Sherrill & Co. ... Construction Program Management & Architecture
 

How do I help you 'build' a more effective organization? 

  As a dedicated professional, I lead the process to refine your unique organizational and facilities strategy to deliver a more effective investment.
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Introduction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Here 

to See ... 

Articles and Award Applications 

 

... for a copy of "Building Design Meets Business Strategy" 

by Carl Sherrill

 

 

Question ...  How many teachers does it take to change a light bulb?  

Answer ... Teachers don't change light bulbs … they make dim ones brighter!

 

Do you believe your organization should be … "a little brighter "?

 

John Kotter, professor of organizational behavior at the Harvard Business School who says that organization leaders do two things:

 

1)         They press and prepare organizations for change

2)         They cope with managers who struggle for stability        

 

Organizations that THRIVE balance these complex and very important issues.

 

Many leaders need a broad, unbiased framework to help define and refine the necessary, high quality decisions to help sort, prioritize, and define many new or revised issues related to … needs; functions; policies; and missions.

 

Defining facility strategy is a top management leadership issue.  It's not normal operations to help:

 

1)         Rise levels of awareness in many diverse areas 

2)         Outline ideas to provide better short and long term results  

3)         Describe principles for a better "fit" for your investment

 

Successful Strategy can be compared to art or music, where there are measurable aspects that compliment and supplement those other qualities that may be hard to measure.

 

People in "management theory" - Michael Porter (Harvard), Tom Peters, and many others, publish books & "talk on the stump" to improve strategy.  However, no one talks about construction investments and the associated long and short term impacts upon the sponsoring organization.  No one is a fortune teller; a complete strategy with different scenarios is tough to describe, but a good strategy generates synergistic support for as a solid foundation for a higher quality investment and a better organization.   

 

Many people start a project as if they are ordering "fast food",  where project teams "cook the burgers".  This may not be as good as it first seems, it may not support long term "health benefits" for today's organizations considering their long term needs in operations, markets, strategic goals.

   

In architecture, there's a saying "form follows function". This means determine what's really needed THEN wrap the building around it.  This helps provides an underlying and enduring sense of logic to enhance long term value for the art.

CEO's ask: 

"Why invest 

in a new 

facility?"

The complete answer is not simple.  Determining project scope is  significant and involved.  It should reflect the client organization's unique considerations and requirements.  Start with thoughtful, comprehensive analysis addressing: 

 

A) ... How is leadership and management defined for the client organization?

B) ... How are leadership and management defined and applied here? 

C) ... What is the real "unit of measurement" of the organization's daily work?

 

Answer: 

 

Once something about the organization is defined from the above, then facility issues can be addressed, such as how a new facility can:

 

Provide new strategic and tactical opportunities.

Offer a powerful opportunity to influence a cultural change. 

Enhance operations, profitability, and efficiency. 

Simply stated, a new facility investment can represent the organization's strategic plan and can address issues, such as, but not limited to:

A - Market

Improve marketing, sales, and customer service with an improved facility. 

B - People

Personnel are considered the most valuable asset.  

 

Major improvements in an upgraded facility supports organizational change.

C - Process

A new facility investment enhances work efficiency

 

- new equipment

- an improved efficient work flow

- stimulates major "make vs. buy" analysis

- stimulates analysis for "just in time" deliveries

Professional Service

Professional, single source, in-depth comprehensive program management - planning to punch list 

 

Hands-on experience provides the best possible short- and long-term benefits

 

How do 

we begin?

Reflecting twenty-two years experience, my process outlines comprehensive project delivery and in-depth analysis.

1st ... Each project is unique.

To start, a first proposal with estimated hours to prepare a "preliminary" scope and document a complete pre-design organizational analysis.

2nd ... Prepare  a scope, and specific cost estimate with back-up.

Depending upon the scope and operations, preliminary  engineering or other design studies may be required.

3rd ... Other 

Each case is different. Agreements shall be custom defined for the situation to address well defined activities and time requirements. 

To Introduce New Project Owners, Users, 

& Investors

Specific actions vary by project and a specially prepared schedule will illustrate activities  in a proper manner. Beginning with an "inside-out analysis, successful projects can flow as follows:

 

1)

Diagram work process to show value added steps and existing / future capacity.

 

2)

Strategy - Qualitative analysis of existing/ future conditions/ personnel/ etc.  

 

3)

Forecast - Spatial/ equipment/ capacity of existing/ future.  

 

4)

Illustrative drawings: floor/ site plans; elevations; equipment, etc

 

5)

Prepare project's tech docs/ cost estimate/ performance/ maintenance specs, etc.   (using tools … Uniformat, PerSpective, CAD, Means, Richardson, etc).

 

6)

Determine potential contractors/ vendors/ suppliers.

 

7)

Analyze project logistics and note construction considerations.

 

8)

Prepare proposal package - contract/ financial/ legal issues.

 

9)

Develop solicitation: design-build/ design-bid-build/ CM/ other.  

 

10)

Determine specific construction teams - A-E/ contractor (s).

 

11)

Issue RFQ / RFP - market timing / confirm financing, etc.

 

12)

RFQ - RFP Analysis/ Negotiate/ Award/ Begin Work.  

 

13)

Confirm schedule/ cash flows.

14)

Complete project per RFQ / RFP requirements.

last modified: 04.08.2002; (c) 2001 Sherrill & C0. email: carl@sherrillco.com; phone ... 303.988. 3508