The EBFC Show Blog

Scrum Fables - The PM and the APM

An experienced project manager (PM) busy running from one meeting to another on a large construction project in search of status updates for an owner's meeting came across an assistant project manager (APM) studying the Scrum Guide. The APM moved …

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ProjectPro Influencer Insights on Construction Technologies

Digital transformation in the construction industry is inevitable. With most organizations encountering ongoing safety concerns, reducing labor productivity levels, and project inefficiencies, the need to execute the right tools in your construction…

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Top 3 Schedule Problems

I have yet to meet a person or team that acted to aid the late delivery of a construction project. In fact, professionals often expend heroic levels of effort and creativity towards improving their schedules. Best efforts using standard management r…

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Agile Project Managers By Name versus Actual Practitioners

The construction industry has been revolutionized by adopting Agile and Lean project management ideas and processes like Scrum and Last Planner System®. Some traditional approaches to managing projects are often characterized by bureaucratic red…

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Visual Management Basics for Construction Teams

One of the most critical aspects of successful construction teams is communication. When I'm working with teams, communication is one of the first factors I seek to understand before recommending any improvement changes. Communication is crucial to …

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Scrum Teams Adapted Easier and Faster to Distributed and Hybrid Work

The whole world had to rapidly change as local and federal governments deemed certain parts of the economy essential or non-essential. Some teams adapted to remote work or variations of working remotely faster than others. Whether you work directly …

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Since Scrum is free, why should I invest in learning it?

In construction, we inherit a lot of expectations. We expect people to do their jobs based on role, title, contracts, previous training, and it's a bonus to get all that with a positive attitude. We expect our customers to pay us a fair price for ou…

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Use Self Reflection to Increase Innovation

One of my mentors asked me what is the most significant factor preventing me from spending more time forgetting the past (unlearning) and innovating today for the future. "Innovation? I hadn't thought about it." That was my instant response. As an…

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Many Designers Dislike Schedules, But Welcome Pull Planning

"Design is an iterative process." That's the phrase I most often hear when architects and engineers respond to how long some design deliverables will take to complete. When pushed, you may get a response, but it won't be accurate. Contractors have …

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What Every Lean Project Team Should Know About Scrum

Teams utilizing Scrum most often double their output in the first couple of Sprints because they become more efficient and effective.  Equally impressive is that they sustain their gains and that they continue improving their teamwo…

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