Full Circle: An Intern's View of Construction

On Tuesday afternoon, I enjoyed a very special opportunity to gain insight into the construction industry. As an intern, I work with many different people across departments, enabling me to learn tidbits about each of the moving parts within the construction process.  As a result, my touring of the new Hamilton Southeastern Middle School was an interesting glimpse into the full cycle of construction.

This cycle begins (at least as far as I’m involved) with the estimators (conveniently located in the room next to mine) using written plans to determine the approximate cost of completing a project. That estimate is then used to develop a project bid which, if selected, leads us to the pre-construction process.  Following more planning and mock-ups, the construction process starts, the ground is officially “broken,” and the building is built.  Simple, right?

While touring the new middle school, though, I was shocked to see just how much work contributes to the new building.  With this particular project, we’re utilizing the design-build process—a fairly new concept where the architect and general contractor are given more flexibility but are also responsible for the entire building process, down to the smallest details. That means that the planning for this building included not only concrete, masonry, and all of the normal construction-related work, but also the hanging of an American flag in each room and installation of pencil sharpeners next to the teachers’ desks.

Examining the new Media Center

Overall, viewing a nearly-finished product illustrated to me the enormous amount of planning and work required to execute a successful build.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to gain that experience and am sure it will help me in my time at The Hagerman Group. Plus I don’t think I will ever view my middle school the same way again.

 

Clockwise from top left: (Gymnasium, Outdoors, Industrial Technology Classroom, Computer Lab)

Steven Brisley
Marketing Intern

Lean Construction

On September 26, 2011, a group of people interested in Lean Construction made a presentation to the Leadership Team.  The presentation explained the primary goal of Lean Construction: eliminating organizational waste to improve the flow of construction information and material.  A better, faster flow of information and material results in construction projects that have higher quality, higher productivity and are delivered with more owner value and shorter project lead times.

The presentation team made a number of recommendations to promote this “operating system” in The Hagerman Group.  In response, the Lean Construction Team is now one of the Strategies II initiatives.  One recommendation included engaging Consultant WCM Associates in Lean integration training.  As a result, The Hagerman Institute will soon begin to market Lean Construction training to be held in both Ft. Wayne and Fishers on July 24 and July 25, respectively.  In this session, Larry Rubrich will introduce the principles and concepts of lean construction to an expanded group of interested parties.  If sufficient capacity exists, selected subcontractors will be invited to learn alongside The Hagerman Group.

Looking to the future, the Action Plan of the Lean Team includes learning how others apply Lean principles.  To accomplish this goal, the Fishers office recently hosted the Last Planner scheduling session for the IUPUI Neuroscience project, conducted by CM Messer.  Several contractors gathered to schedule this project and all became stakeholders in the schedule, offering a tremendous learning experience.

Lean Construction Team Planning Meeting

Currently, the Lean Construction team is using Lean principles in the development of a new Quality Management Executing Program.  This includes a review of the program to eliminate unnecessary steps and redundancies.  In an effort to combine lean concepts with new technology, the Lean Team will be researching how to utilize iPads and smartphones in the field for quality and safety issues.

The Lean Team is also reviewing various Lean Certification programs.  At this time, Purdue University offers yellow belt, green belt, and black belt certification for Lean Healthcare. 

The Lean Team is one of the largest and most active groups of Strategies II and includes the following professionals:

Jay Bangert
Tony McGlockin
Evan Sutton
Brian Boss
Brad Miller
Tom Werling
Chris Harmon
Brian Hoeppner
John Sondergrath

Bruce Molter, Team Mentor

                                   

Watch for Lean Construction training information from the Hagerman Institute in the near future.  

Terry Greene
Lean Construction Team Leader