Posts by Duane Barney

The construction consultant or Owners representative is a vital often overlooked member of the construction project. The role is necessary and is required for every project but too often is administered by the client. For the Owner, Obviously, this is not the best use of resources, the decision process alone is overwhelming, design decisions, material…

For the minority in the residential construction business, they are a business first and a just happen to make money as a residential contractor, for most the opposite is true. When I started out in large commercial contracting the adage of the firm was “we are a business first and just happen to make our…

Industry background is necessary as each industry has its own intricacies and language but at the core of project management is information management. Whether you are in event planning or construction, IT, etc. the process is the same. 1. Review and understand the contract requirements This in contract management, you need to understand the legal…

I have been on every side of this business but as with most businesses when I jumped in I thought I knew it all, 30 years later it has become more evident that experience does matter. This is not to say the new guys can’t do a good job, they can, and I believe I…

I am a big fan of Shark Tank and everything it brings to the table. If you watch, one of the initial questions is “what is the cost to manufacture?” as this is a major driving force behind the success of the new product. If manufacturing costs are prohibitively high, it can be the best…

Collaborative construction is analogous to a football team with five distinct entities dedicated to winning the Super Bowl. Design built contractually blurs the lines of expertise and contractual responsibility. We will use Pro football as the format because (1) I like football and (2) it best represents the team approach needed in construction to win.…