Order Out of Chaos: A How-To for Hospitality Planners and Developers

While project management is important in many occupations, for some it is especially crucial and can be a determining factor for success. Brad Wellstead, professor from Cornell’s SC Johnson College of Business, has over thirty years of experience in architecture and project management and has seen first-hand the importance successful project management means for planners and developers. He sat down with eCornell’s Chris Wofford to discuss the importance of leadership and management abilities in hospitality today.

What follows is an abridged version of that conversation.

Wofford: If you’re getting started in this field, what are the particular skills and ability that would benefit one most?

Wellstead: Good project management skills include understanding and getting your hand around scope of a project and being able to schedule and budget and build teams and so on. But then that works into the characteristics where you, as the leader of a project, it’s about team building and significantly excellent communication skills. You have to be a motivator and you have to be a coacher.

Wofford: Budget creation seems like it would be a particular challenge. Any advice on how to deal with that?

Wellstead: Real estate development is interesting because there’s usually one team that comes up with how much money we have to spend on a project. Then, it’s handed over to the group that has to actually execute the project. They say, “Okay. Here’s your budget and your scope, and, oh, by the way, a schedule and make sure it happens in all those conditions.” That handover, that nexus right there, is always a challenging one, particularly if there were any last-minute changes based on feasibility or needs of the project or so on. That gets smoothed over by having the involvement of a project manager who is running it throughout the entire project so, when in fact you are creating budgets, they are able to contribute and add-in the necessary factors of contingency, both time and money to incorporate those so that they’re in as part of it from the very beginning.

Wofford: When you’re involving stakeholders, what are the expectations as far as presenting the state of the project?

Wellstead: When you’re in the implementation stage, when you’re spending 60, 70% of your overall budget, design fees, and construction, that’s when the real money is getting spent. There should be often weekly meetings between the owner and the architect during the design phase and the project manager, of course.

That keeps them up to date and/or the project manager keeps the owner up to date on a weekly basis that way. As you move into construction, typically weekly, sometimes biweekly, meetings of the owner, architect, and contractor. Again, with the project manager representing the owner. That keeps everybody up to date with what’s going on.

Wofford: Tell me what somebody might get out of your course as it relates to what we have been discussing today?

Wellstead: It starts with the understanding of the project and getting your arms around it, the skills of creating a schedule and a budget and running through the whole impact management point of view with some … I don’t want to call them detours, but we talk about creating RFPs and team building and such.

And quality schedule and budget. I’ve never had an owner say, “You know what? Scope and schedule are critical thing. I don’t care about quality. Give me a bad project. It’s fine.” No, that never happens. It’s always come more down to schedule and budget.

Then, there’s this whole other part of that culture that we talk about in the course where it analyzes who the leaderships are and some of the things we talked about when we’re talking about contingency because it leads to understanding how you address contingencies. Is it white hot construction? Is it crazy municipality? Is it a community that’s going to be anti or for development? Is it a difficult site to work in and a whole lot of internal things that are happening as well as external things that could be happening so it gives you this really comprehensive, holistic view of the project that once having done that, you have a sense of how you’re going to move forward.

All of that pulls all that together. Those are the main things: the culture, schedule, budget and the team building and then the impact management aspects.

Want to hear more? Watch the recorded live eCornell WebSeries event, Order Out of Chaos: A How-To for Hospitality Planners and Developers, and subscribe to future events.

Cornell’s New Certificate Program Equips Learners with Essential Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

Participants learn strategies for effective decision-making and influencing in their organizations

 

July, 2018 (Ithaca NY) –

Strong critical thinking skills consistently rank high on employers’ lists of must-have qualifications for hires. Yet a recent study revealed that nearly half rated their employees’ critical thinking skills as only average or below average. In today’s fast-paced business climate, careful and sound thought around decisions has never been a more essential mindset to adopt at every level of a company.

Recognizing the desirability of a workforce that possesses a disciplined, systematic approach to problem solving, Cornell has announced the launch of a new certificate program in Critical Thinking. Available 100% online through eCornell, this certificate program will help learners develop the skills needed to deeply analyze a problem, assess possible solutions and understand associated risks. Learners will hone their strategic decision-making skills following a methodology based on tested actions and sound approaches.

“Critically thoughtful problem-solving is both a discipline and a skill — one that helps teams and organizations thrive,” said Cornell Johnson School professor Risa Mish, who designed the program’s core course in Critical and Strategic Thinking. “The Critical Thinking certificate program is designed to better align learners’ skills with those desired by their current and future employers.”

Whether learners are interested in preparing for a management role or already lead in an executive capacity, the Critical Thinking certificate program will equip them to confidently tackle any decision large or small, make compelling business cases, and apply influence in their organization in a way that creates optimal conditions for success.

Learners enrolled in the certificate program can contribute to the success of their organization by understanding how to respond decisively and consistently when faced with situations requiring a decision, analyzing potential solutions from multiple perspectives, and establishing responsibilities and accountabilities to ensure effective follow-through once decisions are made. Courses include:

  • Solving Problems Using Evidence and Critical Thinking
  • Making a Convincing Case for Your Solution
  • Strategic Decision-Making
  • Navigating Power Relationships
  • Interpreting the Behavior of Others
  • Applying Strategic Influence

Upon successful completion of all six courses, learners earn a Critical Thinking Certificate from Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business.

Cornell’s New Project Management Certificate Program Prepares Professionals for a Project-Driven Future

According to Deloitte, the successful organizations of the future will likely be those that can “move faster, adapt more quickly, and learn more rapidly.” Between 2010 and 2020, 15.7 million new project management jobs are expected to be created in the global job market as organizations position themselves to create the rapid velocity and agility today’s digital world demands. Now, professionals can build skills for the project-driven future with Cornell’s new Project Management online certificate program while accumulating 50 education hours toward their Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

 

“This program is for anyone who works in a project environment, regardless of function or industry. Professionals gain a concise understanding of today’s project management space, learn practical skills and tools, and address crucial behavioral issues affecting project success,” said faculty author Linda Nozick, Ph.D., professor and director of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University.

 

Available through eCornell, the Project Management program includes five online courses that can be completed over three months in three to five hours per week. Students will learn and practice how to:

 

    • Get Organized: Schedule, track, and control projects using work breakdown structures, project networks, Gantt charts, and PERT calculations.

 

  • Plan and Manage Resources: Combat the “creeps”—in scope, budget, effort, and time—by identifying critical project resources, resource leveling, “crashing” or “fast tracking” certain tasks, and understanding behavioral dynamics.
  • Manage Risk: Understand types of project risk and use tools to assess the probability of project completion, make decisions, and mitigate risk.
  • Track Performance: Use earned value management (EVM) to summarize project performance across budget, deliverables, and schedule as work unfolds.
  • Think Agile: Learn the agile project management mindset, where best to use it, and how it differs from traditional waterfall and LEAN methodologies.

 

 

The Project Management certificate does not require formal project management training, is relevant for project team leaders, managers, and members, and is especially helpful for experienced project managers who seek a practical framework for project success.