Blogs

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Lean Design

Lean design and custom homes - a love story

I'm a sucker for a good love story. I get emotional at the end of Pretty Woman, and will watch Can't Buy Me Love over and over again....

Great Solutions for Builders

Design axioms of a world-class inventor

Chances are, you’ve never heard of Tony Fadell. But I would bet a very large sum of money (okay, $100) that you’ve heard of his most notable...

Customer Satisfaction

Customer Satisfaction: Never, ever give up on the 'impossible to please' customers

Some customers can be “impossible to please” (IP), but keep in mind, when open to the public, a home building company is exposed to all...

Quality Management

Strategy

“Management has to give direction to the institution it manages. It has to think through the institution’s mission, has to set its...

The Spray Foam Insulation Blog

Open or Closed Cell Insulation: The Age-Old Question

Both insulation types are proven and effective commercial solutions, but each product has its own unique set of qualities

Quality Management

Short term thinking

One of Demings ‘Seven Deadly Diseases’ is ‘The Emphasis on Short-Term Profits’ and therefore on short term thinking. Despite the lessons of...

Quality Management

Leadership Reflections

Here is a simple exercise to help you reflect on your leadership. Make two lists. One is headed, ‘leadership I respected and valued’, the...

Customer Satisfaction

Employee Satisfaction = Uh - Oh!

Many experts have said that it is unreasonable for a company’s leadership to expect their employees to take better care of their customers,...

Quality Management

The purpose of National Housing Quality Award Site Visits

“The overall purpose of a site visit is to reveal the truth about the organization and provide a thorough assessment.” Brown, Baldrige Award...

Lean Design

3 compelling elevations for 'box on box' design

Professional Builder recently held a survey, and to quote Editor-in-Chief Dave Barista: "When it comes to selecting exterior design...

Quality Management

The ACORN test

The ACORN test is an easy to remember way to evaluate the charter of an improvement project. A Accomplishment. Does the goal actually...

Customer Satisfaction

A Lesson Learned from the Builder of the Year

We can all relate to great leaders, but we may fail to note what makes them so. Harry Truman is quoted as saying, “Not all readers are...

Quality Management

What stories are being told about your business?

“The stories, apocryphal or not, that circulate in an organization reveal its devotion (or lack of it) to quality, and serve to inspire its...

The Lean Builder

Lean Builder Blog: Do operations still matter on the West Coast?

I have spoken at PCBC, the big West Coast building conference most of the past 15 years and I always enjoy it. The event has been very well...

Lean Design

Lean Design Blog: Okay, okay, I guess second floor laundries are just kind of stupid

The title of this blog is tongue in cheek (or maybe foot in mouth) as a follow up to a blog I wrote a while back titled, "Second Floor...

Quality Management

Data, lots of data, but what are you doing with it?

Technology has made gathering data so much easier. However, the problem is we can be overwhelmed by it. Surveys, stats, city, state and...

Lean Design

3 key elements to creating stunning curb appeal

A young doctor was just setting up his first office when his secretary told him there was a man to see him. The doctor wanted to make a good...

Customer Satisfaction

Your house delivery = fast food or fine dining?

This week's installment of Charlie Scott on Customer Satisfaction in Home Building questions how new houses are delivered to customers. ...

Quality Management

Just focus on your customer

The focus is the customer, it’s about their needs and wants. Sometimes when we try to improve our customer focus and we try to achieve a ...

The Lean Builder

Lean Building Blog: How to get ahead in home building by really trying

My son Tyler (second of 4 children), age 29, is taking a new position with a homebuilder after having two good building industry jobs in the...

Quality Management

FMEA

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a tool that can assist in identifying where your areas of risk lie and helps structure...

Lean Design

Lean Design Blog: Review of a high-end 3,800-sf split-garage ranch

Better bust out the Grey Poupon for this one. Turrets, steep roof, stone and stucco will drive up the cost per square foot a bit on this...

Customer Satisfaction

Customer Satisfaction: The Anti-Hawthorne Effect

Years ago, well after the huge productivity gains of the industrial revolution, employers still sought productivity improvement. In an...

The Sweet Spot

Are you listening to your remodeling clients?

A recent experience got me thinking about how companies all-too-often fall back on financial incentives when dealing with an unhappy...

Quality Management

Team roles

The Belbin team roles are used to help create effective and balanced teams. Few individuals are strong in all of these roles, so ensuring...

Home Builders Institute's Schools to Skills Grant Application Open Through December

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Buyers Lose Purchasing Power

Renters Are Choosing Single-Family Homes for These Features