CONTACTS 
0201 - Turner Const. SF                                                                                                                                                   O-00000110 0601
020101 - Mr. Mark A. Miller; Senior Project Manager
020102 - Project Management

SUBJECTS
Turner, San Francisco

0803 -
0803 -    ..
0804 - Summary/Objective
0805 -
080501 - Follow up work at ref SDS 18 0000, ref SDS 17 0000.
080502 -
080503 - Mark explained the project and relations with the parties. ref SDS 0
080504 - 7583
080506 -  ..
080507 - Considered Turner's exposure and strategies to meet emerging risks to
080508 - success on the project.
080510 -  ..
080511 - Demonstrated SDS, ref SDS 0 9042, and provided ideas for explaining
080512 - Communication Metrics to the owner, PeopleSoft, next week. ref SDS 0
080513 - 0860
080515 -  ..
080516 - Mark seems to want to proceed. ref SDS 0 3384
080518 -  ..
080519 - He will try to get approval and funding when he attends a Turner staff
080520 - meeting on Monday, and on Wednesday he will discuss the idea with
080521 - PeopleSoft.
080523 -  ..
080524 - I forgot to mention that the project looks unusually clean which
080525 - indicates good management.
080526 -
080527 -     [See submission of the record to Mark, ref SDS 20 0000.]
080528 -
080529 -
080531 -  ..
0806 -
0807 -
0808 - Discussion
080901 -  ..
080902 - Communication Metrics Meets Changed, Difficult Business Conditions
080903 -
080904 - We reviewed the article on "information overload" causing executives
080905 - to complain of not having enough time to think, ref SDS 16 3479.
080906 -
080907 - We also reviewed a recent article in Computerworld dated 970915, see
080908 - ref OF 1 0000, that shows Information Technology is causing reduced
080909 - productivity, per analysis today at ref SDS 19 4739.
080911 -  ..
080912 - I left copies of both articles for Mark's use.
080914 -  ..
080915 - We discussed previously on 970812 that low unemployment in combination
080916 - with a building boom reduces the ability to perform the work within
080917 - budgeted cost objectives.  It also increases the risk of error due to
080918 - lack of skilled employees, as reported recently by the Contra Costa
080919 - Times, ref SDS 13 line 76, and because managers do not have enough
080920 - time to use sound management practice, as set out in my article.
080921 -
080922 -      [On 980511 Reuters reports U.S. productivity delinced and labor
080923 -      costs rose dramatically. ref SDS 23 0000]
080925 -  ..
080926 - Mark can use these articles to help PeopleSoft, whom Mark wants to
080927 - approve and fund Communication Metrics, to appreciate how Turner, who
080928 - is a strong "Communication Manager" under traditional practices, per
080929 - Steve Rule, ref SDS 4 line 129, can help the project by adding
080930 - Communication Metrics?   The documents submitted today show a changing
080931 - business environment of growing complexity and consequent risk due to
080932 - information overload, which requires all organizations to take timely,
080933 - prudent steps that maintain productivity and management effectiveness,
080934 - ref OF 3 line 52.
080936 -  ..
080937 - Turner can meet this challenge by using Communication Metrics, as
080938 - described in the report issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
080940 -  ..
080941 - Communication Metrics will give Turner and PeopleSoft:
080942 -
080943 -   •  Timely Business Intelligence that organizes and analyses daily
080944 -      communication for alignment with project requirements and
080945 -      effective decision support, ref DRP 1 line 113.
080946 -
080947 -   •  Proactive, early discovery/correction of miss-understandings
080948 -      avoids delays and extra cost, ref DRP 1 line 560.
080950 -       ..
080951 -   •  Command and control of record discloses opportunities to expedite
080952 -      work and reduce costs under win/win scenarios from correlations
080953 -      and implications that are not apparent in the ordinary course of
080954 -      business due to limited span of attention in relation to the
080955 -      flood of issues and information, ref SDS 15 line 215.
080957 -       ..
080958 -      An example is the Navy Sewer Line matter cited by Marc McGovern
080959 -      in the report on Communication Metrics issued by the U.S. Army
080960 -      Corps of Engineers, Appendix A, ref DRP 1 line 834.
080962 -       ..
080963 -   •  Automated integration of time, information, documents, subjects
080964 -      to schedule the work and track performance, ref DRP 1 line 162.
080965 -
080966 -
080967 -
0810 -

SUBJECTS
Fast Track, Concurrent Engineering
Contract Disputes

1104 -
110501 -  ..
110502 - Design Delays Impacting Turner's Progress, Need Solution
110503 -
110504 - Mark advised that Turner is the General Contractor on the project.
110505 -
110506 - The architect is behind schedule in delivering drawings.  Turner is
110507 - continually discovering omissions, conflicts and errors in the
110508 - drawings that are delaying the work.
110509 -
110510 -     So this is a fast track project using "Concurrent Engineering"
110511 -     methods, that is having problems (as usual - see discussion with
110512 -     Paul Teicholz on 970724 at Stanford's CIFE program, ref SDS 12
110513 -     0866.)
110515 -      ..
110516 -     These risks escalate under conditions of a "building boom" that
110517 -     now exist, per telecon on 970812, ref SDS 13 line 75.
110519 -  ..
110520 - The architect is having difficulty getting qualified people to perform
110521 - design work to meet the rate of construction needed to accomplish
110522 - contract completion requirements.  So this is a manifestation of low
110523 - unemployment, discussed on 970812. ref SDS 13 9699
110525 -  ..
110526 - Mark indicated Turner has advised PeopleSoft that Turner cannot
110527 - continue to perform design services.
110528 -
110529 -     This suggests Turner has been trying in good faith to assist the
110530 -     architect in keeping the design current with the pace of work in
110531 -     the field.
110533 -      ..
110534 -     Turner likely wishes to avoid conduct that might constitute
110535 -     interference in the architect's work and create confusion about
110536 -     responsibility for design.  If ultimately the architect does not
110537 -     perform, then appropriate remedies should be initiated to avoid
110538 -     adverse impact to the project.
110540 -  ..
110541 - I asked if PeopleSoft recognizes the architect is having difficulty
110542 - keeping up?
110544 -  ..
110545 - Mark seemed to indicate PeopleSoft expects Turner to handle it.
110547 -  ..
110548 - The contractual relationship between the parties needs review.
110549 -
110550 -     •  Who is responsible for what?
110551 -     •  What are political strengths of stakeholders?
110552 -     •  What opportunities exist for transcending bottlenecks?
110554 -  ..
110555 - Possible Strategies to Improve Progress: Design Review, Co-Location
110556 -
110557 - We considered performing, as part of Communication Metrics effort, a
110558 - thorough review of the working drawings and specifications in order to
110559 - identify design corrections in advance of encountering problems at the
110560 - time work is performed.  This could be an opportunity to improve
110561 - construction details in a way that reduces workload of the architect,
110562 - streamlines construction for Turner, and adds value to PeopleSoft's
110563 - building.
110565 -  ..
110566 - I raised the prospect of co-location by the architect in order to
110567 - expedite design work and decisions, under the conditions Mark
110568 - described.
110569 -
110571 -  ..
110572 - We did not discuss the impact of inspection which typically needs
110573 - careful consideration.
110574 -
110575 -     If the architect is providing on-site inspection, this compounds
110576 -     the difficulty of encouraging better performance on drawing
110577 -     completion, and can lead to design defects being classified by the
110578 -     inspector as contractor errors.  This needs careful analysis.
110579 -
110581 -  ..
110582 - Management Relationships Impact Turner's Options, Increase Risks
110583 -
110584 - Business meetings with the owner's reps (Mark said there are 5 at each
110585 - meeting) are getting testy.  There seems to be a "project developer"
110586 - involved on behalf of the owner.  This may serve the role of a PM or
110587 - CM for the owner.  In any case, Mark is feeling the pressure of being
110588 - squeezed between the architect's non-performance and the owner holding
110589 - Turner accountable.  The multiple owner's reps compound the problem of
110590 - conducting efficient business communication.
110592 -  ..
110593 - Mark seemed to indicate that someone in Turner management attended a
110594 - recent meeting when PeopleSoft expressed pointed concerns about
110595 - Turner's progress.  Mark's direct boss has not done this yet, and so
110596 - may not fully appreciate the challenge Mark faces in gaining support
110597 - from PeopleSoft for improving production by the architect.
110599 -  ..
110600 - Mark is concerned PeopleSoft will regard Communication Metrics as
110601 - documentation to posture against PeopleSoft.
110602 - ..
110603 - We considered explaining Communication Metrics as a way to
110604 - discover opportunities to improve progress and avoid problems; then
110605 - request PeopleSoft's input for the most constructive way to apply this
110606 - methodology based on favorable results at the U.S. Army Corps of
110607 - Engineers and at PG&E.
110609 -  ..
110610 - If PeopleSoft refuses to support Turner in using Communication
110611 - Metrics, then it will leave Turner unprotected against a condominium
110612 - between PeopleSoft and the architect, similar to Blount on the Santa
110613 - Clara Jail project, which was a "fast track" disaster involving all of
110614 - the top "experts" in construction management, e.g., OKA, MK, ref SDS
110615 - 1 line 122.
110616 -
110617 -
1107 -

SUBJECTS
Demonstrate SDS, Communication Metrics
Management Impaired by Changing Technology
SDS Advantages, Stable Technology
History of SDS, POIMS, Communication

1806 -
180701 -  ..
180702 - SDS Technology Empowers Communication Metrics for Better Teamwork
180703 -
180704 - We examined the Schedule Diary System (SDS), looking first at the
180705 - Schedule, the Diary and how linkages work.  Mark asked about citations
180706 - in the narrative.  We examined how links are tracked in the Reference
180707 - field.  We did a few reports on various subjects, which illustrated
180708 - use of the SDS organic subject structure.  We did an Action Item
180709 - report that showed how SDS supports traceability to original sources
180710 - called out in ISO 10006, reviewed on 950721. ref SDS 3 1740
180712 -  ..
180713 - We used the Contacts and the Document Log systems.  Mark saw how
180714 - documents and SDS records of origin can be opened from within the log,
180715 - as well from within SDS records, which illustrates how SDS integrates
180716 - management practices and links context and analysis with traditional
180717 - documentation, to provide effective business intelligence, as called
180718 - in the requirements for POIMS technology. ref OF 5 1107
180720 -  ..
180721 - Mark asked how documents received are entered into SDS?
180723 -  ..
180724 - Printed material is scanned.  Email can be downloaded.
180725 -
180726 -
180727 -
180728 -
1808 -

SUBJECTS
Turner Construction Asks About Welch Background General Contracting

1903 -
190401 -  ..
190402 - Communication Metrics Record of Improving Management Effectiveness
190403 -
190404 - Mark asked how SDS was developed, and how long SDS has been used?
190406 -  ..
190407 - We reviwed Welch background as a General Contractor, litigating a 15
190408 - year contract dispute, and being an arbitrator.  This experience
190409 - yielded knowledge of management, contracts, law and dispute avoidance.
190410 - Work with computers for contract management began about 1983.
190411 - Integrating a schedule with a diary was formed in 1985.  SDS was
190412 - improved from experience using the capability for daily management,
190413 - and led to POIMS technology as an explanation, ref OF 5 0001, after
190414 - the Broadwater Dam project in 1989.  Communication Metrics, as a new
190415 - management science, evolved after the PG&E assignment, as reported on
190416 - 950327. ref SDS 2 0001  The combination of technology, management
190417 - science and cognitive science, make Communication Metrics a powerful
190418 - force in getting things done.
190419 -
190420 -     [On 000723 background in Welch v California, ref SDS 24 0001, and
190421 -     history of SDS development. ref SDS 24 0008
190423 -  ..
190424 - This long history has enabled SDS technology to stabilize so that
190425 - implementation significantly improves productivity based on the way
190426 - managers actually work by synthesizing skills and experience.  It
190427 - overcomes the problem cited in the article submitted to Mark today.
190428 - where author and industry expert, Paul Strassmann, notes the
190429 - debilitating impact on productivity of changing Information
190430 - Technology. ref OF 1 0001  Managers and staff spend so much time
190431 - learning new software and figuring out how to use it effectively, that
190432 - they never accomplish that objective, because the technology keeps
190433 - changing, per ref SDS 5 2510 and ref SDS 5 1141.
190434 -
190435 -
190436 -
190437 -
1905 -

SUBJECTS
Proposal Ideas and Terms
Project Manager Leads, Communication Manager Adds Metrics

2404 -
240501 -  ..
240502 - Welch Scope of Services Uses Contract Expertise and Technology Skills
240503 -
240504 - I explained the relationship between Welch as the Communication
240505 - Manager and Mark as the Project Manager as, for example, was discussed
240506 - with Dave Vannier at Intel on 970603, ref SDS 8 line 415.
240507 -
240508 - Mark, as Project Manager, performs the leadership role of directing
240509 - the work.  Welch will add metrics to daily communication to ensure
240510 - common understanding and follow up of Action Items, ref SDS 8 line
240511 - 410.  The daily tasks and deliverables needed to do this are specified
240512 - in the scope of services under Appendix D (see Requirements on page 2)
240513 - of the report issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ref DRP 1
240514 - line 946.
240516 -  ..
240517 - Mark will provide review, approval and guidance on the content of the
240518 - record.  Welch will prepare content that assists in formulating
240519 - strategies, plans and correspondence linked to the record of the work,
240520 - as approved by Mark. Welch's name will not appear in the record,
240521 - unless requested by Turner. Welch's job is solely to make Mark,
240522 - Turner, and the project successful.
240524 -  ..
240525 - Mark asked how much I charge and how much should be budgeted to get my
240526 - help for a full time commitment?
240528 -  ..
240529 - I said my rate is $120 per hour, and that a budget of $40K to $60K for
240530 - a 3 - 4 month period would support a full commitment, which is the
240531 - usual level of effort needed to turn things around and get the client
240532 - back in the "driver's seat" on the project.  If Turner finds the
240533 - service is not getting the results they expect, we can stand-down at
240534 - any time.
240536 -  ..
240537 - My experience is that Mark, Turner and PeopleSoft will be very pleased
240538 - with the results.
240540 -  ..
240541 - We did not explore the number of issues, complexity and amount at
240542 - risk.  I advised that I typically do not charge more than 40 hours per
240543 - week, unless specifically asked to perform a task, such as attend a
240544 - meeting, travel, etc. that requires non-normal hours. Generally there
240545 - is a lot of time needed to do the analysis necessary to deliver the
240546 - value the client seeks.  I ensure the client gets this value.  I said
240547 - that I would personally support the project initially and would work
240548 - with Mark in determining the level of effort needed so that the work
240549 - is adequately staffed to meet Turner's needs and Mark's expectations.
240551 -  ..
240552 - Mark seemed to indicate Turner has a narrow margin on the project.  I
240553 - thought he said something like a fixed fee of $10M.  That may be their
240554 - management and profit cost, just looking at the overall project which
240555 - looks to be about $70M or so.
240556 -
240557 -
240559 -  ..
240560 - Turner Need Not Learn New Skills Nor Change Existing Practices
240561 -
240562 - Business intelligence to support Turner's project leadership needs a
240563 - combination of focused management expertise, tools to keep up with the
240564 - increasing pace of information, and the skill to use the tools.
240566 -  ..
240567 - Welch provides all three (3) of these elements needed to immediately
240568 - advance the project.  There is no learning curve nor burden on Turner
240569 - to change any of its existing practices.
240571 -  ..
240572 - This solves problems (e.g., fear of change, disruption of existing
240573 - systems and culture), that prevent technology from improving
240574 - management, per Reuters' article issued today, ref OF 2 line 14, at
240575 - ref SDS 19 line 168.  Welch's solution to use a Communication Manager
240576 - reflects growing recognition of the need to ensure that management
240577 - benefits from technology, ref SDS 7 line 664, and that without this
240578 - support, technology is a drag on management, because information
240579 - overload spawns a spiral of chaos, conflict and loss.
240581 -  ..
240582 - If Mark or others at Turner choose to acquire SDS skills, this can be
240583 - accomplished in the course of business, so it does not take up time.
240584 - However job progress and quality of the work will not be adversely
240585 - impacted.
240586 -
240588 -  ..
240589 - Mark Will Review Communication Metrics with Turner/PeopleSoft
240590 -
240591 - Mark has a Turner staff meeting on Monday.  He will discuss these
240592 - ideas with his boss and with Steve Rule, since Steve has considered
240593 - these ideas.  We briefly examined Steve's prior considerations of
240594 - Communication Metrics, ref SDS 10 line 136, so that Mark is prepared to
240595 - assist Steve in understanding Mark's objectives.
240596 -
240597 -      [See results on ref SDS 21 3619.]
240599 -  ..
240600 - To prepare Mark for talking to Steve next week, I reviewed background
240601 - talking to Steve about using Communication Metrics on Turner's SFIA
240602 - project, and the 49er Stadium project, see the record on 970509,
240603 - ref SDS 6 4799, on 970620, ref SDS 9 8945, and also on 970624.
240604 - ref SDS 11 4777
240606 -  ..
240607 - Mark said Turner has changed personnel at the SFIA project 3 times,
240608 - reflecting the inherent risks of projects involving multi-stakeholders
240609 - who are major political forces, per analysis on 970620. ref SDS 9 8945
240611 -  ..
240612 - Mark is meeting with Nick next Wednesday, who is PeopleSoft's main
240613 - rep with Turner.  Today I provided some ideas on how to explain SDS
240614 - and Communication Metrics to get Nick's approval.  I offered to meet
240615 - with Mark and Nick on Wednesday, if Mark would like me to explain
240616 - Communication Metrics.
240617 -
240618 -     [See results on 971010. ref SDS 22 1849]
240619 -
240620 -
240621 -
240622 -
240623 -
240624 -
240625 -
240626 -
2407 -