You want it WHEN??

Contractors and Construction Managers live, eat and breathe detailed project scheduling.  It's a mandatory survival skill.  Architects are not nearly as adept.

The other day, I listened to a CM rant about an Architect who had activities he had to incorporate into a detailed preconstruction services schedule.  "They couldn't even tell me what their tasks would be within the standard defined design phases!  How could they possibly know they're on schedule if they can't name the activities?"  His comments fell on sympathetic ears, but I felt inclined to defend the hapless Architect.

"Fact of the matter," I said, "most Architects have an intuitive sense of where they are in terms of completion within the Phases".  They certainly know how much time they've spent against budget. (At least, usually)  Architects just don't have the experience of CM's to fall back on, with their emphasis on critical timing.

So, now here I sit just having prepared a qualifications submittal to a State agency looking to hire an on-call scheduling consultant.  Will I be stereotyped because of the AIA on the letterhead?  Time will tell.

Are You Special?

A former co-worker liked to call them 'Beauty Contests'.  Apply the right makeup,  Wear the most fashionable clothes.  Answer the test questions with apparent ease.  Luck into some endearing quirk.  Do any of these; and maybe, just maybe, you'll be picked as the Architect or Contractor for the plum commission offered up by the latest Owner's Rep.  The conversation relates to the parade of candidates during short-list interviews.

The allusion to pageantry was his way of saying how superficial the process can be, and particularly (in his mind) how unreliable the conclusions might be.  While I believe there are ways a cautious Owner can mitigate these possibilities, there's no denying the risk of enticement.

Architects, many of whom see themselves as great communicators, often revel in the moment at an interview.  Their self confidence is not always justified, of course; but they can be at ease much of the time.

The poor Contractors and CM's, on the other hand, have a tougher row to hoe.  Whether it's genetic or simply experiential, the performance is far from second nature.  As much as I coach them in their preparation, I do so with a faint hesitation about how unfair it may be.

What do you think?  Is there a better way?