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      Summary and Interviews

Summary of Interview (Dan Estes)

            Dan Estes is an iron man.  He is one of the hardest working, most dedicated project managers there is.  He graduated from Georgia Technical Institute’s Building Construction program in 1950.  He has a sharp, dry wit and it is interesting to converse with him.  The interview took place at his home in Columbus, Georgia next to a fire in his living room.  Like John Teeples, he exercises daily and is the first person to work everyday.  He was a perfect reference for each of the three foci of this assignment. 

The first focus was on project management.  Mr. Estes has been a project manager for over fifty years.  Currently he is solely managing a $25 million office building for AFLAC at Corporate Ridge in Columbus.  He says he is “of the old school” and does not prefer to use Assistant Project Managers or Project Engineers; he is the Project Management Team.  He admits however, that on his current project he is at the threshold of needing another manager on board (his superintendent has numerous assistants).  He has a reputation among local architects and subcontractors as a letter writer and is excellent at documentation that “covers… (his) behind.”  He loves his work and knows project management well.

The second focus is about running effective meetings.  As a project manager, Mr. Estes attends many meetings, many of which he conducts.  He leads his “Thursday meetings,” which are attended by the superintendent and subcontractors on the project. The owner’s representative leads his “Wednesday meetings,” on his current project.  Every other Wednesday the meetings are attended by the Project Manager (Estes), the Superintendent, owner’s representatives, major subcontractors, and any other pertinent players.  Many of his meetings are unscheduled, but he says it is important to be prepared even for those, and to document them.  Mr. Estes likes to follow up all of his meetings with letters, which include minutes, to all the attendees.

The third focus of this assignment, construction education, was an interesting topic to discuss with Mr. Estes.  His schooling took place over fifty years ago.  His view of education is from a completely different perspective than any modern construction student.  Not only has the industry changed, but institutions’ methods of trying to prepare students for it.  He contends that both then and now the role of the school is to teach students to think, more than anything else, and serve as an introduction to what is to come.

Interview Questions and Answer Notes (Dan Estes)

1. Please briefly describe the type of work your firm does.  90% negotiated (design/build, etc.); mostly commercial and industrial (no residential); $50-million + per year

What is your role?  Project Manager (Senior) “I see them (projects) from beginning to end: Beginning work with architects and engineers; “work up a budget;” Negotiate the price with the architects; make proposals to the owner; buyout; NOTE: (regarding buyout) The good thing about negotiated work is that contractors can select subcontractors and vendors that they like. 

2. Please describe a typical day doing your job.  “Its mostly paperwork… letters, proposals, pay requests, etc.”  At work before 7:00 AM; 1^st thing - “Suspense file” – look at letters from a month ago to make sure things have been addressed and take care of them if they have not (one week for more critical things); Check and address new calls and letters and shop drawings; two major meetings per week
3. What are the most crucial responsibilities of a project management team? Budgeting, Scheduling, Buyout
4. What are some characteristics of a good project manager? “You’ve got to love what you do.”
5. What is your least favorite task or responsibility of your job? “All the talking on the telephone”
6. What are some things you do to boost productivity on your projects?  Get the subcontractors to put more crews on the job.
7. About how much of your time is spent in meetings?  At least 25%

What type of meetings?  In addition to impromptu meetings, those with superintendent, owner’s representative, major subcontractors on Wednesdays (led by Owner’s Representative) and meetings with major Subcontractors on Thursdays (led by Project Manager)

8. How do you prevent meetings from keeping you from other important activities?  Schedule them in advance; try to accomplish things in paper format.
9. What are some important rules or guidelines to follow when conducting a meeting?  Have an outlined agenda; keep notes and send them to all participants; If there is a dispute between participants, ask them to save it until after the meeting at which time the leader of the meeting will discuss it with them (if it is a big problem ask them to save it until tomorrow)
10. What makes meetings unproductive?  Being unorganized
11. Do you like crunchy or smooth peanut butter best?  Smooth

What brand? Smuckers

12. What are some of the most important things you learned in construction school?  How to think, research, and solve problems
13. What are some of the most important things you did not learn?  One must be put in the real world with real training learn how to be effective.  “I learn something new everyday and hope I always do.”
14. Does your company hire recent graduates from construction schools?  No, usually from other firms
15. What do you think needs to be taught in construction schools?  (See question 12) “You can’t learn enough in school: You must be in the real world to see the real problems.”

What the hiring firm should teach new employees?  It varies from person to person

16. Without studying the curriculums, do you see any value of a graduate degree in construction over a bachelor’s degree?  (guessing) An internship in the field for a year may be more important than another year of school, but unsure due to unfamiliarity with the programs.

Interview Questions and Answer Notes (John Murphy)

1. Please briefly describe the type of work our department of building science does.  To produce graduates well rounded in the practices of construction, management techniques, and problem solving

What is your role?  Keep everything moving in the right direction by promoting a proper culture and motivating the staff (without the tool of extra monetary compensation)

2. Please describe a typical day doing your job.  “Meetings… meetings… meetings…” and activities tied to the notion of being part of a larger institution: tasks and items required by the university of one of its parts
3. What are the most crucial responsibilities of a project management team?  “Constant communication” (emphasis on constant), which is why email is so good
4. What are some characteristics of a good project manager?  “Group leading skills, willingness to ask for help, organization skills.”
5. What is your least favorite task or responsibility of your job?  (Murphy has not been faced with this yet) Confronting a person who is doing a bad job
6. What are some things you do to boost productivity on your projects?  Initially it is more effective to analyze the problem and learn why it is occurring.  If time permits this is more effective than doubling the crew or imposing overtime.
7. About how much of your time is spent in meetings?  50%

What type of meetings?  Problem solving and reporting meetings

8. How do you prevent meetings from keeping you from other important activities?  Adhering to deadline of meeting by keeping people on task
9. What are some important rules or guidelines to follow when conducting a meeting?  Provide an agenda, “Rolling Agendas” – roll most important items on the agenda to the top of the list
10. What makes meetings unproductive?  Unclear purpose, unprepared participants
11. Do you like crunchy or smooth peanut butter best?  Smooth

What brand?  ”Whatever the kids like”

12. What are some of the most important things you learned in construction school?  “Its hard to distinguish what I learned in school from what I learned later on.”
13. What are some of the most important things you did not learn?  People skills.  The only way to learn them is OJT
14. Does the department of building science hire recent graduates from construction schools?  No, usually five to ten years of field experience is preferred.  Never hire one from our own program – “inbreeding” – Colleges should not hire their own because it is important to bring in fresh ideas from outside
15. What do you think needs to be taught in construction schools?  For Undergraduate degree: “Tool belt” – basic estimating, basic project administration, basic scheduling, basic…; For Graduate degree: Problem solving

What should the hiring firm expect to teach new employees?  Acclimate recent graduate to the ways the company’s way of doing things.

16. Knowing both of the curriculums, do you see any value of a graduate degree in construction over a bachelor’s degree from Auburn?  Yes.  They are more prepared for middle management.  They graduate with a more mature attitude.  Murphy does not want companies hiring our Masters students expecting “yes men” but rather people asking questions and thinking for themselves.

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