Guiding Your Team to Driving Successful Projects

Project Coaching

Project Coaching is one of Arcade’s most unique offerings. In this hybrid training / development approach, we work with you to identify an upcoming project, then help your team run that project from start to finish. From contract negotiation and preconstruction planning through final punchlist and debrief, we work with your project team to build up their skills, help identify ways to strengthen and streamline your process and provide high level oversight of the whole project.

This is YOUR project, YOUR team, YOUR software and YOUR process – Project Coaching is a custom solution that’s all about you!

Our Project Coaching track record is strong, and EVERY PROJECT we have run from start to finish in this way has resulted in better profitability than the client’s average (often beating their profitability records!) However, the improved profitability and stability of the target project is the least valuable aspect of the program – the real value is in the skills of your team, and the improvement of processes so that profitability of your projects can improve across the board!

The program is focused on three main principals:

  • Teaching Practical Skills

  • Strengthening and Streamlining Processes

  • Demonstrating High Level Project Management by Running the Project

     

Teaching Practical Skills

We talk a lot at Arcade about the fact that everyone learns best in a different way. Some of us need to hear a thing, see a thing, read about it or touch it with our hands. In our experience, Project Teams learn best by working through an actual project. While we can hold classes on subjects like Reading Drawings and Specs or Working with Site Reporting, we find that when we separate those subjects from our daily work, the impact of that training is far less. When we teach Drawings by looking at the actual documents for an upcoming project, the team absorbs the information in a much more meaningful way.

Teaching Practical Skills with an active project results in:

  • Raising the Overall Skill Level of Every Member of Your Project Team

  • Increasing the Confidence Level of Every Team Member

  • Reducing the Stress and Confusion Caused by Fear of Unknown Project Factors

Objective

Strengthen Construction Skills for the Whole Team

You don't know what you don't know!

Objective

Find the Pinch Points and Open Them Up

Make Your Tools Work for You

Strengthening and Streamlining Process

Often, construction companies grow like a farmhouse – in the way that old farmhouses were built, one room at a time, we see the way that companies do work get built one piece at a time, shifting to accommodate new and bigger teams as the company grows. We are often too focused on keeping the day-to-day work moving forward to take a step back and make sure that we’re getting things done in as clear and simple a way as possible. At Arcade, this is our strength.

The best way to shine light on the parts of your process that could be clearer or simpler is by running through the project with a fresh set of eyes. As we walk through the project, we’ll watch for places where your team is tripping over the process or bumping heads, and we’ll bring you solutions, and help you to implement them.

Strengthening and Streamlining Your Processes Results In:

  • Creating a Sense of Cohesion and Focus on the Project Team

  • Breaking Down Silos of Information and Improving Team Communication

  • Identifying Points of Frustration of Failure in Real Time

  • Expert Solutions and Implementation Help

  • Breaking Down Barriers Between Office and Field

Providing High Level Project Oversight

As construction companies grow, we often find that the company leaders know a lot about the way that projects should be getting done, but are challenged by the task of keeping tabs on projects that they are not actively running. Arcade takes an oversight role in the target project. This serves two purposes – it provides visibility of our work to company leaders, so they can rest assured that the project is going well, but it also helps illustrate some methods and tools for oversight that can be put to work across the company after our target project is complete.

Arcade’s High Level Project Oversight Results In:

  • Modeling High Level Oversight Processes for Project Leaders and Company Leaders

  • Implementation of Real-Time Profitability Tracking

  • Implementation of High Level Risk Management Processes

Objective

Tools to Help You Oversee Without Micromanaging

Make Room In Your Schedule for Steering the Ship

Focus

Everything Under the Hood!

Covering the entire process of a successful project

Specific Areas of Focus

Through this program, we’ll be working with, training to and improving every element of your projects.

Project Coaching Areas of Focus include:

  • Drawings and Specifications

  • Schedule Management

  • Contracts and Scope

  • RFIs and Submittals

  • Site Reporting

  • Safety

  • Change Process

  • Profitability Tracking

  • Leadership / Effective Delegation

  • Risk Management

  • Customer Service / Relationships

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more about the program?
What does Arcade's Involvement Look Like?
This is a custom program, built around the needs of your project and team. While the frequency of meetings will vary, based on the size of the project, the size of the team and the general needs for practical skills training, you should expect Arcade to run regular project / training meetings, as well as spending regular focused time with company leadership to strategize and report back about the status of the project. Want to know more about how this program might work for one of your upcoming projects? Contact us and let’s talk!
Where is the Program Held?
*** During the current COVID crisis, we are working through the early phases of projects remotely with project teams, in order to facilitate getting the best use out of the time during which we can’t meet. However, this program, as soon as it’s practical and safe again, is held in person with Arcade staff. ***

Again, as a custom program, this can look different based on your needs. However, usually we hold project meetings in your space – either your office or the jobsite, as it’s most practical for your team.

We do also have our own training space in West Seattle, and can hold sessions there as well.

What are the Computer Requirements of the Program? (Hardware/Software)
The great bonus of running a custom program like this is that we will use YOUR software. All your team needs, to start, is whatever tools you are currently using to run your projects.

As we run the project, if we recognize hardware needs (i.e. a team member who could really use an updated laptop) or software needs (if you have tools that just aren’t quite filling your needs anymore) we will make recommendations and help you implement any changes you elect to make.

What kind of Project is Best for Project Coaching
It’s important that we have time to learn new skills and processes and to drill those skills and processes until they become second nature – like muscle memory. For that reason, the best project for this program is a project that goes on for as long as possible. Project Coaching is most successful when run with projects with a 3 – 12 month duration.

Another great benefit of Project Coaching is that we often see companies use it to grow into a new class of bigger, more complex projects. The most successful Project Coaching projects are a little bigger and more complex than your usual project, or may deal with work that is new to you. This can be a great way to put some training wheels on a project that might otherwise be a stretch for your outfit!

What if I Have MORE Questions?
You can always reach out to us! We’re here to help. Come in for a tour of our training space, have an espresso and let’s chat!

Contact us today!

Do you want to find out just how much better your projects can run? Let Arcade help!
Get in Touch!