Final Thoughts: Project Management Often About ‘Common Sense’
I begin this column knowing I may offend some people in project management, because my contention is that project management of engineering projects isn’t that complicated. Project management relies on common sense we all use every day in our lives (with some additional paperwork). Managing a project can be simple and requires sound practical judgement. I think about when I was much younger and was preparing to build a model car. A step-by-step process might look like the following: • Decide w...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Patience Is a Virtue
My dad passed away about a year and a half ago. Being the oldest of three children, it was my task to help put together the eulogy for the service. I knew I wouldn’t be the one reading it (those types of potentially emotional talks are not in my repertoire), but I wanted to capture some of the things our family remembered about him. I ended up soliciting the grandkids (and my two siblings), asking them what one thing they remembered most about their grandfather. Fortunately, there was plenty of...
Legal Issues: When (and How) Should a Mediator Evaluate a Case?
Construction is a rewarding business, but it’s also challenging and risky. Most larger projects involve dozens of companies, complex design and construction issues, compressed schedules, and tight budgets. So despite efforts to avoid them, it’s not surprising that construction has its share of legal claims and disputes that can distract management and staff, destroy business relationships, and damage the bottom line. Mediation can help resolve construction and other business disputes quickly an...
Project Management Insights: When Everyone Is a PM, No One Is a PM
About 10 years ago, the #lifegoal in the industry was to become a Principal within one’s engineering or architecture firm. With that position came prestige, owner perks, financial and professional security, and decision-making authority on strategic matters. Managers were eager to trade in bonuses for any number of shares offered. Seats filled up quickly at seminars that taught “the business of the business.” This trend soon brought unique challenges, and we consulted around those, too. Ownersh...
Executive Corner: Is It Time for a Shareholders’ Agreement Tune-Up?
A well-crafted shareholders’ agreement is the foundation of any professional service firm’s ownership transition plan. In privately held firms (which make up the vast majority of firms in the A/E industry), this is the document that governs how ownership is transacted by and between the company and its shareholders. A good agreement will speak to virtually any circumstance that may arise, and specify the obligations of the company and shareholders in each circumstance with respect to ownership....
Code Update: A Seismic Monitoring Systems Snapshot for Building Code Compliance in California
California is most associated with earthquake risk, but the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) points out that while all U.S. states have some potential for earthquakes, 42 of the 50 states “have a reasonable chance of experiencing damaging ground shaking from an earthquake in 50 years.” Even with this assessment, it was only in the last decade that California building code required seismic monitoring. In the rest of the United States, there are no seismic monitoring building codes, except in Oreg...
Infrastructure Outlook: We Need 21st Century Solutions for America’s Infrastructure
Americans know how bad the country’s infrastructure has become, particularly our roads and bridges. The growing U.S. population, currently at 328 million people and rapidly approaching 400 million, puts a tremendous strain on our already taxed infrastructure. Commuting to work, going to the doctor’s office, and getting the kids to their activities are taking us longer due to worsening roads and congestion. The people expect their federal elected leaders to act to improve these problems, but so f...
From the Editor: Managing a $10 Trillion Construction Industry
Several years ago, the trillion-dollar global construction industry (projected to hit $10 trillion by 2020) caught the eyes of Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Much has been written (including in this column) about the industry’s inefficiencies, and there’s much interest in capitalizing on efficiency improvements. The result was and continues to be a flood of money pouring into construction technology. One area of particular interest is project- and design-management software platforms intended...
Final Thoughts: Which Costumes Have You Worn Throughout Your Engineering Career?
It’s Halloween season: the time of year when we get to dress up and act like a different person or character for a day. We can take on another role, different from the role we play at home or at work. I asked my young neighbor what he was going to be for Halloween, and he said, “Harry Potter, just like the last two years.” He must like playing the role of that character; he can be magical! How many characters have you played as an engineer? How many costumes have you worn? Do you like the chara...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Teaching IPD: Integrated Project Dharma
In 2016, Fitzpatrick Engineering Group was invited to be a signatory for a true Integrated (Lean) Project Delivery (ILPD) project for a regional hospital system. Most of the design team (everyone but the architect) as well as the general contractor and his subs had all worked together at this hospital on a previous project. There were 11 signatory companies to the contract: the owner, the design team (A/S/MEP), the general contractor and some of his subcontractors. We worked almost six months...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
