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.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
D. Brown Management
June 29, 2018 1 minute read
Share

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?  

Scoreboard - Cash Flow Metric
The biggest cash flow variable for a contractor is their projects. Cash flow is a critical scoreboard metric for contractors.
Related Article
Production Tracking - Total Daily Production
Look at productivity as a daily “Jar” where your objective is to pack as much “Earned Value” into it as possible. Look at your costs in three major categories and focus on tracking what matters the most.
Related Article
Complexity of Thought and Planning Time Span
There are multiple dimensions of talent including personality traits, IQ, EQ, desire, knowledge and experience. One of the critical dimensions is what Elliott Jaques called “Time Span of Discretion” which is essentially a combination of:
Related Article