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What’s Your Collaboration Quotient?

January 26, 2012 – 11:46 AM

Collaboration is key
Hiring a key staff member with an impressive IQ is undoubtedly a benefit to achieving your company’s goals, and even better if they possess a high EQ/Emotional Quotient to help manage team members effectively.  But, what is your company’s CQ/Collaboration Quotient?

Many business leaders today are increasing their quotient level by identifying the tremendous opportunities available to them through enterprise collaborations – all parties working towards a common goal.  Before you jump on board; however, you’ll want to assess the types of problems your business wants to solve.  Here are a few examples of how multi-party collaborations can help solve a business problem, address an immediate crisis or set loftier milestones:

  • Draw more innovation opportunities
  • Advance effectiveness & efficiencies
  • Decrease time-to-market cycle
  • Joint  ”strategy focus” and desire for same end result
  • Avoid duplication of efforts
  • Streamline the information flow which decreases errors
  • Reduce overhead, improve profits
Clearly, we’ve all conducted in-house collaborations with project teams for years.  Adopting multi-party collaborations adds that next level by integrating your in-house team with outside specialists who possess the necessary tools and technologies for bringing about the improvements essential to reaching your goals.  The biggest roadblock to teaming with outside experts can be the push-back from your current in-house team.  To build confidence, it’s important that they understand how the tools and share of information processes can best be integrated, the value the partners bring to your company’s bottom line, and how the integration process will ultimately make your company increasingly more competitive.  The overall collaboration effort brings everyone onboard and driving for the defined common goal of the company, which drastically raises your CQ/Collaboration Quotient.
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Life Production Homebuilding Uncategorized

Shifting Gears in 2012

January 26, 2012 – 11:43 AM


Stewart-Shifting Gears

Performance-Driven Approach through Integrated Process Management (IPM)

Shifting gears is second nature to NASCAR driver, Tony Stewart.  It’s critical to gaining the results needed to maintain his lead and charge beyond the checkered flag in first place.

For years, home builders were somewhat content with the minor shifts necessary to conduct their businesses.  They found there were manageable corners to take.  Today, however, there are many new variables as a result of a culture-shift effecting the purchasing habits, expectations, desires, and vast amount of products available to homeowners.  So, how do you respond and position your company in order to remain a leader?

Industry experts note that looking to technology alone won’t solve the issue of efficiencies, time-to-market issues, costs, and more.  What you, as a builder need to wrap your arms around is a “performance-driven team philosophy” where through people, processes and technology combined, you will experience the most profound changes to your bottom line, improved accuracies and faster time-to-market products.  This optimized approach recognizes the key drivers and integrates the right results for home builders.  The shift is gaining momentum through an innovative solution by our experts at The Contrado Group tabbed,“Integrated Process Management (IPM)”.  Now in its second year, IPM has been refined in 2011 and is proving highly effective for valued clients such as Maracay Homes, Scottsdale, Arizona who improved their time-to-market results by 60%.  How does translate in dollars? Well, a big bundle comes to mind!

Staying in the race in 2012 will mean making major shifts, according to industry professionals.  Improving efficiencies have driven builders to advocate an integrated approach by steering clear of their outdated, convoluted, building-in-isolation process into a results-driven project delivery model.  An IPM program by The Contrado Group will provide you with a steady and single-source of information/technology starting as early as the conceptual drawings , into structural design/drafting (BIM), to project management, to sales options, and then to the all-important marketing/sales solutions.  Our BIM (Building Information Modeling) affiliate, AmeriCAD (http://www.constructech.com/news/articles/article.aspx?article_id=7929) , sets the core technology standard for the Integrated Process Management platform and allows the reduction of risk through better information throughout the process.

It is reported by home builders currently working in a BIM environment (http://bookstore.ashrae.biz/journal/journal_s_article.php?articleID=827) , that they are not only gaining efficiencies via clash detection, coordination, scheduling, etc., they are also reducing risk of exposure for schedule and budget overruns, claims, and more.  Looking at the current climate, owners that would put down big dollars to purchase land and start a community may be reluctant. So what will help convince them otherwise? Understanding that there is a much better risk scenario out there and that is what BIM and Integrated Process Management (IPM) is delivering to the industry.

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Life Production Homebuilding Uncategorized

How Do We Respond To Change?

August 22, 2011 – 2:57 PM

Change_Homebuilding

Remember the book Who Moved My Cheese that was handed out by many companies back in 1998 during times of restructuring? The book had little characters in it named “Sniff and Scurry” and “Hem and Haw”.

Essentially, the book (synopsis) was about how these two groups dealt with change in their little maze. One group, “Sniff and Surry” just took the fact that their regular place that had cheese had changed and went on their way to search for new cheese. The other group, “Hem and Haw” held out that the cheese would eventually be in the same place and began to wait it out relying on their old familiar ways. The moral of the book is that “change happens”, and it’s best to roll with it and adapt.

It’s ironic that in those times of the Dot-com bubble and the NASDAQ peaking at 5132 we thought that the economy was in turmoil. Little did we know that there was one of the largest housing booms about to occur and that the “Great Recession” would be the follow-up. Or, in the words of Judas Priest the rock band, “You’ve got another thing coming”…………

So, what is it about change that rocks our worlds so much? It is certainly human nature to fear change, but this is not a good reaction. In an article by Sherri Bourg Carter entitled “Why We Dread (and So Often Fail to) Change”, she sites that the unknown or untested are primary reasons for this fear which is one of our most powerful emotions. However, shouldn’t change be a constant for a person and/or company if they wish to pursue a better way? If status quo was the norm, we would not have the advances we use today? However, she also sites that “when fear grips you, you become powerless”. That rings true when Franklin D.Roosevelt had to calm our nation during the Depression with the words, “Only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.

We at The Contrado Group continue our changes as a newly merged company; we too are intimidated by what these changes in our industry are bringing about. However, we are taking these circumstances as a way to position ourselves with new industry alliances. These alliances are with companies that share the same vision of process integration. It is our firmest belief that we are in the midst of paradigm shift in homebuilding. This shift is going to involve more streamlining of processes, a tightening of the supply chain, and strategic alliances. In the end, we believe that tomorrow’s homeowner will be able to have a home that is more efficient, customizable, technology driven, and delivered in a manner that removes any false expectations. Builder’s margins will be able to climb due to increased demand, adjustment of the supply chain, and lower of costs due to operational efficiencies. The future looks bright…………………

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Strategic Partner Alliances with The Contrado Group

August 22, 2011 – 2:47 PM

Sales Simplicity a Sales CRM Company for Homebuilders & Big Red Rooster Architectural Services

 

We have been working with the Sales Simplicity team for the last few months to fully integrate our Interactive Floor Plan (IFP) tool’s eLead functionality. Essentially, we have developed our Interactive Floor Plans to have seamless integration of leads into Sales Simplicity’s CRM with XML feeds. So, as soon as a prospect “saves” a floor plan from the IFP, the information is sent to the eLeads portion of the Sales Simplicity’s program.

Interactive Floor Plan

(click on picture to view)

 At which point, the sales agent is notified via e-mail that they have a lead to follow up with along with “saved” floor plan from the prospect for viewing. This will also allow for a marketing program workflow to commence too. At which point, the sales agent can begin the dialog with the prospect and make the sales!

 Agent Making Sales with IFP”s and Sales Simplicity

“We have truly enjoyed our partnering in the market with The Contrado Group. Our customers have seen the need to capture key information while the prospect is viewing homes online. Now we have a way to capture this information such as floor plans, elevations, and options for our clients. I foresee our alliance to be value-add for all of our customers” say, Barry Forbes President of Sales Simplicity.

 

Big Red Rooster, a global brand experience firm, announced that Don Hasulak has joined the company as Managing Director, heading the firm’s newly formed Phoenix office which is also a part of The Contrado Group’s facilities. Hasulak will be responsible for overseeing the expansion of the Big Red Rooster offer into the Architectural and Construction Services segment focusing on Planning and Design, Documentation, and Implementation.

“The addition of Architectural Services to the Big Red Rooster portfolio is a natural evolution,” states Aaron Spiess, President, Big Red Rooster. “Bringing this service in-house ensures our clients a world-class, seamless experience from design through to implementation.”

“As an architect, and as a business leader, I understand the interplay between form and function, and have a keen ability to reveal hidden costs within a project,” notes Hasulak. “The exciting piece of this for me is having the opportunity to work more directly with clients, bringing my real-world retail experience to every project.”

Previously, Hasulak served as Managing Director at FITCH, providing leadership for clients such as airport concessionaire OTG, Disney Regional Entertainment, and T-Mobile. Don began his career as owner and operator of the largest casework manufacturer in the Southwest. A registered architect, Don holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture from Cornell.

About Big Red Rooster

Founded in 2002 by Martin Beck and Aaron Spiess, Big Red Rooster (www.bigredrooster.com) is known globally as a brand experience firm, focusing on the retailing, manufacturing, food service, healthcare, and service sectors. Activating shopper insights to transform brand experiences, Big Red Rooster’s client roster includes world-class brands such as Home Depot, American Express, Jack Daniels, Wrigley, SC Johnson & Son, Office Depot, and Nike. Big Red Rooster is the founding member of RoosterGroup Partners, a consortium of firms that create impact at the decision point where shoppers, retailers, and manufacturers meet.

 

 

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Reaching A Wider, More Tech Savvy Audience

July 15, 2011 – 1:37 PM
HTML5, CSS3, SVG, jQuery

Funny how people are anticipating HTML5 as the next big thing, yet in reality, it is the next big thing.

Gone are the lotteries and land rush home sales and apartment to condo conversions, the landscape is almost unrecognizable in only a few short years. With the entire production homebuilding & multifamily housing industries turned on their ear in the last few years, I think its safe to say we’ve all been doing our fair share of changing and the crew here at TCG (The Contrado Group) are  no exception. We have been using flash for our interactive floor plans for years and much like the rest of the industry, times are changing right in front of our eyes. Here at TCG, we’re taking advantage of new technology we’re hoping to reach a wider, more tech savvy audience.

In the coming months we will be talking about incorporating the latest technologies and taking things to the next level. The general public are becoming increasingly mobile and tech savvy. mobile devices with multiple platforms and form-factors are mainstream and showing no signs of slowing. Here at The Contrado Group we’re looking to the future of HTML5, CSS3, SVG, & jQuery just to name a few of the technologies we’re bringing to our interactive floor plan (IFP) product offerings. Taking advantage of HTML5, the DOM (Document Object Model) and its ability to interact with SVG graphics we’re taking interactive floor plans to the next level offering cutting edge interactive products to a broad spectrum of devices and platforms. While HTML5 has not reached its final spec as of yet, as a company we’re ready to get in there and start working. Be sure to check back in future posts for progress and possibly a sneak peek of the new Interactive floor plan development.

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Life Production Homebuilding

How Do I Get All These Projects Done?

July 8, 2011 – 1:02 PM

I don’t know about you but it can get pretty crazy anymore trying to get everything done. I think at the heart of the challenge is getting the right things done right in the most effective manner possible. Here at The Contrado Group we have been working hard on our IPM – Integrated Process Management model for doing business.

Below is our new Integrated Planning Process* for planning and developing Key Initiatives. Please feel free to use with your team and enjoy the benefits. We sincerely hope it helps you get more accomplished!

1. Purpose/Why?
Stop and ask one simple question . . . Why? What is motivating us? Has it become to painful NOT to change? What would inspire everyone to action and create a sense of urgency?

  • Why are we considering doing this?
  • What is our purpose? Our goal? Our vision?
  • What are we ultimately trying to achieve?

2. Desired Outcome/Results?
What is our definition of success? What would the results look like if we were totally successful? What would that success feel like and how would it impact each partner involved?

  • What would be our TIME to Market targets?
  • What would be our COST to Market targets?
  • What would be our ACCURACY to Market targets?

3. Brainstorming
What is our current reality? What do we know? Do we want to continue down this same path? What would a vision of a new reality look like? What options would create this new reality? Are we willing to make a commitment to creating this new reality?

  • What information do we have at hand?
  • What current resources do we have available?
  • What is working? What is not working?
  • What are ALL our options – get everything out on the table?
  • What haven’t we considered before? Has everyone spoken?
  • Would everyone be committed to these options?

4. Organizing
Lets start pulling the whole thing together. What needs to happen to bring this to reality?

  • Who is going to “Champion” this initiative?
  • Who will need to be a part of the team?
  • What are the phases and major milestones?
  • How does this break down into manageable projects/sub-projects?
  • What project templates, checklists, and reporting is needed?

5. Next Actions
Determine the very next physical actions required to move this project forward!

  • What are the major MILESTONES for this initiative?
  • What are the key ACTIONS required to complete each milestone?
  • What CONTEXT will be needed to complete these actions?
  • Who will be ACCOUNTABLE for each action?
  • When does each action START? Come back into focus?
  • When does each action need to be COMPLETED?

*Based on GTD Natural Planning Model

 

 

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Multifamily Housing Uncategorized

What’s More Important – Material or Social Upgrades?

July 5, 2011 – 10:20 AM

WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Imagine you live in an apartment (and maybe you do) and your lease is about up.  The apartment Manager tells you, “If you renew your lease, I can provide the following things for you, but you have to choose either list A or B – You can’t have both”.  Which would you choose?:

List A – Material

  • Upgraded kitchen countertop.
  • Above-counter lighting.
  • Professionally steam clean your carpet.

List B – Social

  • Regularly themed resident appreciation parties and events.
  • Promotional give-aways, drawings or contests.
  • Community retail discount programs.

Now ask the same question from the perspective of the apartment Manager or Owner.  Let’s assume the expense to the community will be the same regardless of which list is picked.  Did your answer change or stay the same?

Lastly, ask yourself the same question from the Manager’s point of view, guessing what the majority of your tenants might pick.  Would they lean for the material upgrades or go for the social perks?  Your mind is likely spinning because of all the new variables to consider now.  How might the social-economic demographics affect your answer (age, income, location, etc.)?

And now the most important question of all, (assuming you can’t have it ALL) do you currently feel your property focuses on the most appropriate types of upgrades and amenities to best match your tenants?  What would you change?

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