Levels of the Value Stream

For contractors to unlock maximum value during business development, preconstruction and project execution it is critical to understand the broader value stream of the project beyond their scope.

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Consider these 10 levels of granularity when looking at the construction value stream:

Critical Skills: Value Stream Levels. Seeing, Understanding, Doing, and Leading.

 


SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR

  1. Specific Trade Scope & Task (Field Installation Expertise)
  2. Functional Area of Specialty Contractor (Precon, Detailing, Prefab, etc.)
  3. Whole Specialty Contracting Business (Electrical, Mechanical, etc.)

PROJECT OWNER

  1. Construction Process (GC / CM Viewpoint)
  2. Design & Project Delivery Process
  3. Project Lifecycle (From Concept Through Initial Construction, Operation, Renovations & Decommissioning) 
  4. Corporate Facility Management (Interrelationships of Business Strategy & Multiple Project Lifecycles)

BEYOND

  1. City Planning (Redevelopment Vision, Supporting Infrastructure, etc.)
  2. Industry Trends (Example - Demographics Driving Healthcare Capacity Needs)
  3. Country & Multi-Industry Integration (Example - Growing Geographies, Integration of Housing & Healthcare)

 


What level of the value stream is your primary focus?

Deeply learn the value streams and build relationships 1 & 2 levels higher.  

What can you do to add maximum value considering the perspective from those higher levels?  




Failure is a Potent Teacher
Failure is a very potent teacher for construction contractors if:
Succession Planning at All Levels
If a construction company is growing at 15% per year, then it will double in size about every five years. Therefore, in general, every position must be training at least two people that will be capable of succeeding them within five years.
Early Identification is a Process - Effectively Using Checklists
Few things will improve customer satisfaction, profitability, cash flow, risk, and team stress more than early identification of change orders. This is a process and a trainable skill. Checklists are some of the most valuable tools in that process.