The 9 Best Tips for Submitting an Online Job Application

1. Thoroughly read job descriptions. Most recruiters will tell you a big pet peeve is hearing from job seekers who apply even if they aren't qualified for the job. Take the time to understand exactly what the company expects from applicants for jobs that interest you; do not ignore the detailed description of what the job entails. "ATS technologies can filter candidates by those whose responses dovetail best with specific job descriptions. For the best response rates, make sure your content and experience match up accordingly," Day says.

2. Create an original cover letter. If the company asks for a cover letter, be sure to include one. Make sure to write one specific to your accomplishments and skills and one that addresses the job description properly. Go a step further and mention how you will use that knowledge and those skills on the job. Avoid sending out a generic, run-of-the-mill cover letter. "Despite the cover letter being digital, it's often the first thing recruiters read when viewing candidate profiles--even ahead of the resume," Day explains. "Use the cover letter as an opportunity to showcase your personality, qualifications, and desire for the job."

3. Identify key words and tailor your resume. Take your time and look over your resume. Find the key words in the job description and make sure you indicate how your accomplishments address those requirements. Be sure to customize your resume and/or cover letter slightly to each specific job.

4. Make sure your responses are on target and error free. "With paper applications, poorly written submissions can be tossed in the 'circular file,' never to be seen again," Day says. "But with digital applications, error-laden content lives on at that company, potentially hurting your chances for a relationship with the employer in the future as well." This is a scary thought, but one that should motivate you to triple-check your content for spelling, content, and grammar. Additionally, Day suggests you make sure all of your information is completely spelled out--in other words, avoid abbreviations. In many cases, abbreviations that may be understood readily by the hiring managers are not familiar to the first-line recruiters.

5. Maintain one candidate profile per company. Once you apply to a company that uses an ATS, the organization saves your personal information. While you should tailor your resume and/or cover letter for each job submission, maintain one master profile for all of your applications for that company. "Multiple profiles in one company's system can cause confusion," Day says. "By only submitting one profile per company, you can eliminate the odds of the wrong profile being disqualified by a first-line recruiter."

6. Fill out all fields within the application process. By filling out every field, you are not just giving information that could make you stand out from the competition, but also demonstrating your interest and desire for the job. Many recruiters just skip over candidates who don't complete their applications. Also, Day explains that with an ATS in place, many companies filter candidates by their responses to certain fields within the online application forms. Don't miss out on any chances to be included in the recruiters' filtering processes for the position.

7. Ensure your social profile is current. Companies are now encouraging candidates to include professional information from their social profiles, typically LinkedIn, Google+, or Facebook, within their online application process. "The ability to view your dynamic social profile(s), allows recruiters to see your current work status and determine whether timing is right to extend you an interview or even a job offer. At iCIMS, we refer to this as a 'social resume,'" Day says.

8. Clean up your public social media profile. A technology-savvy hiring company is more likely to take an active interest in your social media profile postings. Make sure you don't have public images or content that would distract, or worse yet, deter hiring managers or recruiters from wanting to hire you. Don't provide red flags for recruiters and hiring managers. "If used properly, social media can help you connect with potential employers--just make sure your online data is working for you, not against you," Day concludes.

9. Review all the information you imported before submitting. Before hitting the submit button, take a final glance at the content you have provided. Keep in mind that once you hit that button, your information is sent to the recruiter directly. First impressions are important, so make the best one possible when you apply.

By Miriam Salpeter | U.S.News & World Report LP – Wed 11 Jul, 2012 7:11 PM IST

CPM Concept-2

Total Float: The total amount of time that a schedule activity may be delayed from its early start date without delaying the project finish date, or violating a schedule constraint.

Free Float: The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following schedule activities.

 Free float can only occur when two or more activities share a common successor, or in other words, when activities converge on a Network Diagram.

Q.        Who owns total float & free float?
Ans.     Total Float belongs to the project, whereas Free Float belongs to individual activities. If the project is being done under a contract, it's debatable whether Float belongs to the buyer or seller.
In either case, 'Float' is a project resource. It should be used judiciously, mainly to cover the risks or other unforeseen issues on the project
Free Float shows you how much flexibility you have in terms of both time (spread between early and late date S curve horizontally) and in terms of resources (the spread vertically between the early data and late date S curves).

 Q.   How free flot's partisan take place?
Ans.    From a claims (legal precedent) perspective, unless otherwise stated in the contract, float is generally considered to be owned 50% by the owner and 50% by the prime contractor. However, the 50% owned by the prime contractor is also split between his/her subs and vendors.

The Process of Real Estate Investment

Making an investment of any kind doesn’t just mean handing over an extra set of hundred Rs. . With every large investment, there are specific rules and processes that are defined in order to ensure that your money will be going to the right place. If you are investing in real estate, you will want to know what initial investments will be.

If you have found a home and are beginning a process for buying the home, you will begin to make some initial investments soon after the first contract is signed. Most real estate investments will require a down payment, which includes a set amount of money towards the person that is selling the home. This will then be put on your credit towards the investment that you are making. If you have extra money set aside, you will want to put it in the down payment, as this will make a difference in your investment later on and can help with final approvals for the loan that you are receiving.

Another set of investments that you will be making is for any extra costs from the team that you have built. For example, a home inspection will usually cost a small amount of money. There may also be extra fees linked to the lenders paperwork and other things that are related to things such as the contract. Every person that is working with you will receive a commission or part of the investment that you are making in the beginning.

Before you begin house hunting, make sure that you know about the initial investments and how it will affect your bank account. Setting aside a specific amount of money for your first home, or knowing how much to include in a down payment after buying a second home will help you to make the right investments from the beginning. You will want to make sure that you walk into your dream home with enough money to get you completely in the door.

Real estate appraisal

Real estate appraisal – is that the real one?

Real estate appraisal or property valuation is the process of determining the value of the property on the basis of the highest and the best use of real property (which basically translates into determining the fair market value of the property). The person who performs this real estate appraisal exercise is called the real estate appraiser or property valuation surveyor. The value as determined by real estate appraisal is the fair market value. The real estate appraisal is done using various methods and the real estate appraisal values the property as different for difference purposes e.g. the real estate appraisal might assign 2 different values to the same property (Improved value and vacant value) and again the same/similar property might be assigned different values in a residential zone and a commercial zone. However, the value assigned as a result of real estate appraisal might not be the value that a real estate investor would consider when evaluating the property for investment. In fact, a real estate investor might completely ignore the value that comes out of real estate appraisal process.

A good real estate investor would evaluate the property on the basis of the developments going on in the region. So real estate appraisal as done by a real estate investor would come up with the value that the real estate investor can get out of the property by buying it at a low price and selling it at a much higher price (as in the present). Similarly, real estate investor could do his own real estate appraisal for the expected value of the property in, say 2 years time or in 5 years time. Again, a real estate investor might conduct his real estate appraisal based on what value he/she can create by investing some amount of money in the property i.e. a real estate investor might decide on buying a dirty/scary kind of property (which no one likes) and get some minor repairs, painting etc done in order to increase the value of the property (the value that the real estate investor would get by selling it in the market). So, here the meaning of real estate appraisal changes completely (and can be very different from the value that real estate appraiser would come out with if the real estate appraiser conducted a real estate appraisal exercise on the property).

A real estate investor will generally base his investment decision on this real estate appraisal that he does by himself (or gets done through someone). So, can we then term real estate appraisal as a really real ‘real estate appraisal’?

How to convert solar energy into power

What is solar energy

Solar energy is radiant energy that is produced by the sun. Every day the sun radiates, or sends out, an enormous amount of energy. The sun radiates more energy in one second than people have used since the beginning of time! Where does the energy come from that constantly radiates from the sun? It comes from within the sun itself. Like other stars, the sun is a big ball of gases––mostly hydrogen and helium atoms.

The hydrogen atoms in the sun’s core combine to form helium and generate energy in a process called nuclear fusion. During nuclear fusion, the sun’s extremely high pressure and temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei (the central cores of the atoms) to fuse or combine. Four hydrogen nuclei fuse to become one helium atom. But the helium atom contains less mass than the four hydrogen atoms that fused. Some matter is lost during nuclear fusion. The lost matter is emitted into space as radiant energy. It takes millions of years for the energy in the sun’s core to make its way to the solar surface, and then just a little over eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light.

Only a small portion of the energy radiated by the sun into space strikes the earth, one part in two billion. Yet this amount of energy is enormous. Every day enough energy strikes the United States to supply the nation’s energy needs for one and a half years! Where does all this energy go? About 15 percent of the sun’s energy that hits the earth is reflected back into space. Another 30 percent is used to evaporate water, which, lifted into the atmosphere, produces rainfall. Solar energy also is absorbed by plants, the land, and the oceans. The rest could be used to supply our energy needs.
How to convert solar energy into power

Energy from the sun can be converted into solar power in two ways. The first way involves the use of solar thermal applications. Solar thermal applications use the sun’s energy to provide direct heat to air or liquid (like Thermosyphon solar water heater) Solar thermal panels can be used for both residential and larger-scale applications.

The second way of obtaining solar power involves the use of photoelectric applications. Photoelectric applications use photovoltaic cells in converting energy from the sun into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are considered low maintenance and well suited to remote applications. They use semiconductors like silicon to convert energy from the sun into electricity.

How to deal with unsuccessful projects

More projects fail than succeed. 44% of all projects were late, over budget, and/or with less than the required features and functions, 24% of all projects were cancelled prior to completion or delivered and never used (*).

When a project fails, or is already failing before it is completed, it’s critical that lessons are learnt from the experience, to better avoid project failure in the future. To do this, you should consider project success or failure under four headings: People, Process, Culture, Context.

• People – what factors relating to the human elements must be influenced to achieve success?

• Process – what programme and project management infrastructure must be in place for success?

• Culture – how does the culture of an organisation influence programmes and projects?

• Context – does the environment in which programmes and projects are being delivered matter? How does this differ between sectors?

One of the most important of these is process. Make sure you have a consistent approach to programme and project management. Ensure that you’re using a recognised project management methodology – for example PRINCE2. Ensure that your people are effectively trained – for example they have a PRINCE2 qualification.

You also need to ensure that your organisation has the right cultural approach to project management. So, consider whether programme and project management is recognised as a dedicated career path, whether the attributes of programme and project managers recognised as professional skills and are people supported to achieve PRINCE2 qualification. Are programmes and projects being undertaken by resources ‘on top of their day jobs’ and do you provide the opportunities to ‘improve’ programme and project management?

The key to achieving consistent project success is adoptinga process – such as PRINCE2 – and using it consistently:

• Remember that programmes and projects involve people –engage with them rather than attempting to manage them

• Recognise programme and project management as a professional skill –not everyone has the attributes to be a good programme and/or project manager

• Understand the organisation’s cultural ‘norms’ and context –operate within these expectations

• Provide support -from all levels of the organisation

(*) Source: Standish Group, CHAOS summary 2011

What You Need To Learn About DIY Landscaping

For many people the easiest way to go is choosing to do their own landscaping. You’ll spend less on the cost of hiring a professional by doing it yourself, and get to spend some time outdoors. Not merely can you pass an enjoyable afternoon while doing landscape designs, you’ll also get exercise benefits at the same time. Any individual who wants to be a successful do-it-yourself landscaper really needs a number of tools, ranging from basic to hi-tech.

While doing your very own landscaping, these tools will be essential. When you’re developing the layout of your lawn and garden, it is important to have a good software program for landscaping. A system that comes recommended is in fact one by Punch, called Master Landscape & Home Design. The program is still being used effectively, despite it having been bought as far back as 2003. The 3 dimensional Photoview technology lets you use digital pictures you have of your property and garden, and on the computer monitor you can preview anything you want to do before implementing it. You’ll find plants, by using the PlantFinder, that fit the conditions in your geographical area, being appropriate to the soil and climate. You may also find the best places to buy the plants, when using the calculator to find estimated costs.

This method is most likely the most high-tech that you might need to get. An essential element of your landscape would be to mow the lawn, so when you do the landscaping yourself, you will need a good lawn mower. Watch out when buying a mower, because it is easy to acquire something with abilities way beyond your needs. However, you can also simply order your spanking new mower from a catalogue, or buy a good-condition used mower at a second-hand store. If your property is big, you may want to look at a lawn mower you can ride, which will save you time as well as muscle-ache.

It does not matter where your home is or what your lawn looks like, you’ll want to have a weed wacker. It can do a great job on the spots that the mower can’t reach, such as around fruit trees, near fences, beside patios, and many other places. Should you buy one of the better wackers, you’ll also get attachments for many functions, such as cutting really tough weeds. Particularly if you have let things go for some time, and these weeds have become long, as well as tough. To stand up to all of these, you will certainly need some heavy-duty plastic, not the regular string-and-coil wacker.

There are several tools that are relatively low tech that you will likewise need, such as different shovels, rakes, pruning instruments, and definitely a good pair of gloves. A little understanding might be needed about things such as hydroponics, carpentry and electricity, but that will depend on the sophistication of your design and what you have planted.

The Contractor

Most commonly, the term ‘contractor‘ is used to describe an expert in the construction industry who hires skilled and unskilled workers to actually construct a financed project. A contractor must be licensed by an examining board before he or she can bid on the project. This bid is based on the estimated cost of the building materials, the wages of subcontractors and laborers and the contractor’s fee for coordinating the project.
Although a contractor’s main concern is hiring qualified subcontractors (specialized craftsmen paid by the contractor), he or she may also perform some of the construction work as well. Most contractors develop good working relationships with other construction specialists, so they often hire the same specialized companies and workers for each contracted project. The contractor is ultimately responsible for the quality of the work performed by subcontractors, so it doesn’t always pay to hire unknown entities to cut down on expenses.
A professional contractor should also have an understanding of his or her limitations. The client works with an architect and financier long before the first shovel of dirt is removed by a contractor. During the bidding process, a contractor may have to work with the building’s architect to discuss potential problems with a design element. If the complexity of the building’s design or the potential cost overruns threaten to overwhelm a contractor’s skills, he or she needs to step back and allow other contractors to win the bid. A good contractor understands that the success of the project depends on his or her ability to hire the right independent subcontractors and follow the wishes of the client.
In a different sense, a contractor could also be anyone who agrees to perform work for a fee. This occurs frequently in businesses which cannot afford to assign or hire a new employee to perform a specific job. The job itself may not be long-term enough to justify the expenses of a new hire, or the wages may not be sufficient for established employees. Companies in this situation often hire ‘independent contractors’ to perform the job without a formal employment agreement. The pay rate is discussed with each independent contractor and a legal agreement may be produced. After completing the job, an independent contractor receives the entire amount of pay without tax deductions or other withholdings. At the end of the tax year, the company issues a federal 1099 form showing the independent contractor’s miscellaneous income earned.

Testing Concrete Aggregates ( From field to Site)

Here after is the specification for concrete aggregate testing in a hi-rise building construction.

General

Samples of the fine and coarse aggregates approved by the Engineer shall be kept on the Site and shall give a fair indication of the approved quality of the aggregate for comparison with the aggregate delivered during the course of the works.

Should a sample fail to comply with any of tests, the Engineer may at his own discretion reject the batch from which sample was taken, or order it to be washed and/or screened, or permit such to be used with variations in the proportions of the concrete mixes specified, all a the Contractor’s expense. Any batch of aggregate rejected by the Engineer shall be removed from the site forthwith and replaced entirely at the Contractor’s expense.

All sample and testing of aggregates shall be carried out in accordance with ASTM C33.

Preliminary Aggregate Tests

As soon as the source of supply of aggregate have been approved, the Contractor shall instruct  the testing agency to carry out the following tests for compliance with “Specification of Concrete Aggregates” (ASTM C33).

1. Sieve analysis
2. Tests for clay, silt and dust content
3. Tests for organic impurities
4. Tests for salt content (chloride and sulfate ions)

The results of these tests shall be submitted for approval as soon as available. Test (1) and (2) with tests for the moisture content of each aggregate shall be carried out on the sample used for each trial mix.

Testing sampling of Aggregates

The contractors shall carry out such tests on aggregate samples as are necessary for the production of the specified concrete. The minimum incremental frequency of tests on each type of concrete used for the works shall be:

1. Sieve analysis: at least once weekly
2. Moisture content: at least once weekly
3. Tests for clay, silt and dust content: at least once fortnightlu
4. Tests for organic impurities: at least once monthly
5. Tests for salt content (chloride and sulfate ions): for every 500 cubic meters of concrete placed.

If for any reason the Engineer is not satisfied with the works concrete, he may instruct the Contractor to further increase the rate of sampling. Conversely, the rate of sampling may be reduce by the Engineer when consistent high quality been well established.

The Administration of Highway Projects ( In England & US )

The administration of highway projects differs from one country to another, depending upon social, political and economic factors. The design, construction and maintenance of major national primary routes such as motorways or dual carriageways are generally the responsibility of a designated government department or an agency of it, with funding, in the main, coming from central government. Those of secondary importance, feeding into the national routes, together with local roads, tend to be the responsibility of local authorities. Central government or an agency of it will usually take responsibility for the development of national standards.

The Highways Agency is an executive organisation charged within England with responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of the motorway/trunk road network. (In Ireland, the National Roads Authority has a similar function.) It operates on behalf of the relevant government minister who still retains responsibility for overall policy, determines the framework within which the Agency is permitted to operate and establishes its goals and objectives and the time frame within which these should take place.

In the United States, the US Federal Highways Agency has responsibility at federal level for formulating national transportation policy and for funding major projects that are subsequently constructed, operated and maintained at state level. It is one of nine primary organisational units within the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). The Secretary of Transportation, a member of the President’s cabinet, is the USDOT’s principal.

Each state government has a department of transportation that occupies a pivotal position in the development of road projects. Each has responsibility for the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of its federally funded highway system. In most states, its highway agency has responsibility for developing routes within the state-designated system. These involve roads of both primary and secondary state-wide importance. The state department also allocates funds to local government. At city/county level, the local government in question sets design standards for local roadways as well as having responsibility for maintaining and operating them.

Quality Control and Safety Concerns in Construction

Quality control and Construction Safety represent increasingly important concerns for project managers.

Weak quality control leads to defects or failures in constructed facilities, thus result in very large costs. Even with minor defects, re-construction may be required and facility operations impaired. Increased costs and delays are the result. In the worst case, failures may cause personal injuries or fatalities. Accidents during the construction process can similarly result in personal injuries and large costs. Indirect costs of insurance, inspection and regulation are increasing rapidly due to these increased direct costs. Good project managers try to ensure that the job is done right the first time and that no major accidents occur on the project.

As with cost control, the most important decisions regarding the quality of a completed facility are made during the design and planning stages rather than during construction. It is during these preliminary stages that component configurations, material specifications and functional performance are decided. Quality control during construction consists largely of insuring conformance to these original design and planning decisions.

While conformance to existing design decisions is the primary focus of quality control, there are exceptions to this rule. First, unforeseen circumstances, incorrect design decisions or changes desired by an owner in the facility function may require re-evaluation of design decisions during the course of construction. While these changes may be motivated by the concern for quality, they represent occasions for re-design with all the attendant objectives and constraints. As a second case, some designs rely upon informed and appropriate decision making during the construction process itself. For example, some tunneling methods make decisions about the amount of shoring required at different locations based upon observation of soil conditions during the tunneling process. Since such decisions are based on better information concerning actual site conditions, the facility design may be more cost effective as a result.

With the attention to conformance as the measure of quality during the construction process, the specification of quality requirements in the design and contract documentation becomes extremely important. Quality requirements should be clear and verifiable, so that all parties in the project can understand the requirements for conformance. Much of the discussion in this chapter relates to the development and the implications of different quality requirements for construction as well as the issues associated with insuring conformance.

Safety during the construction project is also influenced in large part by decisions made during the planning and design process. Some designs or construction plans are inherently difficult and dangerous to implement, whereas other, comparable plans may considerably reduce the possibility of accidents. For example, clear separation of traffic from construction zones during roadway rehabilitation can greatly reduce the possibility of accidental collisions. Beyond these design decisions, safety largely depends upon education, vigilance and cooperation during the construction process. Workers should be constantly alert to the possibilities of accidents and avoid taken unnecessary risks.

How To Deal With Poor Workers In The Workplace

In order to keep the relevant people informed, you must have regular and complete access to all information about the project: customer needs, objectives, plan, constraints, changes/risks and progress.

PRINCE2TM, the government-standard Project Management methodology, suggests that a system of ‘management products’ (documents used to make management more efficient) is set up.

For example, a Project Quality Plan relies on information about quality expectations provided by the Customer. The Quality Log is a record of quality checks performed by project staff. Both documents are necessary for effective management of product quality.

The PRINCE2TM method also recommends that Project Managers establish regular dates for Checkpoint Reports (detailing the progress of individual teams and team members) and Highlight Reports (documents prepared by the Project Manager, for the Project Board, describing overall project progress).

With disciplined adherence to a system of regular and focused communication, you will avoid the misunderstandings and delays that so frequently lead to project failure and ensure that all your project staff and stakeholders are secure in their knowledge of what has to be done, and who is doing it.

If Situation #2 appears, then you may have to take additional actions, such as:

•  Tell the worker that if their performance does not improve within a given time period, you will work with the line manager and take whatever disciplinary actions are necessary. You are giving them a chance for recovery.
• If the performance does not improve within the given time period, then provide the worker with an on-the-spot performance review and see to it that the functional manager receives a copy.
• Remove the worker from the project team. If you do not have the authority to do so by yourself, then it may be necessary to ask your sponsor for help.

Obviously, there are other issues that can cause poor work performance and there are other ways to handle the situation; this is just one option.

The Importance of Communication in Project Management

Communication is key to successful Project Management.

If project staff do not know what their tasks are, or how to accomplish them, then the entire project will grind to a halt. If you do not know what the project staff are (not) doing then you will be unable to monitor project progress. And if you are uncertain of what the customer expects of you, then the project will not even get off the ground.

Maintaining open, regular and accurate channels of communication with all levels of project staff and stakeholders is vital to ensuring the smooth flow of instructions from customer to factory floor and sufficient warning of risks and changes to enable early assessment and preparation.

•    The Information that You Need to Give

As Project Manager, it is your job to keep a number of people well-informed. It is essential that your project staff know what is expected of them: what they have to do, when they have to do it, and what budget and time constraints and quality specification they are working towards.

It is also your job to keep the Project Board informed of project progress. The Project Board usually includes the Executive (person ultimately responsible for the project), and representatives from the User and the Supplier.

It is important that the Project Manager updates the Project Board regularly on the status of the project, so that any changes or risks can be assessed, project progress can be measured against the original Business Case and a project that is not fulfilling its purpose or matching the value of its investment can be called to a halt.

•    The Information that You Need to Receive

In order to keep the relevant people informed, you must have regular and complete access to all information about the project: customer needs, objectives, plan, constraints, changes/risks and progress.

PRINCE2TM, the government-standard Project Management methodology, suggests that a system of ‘management products’ (documents used to make management more efficient) is set up.

For example, a Project Quality Plan relies on information about quality expectations provided by the Customer. The Quality Log is a record of quality checks performed by project staff. Both documents are necessary for effective management of product quality.

The PRINCE2TM method also recommends that Project Managers establish regular dates for Checkpoint Reports (detailing the progress of individual teams and team members) and Highlight Reports (documents prepared by the Project Manager, for the Project Board, describing overall project progress).

With disciplined adherence to a system of regular and focused communication, you will avoid the misunderstandings and delays that so frequently lead to project failure and ensure that all your project staff and stakeholders are secure in their knowledge of what has to be done, and who is doing it.

Quality control in construction field

Quality control in construction typically involves insuring compliance with minimum standards of material and workmanship in order to insure the performance of the facility according to the design. These minimum standards are contained in the specifications described in the previous section. For the purpose of insuring compliance, random samples and statistical methods are commonly used as the basis for accepting or rejecting work completed and batches of materials. Rejection of a batch is based on non-conformance or violation of the relevant design specifications. Procedures for this quality control practice are described in the following sections.

An implicit assumption in these traditional quality control practices is the notion of an acceptable quality level which is a allowable fraction of defective items. Materials obtained from suppliers or work performed by an organization is inspected and passed as acceptable if the estimated defective percentage is within the acceptable quality level. Problems with materials or goods are corrected after delivery of the product.

In contrast to this traditional approach of quality control is the goal of total quality control. In this system, no defective items are allowed anywhere in the construction process. While the zero defects goal can never be permanently obtained, it provides a goal so that an organization is never satisfied with its quality control program even if defects are reduced by substantial amounts year after year. This concept and approach to quality control was first developed in manufacturing firms in Japan and Europe, but has since spread to many construction companies. The best known formal certification for quality improvement is the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 9000 standard. ISO 9000 emphasizes good documentation, quality goals and a series of cycles of planning, implementation and review.

Total quality control is a commitment to quality expressed in all parts of an organization and typically involves many elements. Design reviews to insure safe and effective construction procedures are a major element. Other elements include extensive training for personnel, shifting the responsibility for detecting defects from quality control inspectors to workers, and continually maintaining equipment. Worker involvement in improved quality control is often formalized in quality circles in which groups of workers meet regularly to make suggestions for quality improvement. Material suppliers are also required to insure zero defects in delivered goods. Initally, all materials from a supplier are inspected and batches of goods with any defective items are returned. Suppliers with good records can be certified and not subject to complete inspection subsequently.

The traditional microeconomic view of quality control is that there is an “optimum” proportion of defective items. Trying to achieve greater quality than this optimum would substantially increase costs of inspection and reduce worker productivity. However, many companies have found that commitment to total quality control has substantial economic benefits that had been unappreciated in traditional approaches. Expenses associated with inventory, rework, scrap and warranties were reduced. Worker enthusiasm and commitment improved. Customers often appreciated higher quality work and would pay a premium for good quality. As a result, improved quality control became a competitive advantage.

Of course, total quality control is difficult to apply, particular in construction. The unique nature of each facility, the variability in the workforce, the multitude of subcontractors and the cost of making necessary investments in education and procedures make programs of total quality control in construction difficult. Nevertheless, a commitment to improved quality even without endorsing the goal of zero defects can pay real dividends to organizations.

A Sample of Home Construction Contract

This contract sample is for home construction, repair, or remodeling. It was drafted by the Consumer Protection Division of the Maine Attorney General in an attempt to meet the requirements of 10 M.R.S.A.§§ 1486-90, Home Construction Contracts. This contract is required to be used for home construction or repair projects costing more than $3,000. You are free to copy this contract and use it for your home construction project.

The Maine Attorney General does not guarantee that this model contract satisfies all legal requirements.
Contract No. _________________________

1. Parties to This Contract:
A. Contractor

Name:

Phone :
Address:
B. Homeowner or Lessee:

Name:

Phone:
Address:

2. Location of Work:

3. Completion Dates:
A. Estimated date of commencement:

B. Estimated date of completion:

4. Contract Price (if a “cost-plus” formula the cost of labor and materials must be estimated):

5. Method of Payment (initial down payment is limited to no more than 1/3 of the total contract price):

6. Description of the Work:

7. Warranties: The contractor provides the following express warranty:

In addition to any additional express warranties agreed to by the parties, the contractor warrants that the work will be free from faulty materials; constructed according to the standards of the building code applicable for this location; constructed in a skillful manner and fit for habitation. The warranty rights and remedies set forth in the Maine Uniform Commercial Code apply to this contract.

8. Resolution of Disputes: If a dispute arises concerning the provisions of this contract or the performance by the parties, then the parties agree to settle this dispute by jointly paying for one of the following (check only one):
1. Binding arbitration as regulated by the Maine Uniform Arbitration Act, with the parties agreeing to accept as final the arbitrator’s decision (______);
2. Nonbinding arbitration, with the parties free to not accept the arbitrator’s decision and to seek satisfaction through other means, including a lawsuit (______);
3. Mediation, with the parties agreeing to enter into good faith negotiations through a neutral mediator in order to attempt to resolve their differences (______). The parties are not required to select one of these dispute resolution methods. They are optional. If the parties do not select one of these dispute resolution options, check here: ______.

9. Change Orders: Any alteration or deviation from the above contractual specifications that involve extra cost will be executed only upon the parties entering into a written change order.

10. Additional Provisions:

Please note: if this contract is being used by contractors who sell door-to-door it must meet any applicable requirements of the Consumer Solicitation Sales Act, 32 M.R.S.A. §§ 4661-4671, the Door-to-Door Home Repair Transient Sellers Act, 32 M.R.S.A. §§ 14501-14512, and The Credit Home Solicitation Sales Act, 9-A M.R.S.A. §§ 3-501-3-507, including a description of the consumer’s 3 day right to cancel the contract. If this contract includes installation of insulation in an existing residence it must contain a detailed description of the insulation as required by 10 M.R.S.A. § 1482. If this contract includes construction of a new residential building or a new addition to an existing residence, it must contain a statement that 10 M.R.S.A. §§ 1411 -1420 establishes minimum energy efficient building standards for new residential construction, and whether this building or addition will meet or exceed those standards.

11. Contract Acceptance:
Signature:

Date: _____________
(Homeowner or Lessee)
Signature:

Date: _____________
(Contractor)

Each party must receive a copy of this signed contract before work can be started.

Construction Contract

Definition of a construction contract

The term Contract used in the Construction management can be defined as: “An agreement entered into by two parties under the terms of which one party agrees to perform a specific job for which the other party agrees to pay. Contract documents attached to and/or stated in the agreement form integral parts of the contract”.

Essentials of Contract validity

* The parties to the contract must be competent, and legally capable of playing their intended part. The law can not enforce the agreement on someone who has not the legal capacity to enter into an agreement. This could be due to infancy, lunacy, drunkenness, or being restricted from entering into such agreement by a prior in date agreement or scope of authority.
* The subject matter of the contract must be lawful and definite in respect of requirements and duties of each party. For example a contract violating municipal regulation is not binding and is void in courts. Also uncertainty in respect of the what is wanted may result in the contract being not enforceable by law.
* Proposal and acceptance: There must be a proper proposal by one party and its absolute and unqualified acceptance by the other party. The proposal is not binding without a clear acceptance and is not binding beyond its date of validity.
* Free consent of parties to the contract: Consent is said to be free when it is not caused by force, or undue influence or fraud or misrepresentation.

Breach of Contract

Breach of Contract is the failure to perform it. However, not every failure to perform an obligation amounts to a true breach, as there are a number of excuses for non performance. When a contract has been broken without sufficient excuse or justification, the party who suffers by such breach is entitled to receive from the party in default, a compensation for any loss or damage caused by such breach.

Data Required for Preparing an Estimate:

A Contract may be terminated or brought to an end in either of the following ways:

* Full and satisfactory performance by both parties to their obligations under the contract.
* Breach of contract, when the default of one party releases the other party from the contractual obligations.
* Mutual agreement of the parties to terminate the contract.
* Unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of either party render it impossible to perform his duties or obligations stated in the contract.
* Operation of law to terminate a void contract.

Types of contracts commonly used in construction

* Lump sum contract
* Item rate or unit price contract
* Percentage rate contract
* Cost plus percentage rate contract
* Cost plus fixed fee contract
* Cost plus fluctuating fee contract
* Target cost contract.

A Business Coach Can Assist You To Build Your Business

If you give thought to what a coach does, especially for sports teams, it is to prepare a team for a game, then to motivate them, and make changes when they are required. A business coach could show you the things you have to do in launching a business, but it is up to you to do the work. Your coach could point out things that you might be doing wrong and give advice. A great coach will offer you several options but it is up to you if you want to execute or not. It is a great idea to get a coach that matches your style so that you can trust in their guidance.

Many of you could be thinking about whether you should find a business coach to help you put your business on the right track. If you find the right business coach, they can certainly take your personal life and business to a higher level. A coach could help you identify your objectives, so that your life has some direction, and purpose. If you decide that you would like to start a business, then you must figure out what you need and whether you have what it takes.

If you give thought to what a coach does, especially for sports teams, it is to prepare a team for a game, then to motivate them, and make changes when they are required. A business coach could show you the things you have to do in launching a business, but it is up to you to do the work. Your coach could point out things that you might be doing wrong and give advice. A great coach will offer you several options but it is up to you if you want to execute or not. It is a great idea to get a coach that matches your style so that you can trust in their guidance.

The objective of the coach is to help their clients find the right way to work things out by helping them find their own answers. Chances are you’ll realize that finding the answer can come from another person asking the right question to a problem. A great coach will keep you motivated and help you remain focused in addition to hold you accountable for your targets. When you start out, you’re going to be making several mistakes but your coach is going to help you get through them. You may find that in order to improve your business, you may need to make adjustments to your personal life. It is not easy to be two different people at the same time where one is for personal and the other for business.

If you’re wanting to become successful on your own without any help, then getting a business coach is a waste of money. A coach is there to offer you assistance, and help you make adjustments that will make things work a lot easier. If you are obstinate and tend not to take advice from other individuals, then you will not need a coach. If you determine that having a business coach is a great idea, you must do some research and look for a coach that can lead you to success.

If you work with your business coach, then they will be able to help you achieve your targets. You ought to make the time and effort to find the one that is right for you.