-Scoring operates an independent appraisal service that objectively evaluates and rates project-specific Construction PTM products and services. ICS-Specifications and ICS-Scoring are paired in a push-pull effort relationship that collectively improves the overall quality and effectiveness of Construction PTM, regardless of project characteristics.
Where ICS-Specifications (the push) raises the bar when it comes to what Owners require of a Contractor’s Construction PTM effort, ICS-Scoring (the pull) ensures that the higher bar is cleared by grading Construction PTM efforts in real time.
ICS-Certification will offer a range of Construction Project Time Management credentials spanning all Construction PTM roles and all levels of competence. Our credentialing differentiates between Planners and Schedulers, as well as between Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master.